Oskar Kaplur

Oskar Kaplur was one of the most famous Estonian amateur wrestlers before the World War I. In 1911 he was fifth at the World Championships. In 1912 he won gold at the Unofficial European Championships (he won with fall all his seven opponents) and was first in the Russian Championships. Along with two other Estonians August Kippasto and Georg Baumann, Oskar Kaplur was selected to the Russian 1912 Olympic team in wrestling’s lightweight class. In Stockholm he was successful at first. He won his first three matches against Brit William Hayes, Italian Alessandro Covre (with fall) and Finn Alfred Salonen (with points). In the fourth round he lost to a later gold medalist Emil Wäre but won his next match against Finn Aatami Tanttu with walkover. In the sixth round he lost again to a Finn Tatu Kolehmainen and did not advance to the final round. A few months later, Kaplur took the title in the 70 kg class at the unofficial European Championships in Wien.

After winning the 1913 North-European Championships, Kaplur went to the United States to study freestyle wrestling preparing for the 1916 Olympics. To avoid being suspected of fighting professionally, he competed under the pseudonym “Lurich” wearing a red mask. After returning to Estonia, Kaplur competed in the 1914 unofficial European Championships. During the tournament, he was injured and had to withdraw. In 1915, he won two titles at the Russian Championships, in the heavyweight class and the all-around. When the 1916 Olympics had to be cancelled, he decided to become professional. In early 1918, he won a major event in St. Petersburg. After World War I, he was beyond his peak and retired. In Russia, he worked in various positions in the aviation field for a long time. He died in Moscow, aged 73.