Armas Laitinen

Armas Laitinen started wrestling at the age of 16. He won silver in the 66.5 kg category at the 1910 Finnish wrestling championships and gold in the 73 kg category in 1913. He participated in the Stockholm Olympics in 1912, competing in the lightweight division of Greco-Roman wrestling. He won his first three bouts. However, he was disqualified in his bout against the Hungarian Ödön Radvány and excluded from the competition due to violent actions. In 1920, Laitinen was hired as the coach of the Finnish wrestling team including at the Antwerpen Olympics.

Subsequently, Laitinen became a successful professional wrestler in the United States and even claimed the World Heavyweight Title. After a few years, he did not like the violence in the fights aiming to win by hurting the opponent. He later broke his hand in a professional fight. After returning to Finland, Laitinen continued working as a wrestling coach and became an inspector at the Helsinki Police Department. In 1924, together with 1908 gymnastics Olympian Heikki Lehmusto, he published a textbook titled Painiskeluopas (Wrestling Guide).