Mustafa Dagistanli

Mustafa Dağıstanlı was born on 11 April 1931 in Söğütpınar, a village in Samsun Province, Turkey. His family was of Avar origin and had migrated from Dagestan in the 19th century. His grandfather had fought in the army of Imam Shamil against the Russian Empire. Dağıstanlı lost his father when he was seven years old and had to work as a shepherd to support his family. He was interested in wrestling from a young age and practiced traditional Turkish oil wrestling. He also joined the local wrestling club and competed in amateur tournaments. He was discovered by the national wrestling coach while serving in the Turkish Naval Forces and was invited to join the national team in 1953. He soon became one of the best freestyle wrestlers in the world, winning the world championship in the bantamweight category in 1954 in Tokyo, Japan. He also won the gold medal in the same category at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He moved up to the featherweight category and won two more world championships in 1957 in Istanbul, Turkey and in 1959 in Tehran, Iran. He also defended his Olympic title at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. He retired from wrestling after the 1960 Olympics, having won 389 matches and drawn four out of 393. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and was nicknamed "Pocket Hercules" for his strength and agility. He was also honored with the State Medal of Distinguished Service and the Olympic Order by the Turkish government and the International Olympic Committee respectively. After his retirement from wrestling, Dağıstanlı entered politics and joined the Justice Party. He was elected as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from Samsun in 1965 and served until 1969. He then became the mayor of Samsun in 1969 and held the office until 1973. He later served as the president of the Turkish Wrestling Federation and the vice president of the Turkish Olympic Committee. He also worked as a sports commentator and a columnist for various newspapers and magazines. He was married to Fatma Dağıstanlı and had three children: Mehmet, Ayşe, and Zeynep. He died on 18 September 2022 in Antalya, Turkey at the age of 91. He was buried in the Uncalı Cemetery in Antalya. He was mourned by many people from different walks of life, including the President of Turkey, the Prime Minister of Turkey, the Minister of Youth and Sports, the President of the Turkish Olympic Committee, the President of the Turkish Wrestling Federation, and many former and current wrestlers and athletes. He was remembered as a legend, a hero, and a role model for generations of Turkish wrestlers and sportsmen.