Who is Yaşar Doğu?

Yaşar Doğu (Born in 1913, Kavak - Date of death 8 January 1961, Ankara) is a Turkish wrestler who wrestles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman style. Yaşar Doğu was born in Karlı village of Samsun's Kavak district in 1913 and settled in Emirli, his mother's village, after his father died during the First World War. Yaşar Doğu was sent to her aunt Ayşe Tok (Doğu), who lived in the Kurnaz Village of Amasya in 5 or 1917, when her mother, Mrs. Feride, had her second marriage in this village. It is known that in the village of Ayşe Hanima, it was named Feride, in honor of the mother of Yaşar Doğu, Feride. Her aunt's husband, namely her brother-in-law, Satıldı Tok, raised Yaşar Doğu with him until his military service, without distinguishing between his sons Hayrettin and Kemal. In those years, Yaşar Doğu, who was dealing with farming and animal husbandry alongside his aunt and brother-in-law, was taking his brother-in-law Satıldı Tok to wrestling at the village weddings on weekends with a single horse-drawn carriage. Before going to military service, he was admired by the wrestling authorities coming from Ankara in the wedding wrestling in the present-day Ziyaret Town of Amasya - formerly known as Ziyere Village in 1918.

While he was in the military in Ankara in 1936, he joined the Wrestling Specialization Club and started mat wrestling. When he finished his military service in 1938, he settled in Ankara and started wrestling for his club. Here, Finnish coach Onni Helinen, who was at the head of the national team at that time, took him to the national team in 1939 when he saw his wrestling style and strength. In the same year, he wrestled at the European Championships in Oslo with 66 kilograms and lost in one of his four wrestles and came in second. He took his only freestyle defeat by points against Estonian wrestler Toots. The Oslo Tournament was the only freestyle tournament that Yaşar Doğu participated in but did not become the champion.

In the Balkan Championship held in Istanbul Çemberlitaş in 1940, he won 3 wins with three buttons and became the champion in 66 kilograms. Araya II. With the entry of World War II, he won two more victories with two keys in two national matches in Cairo and Alexandria in 1946. Again that year, in the European Championship in Stockholm, he played 73 games with 6 kg and won all of them and won the title of European Champion for the first time. A year later, he beat all his rivals at the European Greco-Roman Championship in Prague and became the champion of 73 kg.

He participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics where he defeated all 5 of his opponents and became the Olympic champion.

In 1949 he went on a European Tour with the Turkish national team. In this tour, which covered Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland, he played a total of 79 wrestles at 7 kg and won them all. In the same year, the European Wrestling Championship was held in Istanbul. Yaşar Doğu wrestled at 79 kilograms and became the champion by beating the top three opponents with the key and in the finals, the famous Swedish wrestler Groemberg by points.

In 1950, he went on a tour, this time in Asia. He beat his opponents with the touch of all wrestling he performed in Baghdad, Basra and Lahore and spread his reputation in the East.

Yaşar Doğu had the chance to participate in the World Championship once in his wrestling life. Yaşar Doğu, who was on the mat at 1951 kg in 87, won the first and last World Championship of his life by defeating his Finnish, Iranian, German and Swedish rivals, although it was difficult to wrestle at this weight because he was short. All of the national wrestling team that went to Helsinki in 1951 returned home with the title of championship. This team consisted of Yaşar Doğu, Nurettin Zafer, Haydar Zafer, Nasuh Akar, Celal Atik, Ali Yücel, İbrahim Zengin and Adil Candemir.

When he was declared professional by the Olympic Committee for being given a home after the London Olympics, he could not participate in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

After quitting wrestling, he became a coach in the national team. While he was in Sweden with the national team on 15 December 1955, he suffered a severe heart attack. He continued to train young wrestlers after his return, despite the doctors' advice for a definite rest.

He passed away on January 8, 1961, with a second heart attack in Ankara. His grave is in Ankara Cebeci Military Cemetery.

Yaşar Doğu, one of the legendary names of Turkish wrestling, was defeated in only one of the 47 wrestling wrestling with crescent-star jersey, and won 46 of the 33 matches he won with the key. Although the normal time total of 46 matches he won was 690 minutes, these wrestling took a total of 372 minutes and 26 seconds due to the keys he made in a short time.