Georg Lurich was a famous strongman and wrestler from Estonia, born in 1876. His countryman Georg Hackenschmidt and Aleksander Aberg were trained in wrestling and weightlifting by Lurich.
Georg Lurich
Lurich started training regularly after he moved to Russia in 1895 where Dr. Wladyslaw Krajewski coached him in wrestling and weightlifting. The popularity he gained through lifting & strongman performances gave him the drive to pursue a career as a professional athlete.
Georg Lurich lifting and holding up five men with ease
He was the first man from Estonia to set world weightligting records and help popularize weightligting and athletics in his home country. 18-year old Georg Hackenschmidt was one of the lucky ones who had a chance to be trained and mentored by Georg Lurich. Hackenschmidt later became very popular in weightlifting and wrestling – the same disciplines Lurich taught him.
Resisting the pull of two camels
Wrestler’s bridge by Georg Lurich
Lurich travelled to the United States with his countryman and friend Aleksander Aberg, just before World War I started, to compete in free-style wrestling. He stayed there until 1917 and then went back to Saint Petesburg only to end up stranded in the Armavir village due to war. Around 1920 Lurich felt ill of a typhoid fever, which was epidemic at that time. He died on January 20, 1920.
If you want to learn how to wrestle like Lurich and Hackenschmidt, I’d strongly recommend you to check out Don Powers Catch Wrestling for Cops.
Comments
This man’s feats of strength were incredible! As is the fact that he was Hackenschmidt’s teacher; it’s like discovering that Aristotle was the teacher of Alexander the Great. I wish more credit was given to this man for his contributions.