Name Alfred Asikainen | Role Olympic athlete | |
 | ||
Born 2 November 1888 ( 1888-11-02 ) Viipuri, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire Died January 7, 1942, Kellokoski, Finland Olympic medals Wrestling at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's Greco-Roman Middleweight | ||
Alfred Johan "Alpo" Asikainen (2 November 1888 – 7 January 1942) was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.
Sporting career
Asikainen won the Greco-Roman middleweight event at the 1911 World Wrestling Championships in Helsinki. It was the only time he finished within the podium at a World Wrestling Championship.
At the 1912 Olympics Asikainen won against his first four opponents, including the eventual winner Claes Johanson. In the semifinal he wrestled Estonian Martin Klein, who was representing Russia, for eleven hours and forty minutes on a blisteringly sunny day outdoors in the Stockholm Olympic Stadium. Asikainen lost by pin, and Klein ended up withdrawing from the final due to exhaustion, resulting in Johansson winning the gold medal by default. Asikainen was awarded the bronze medal. The bout between Asikainen and Klein remains the longest wrestling match in history.