Hamit Kaplan
Turkish wrestler (1934–1976)
哈米德·卡普兰 · ハミト・カプラン · 하미트 카플란
- Born
- 20 September 1934, Hamamözü
- Died
- 5 January 1976, Çorum
- Citizenship
- Turkey
- Sport
- amateur wrestling
- Occupation
- amateur wrestler
- Height
- 190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
- Weight
- 97 kg (214 lb)
Hamit Kaplan (20 September 1934 – 5 January 1976) was a Turkish World and Olympic champion sports wrestler of Circassian descent in the Heavyweight class. He won the gold, silver and bronze medal in men's freestyle wrestling at three consecutive Olympic Games in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
Born in Hamamözü town in Amasya Province, he began wrestling as a youngster in the traditional Turkish sport Yağlı güreş (oil wrestling). Soon, he switched over to sports wrestling and became juniors champion in the Heavyweight class. Hamit Kaplan was admitted to the national team in 1954 and was trained by the renowned wrestler Celal Atik for his
skill. Already at his age of 22, he represented Turkey at the World Championships held in Karlsruhe, Germany and ranked 3rd in the Greco-Roman style.
Besides three Olympic medals, he won many more titles at international competitions both in freestyle and Greco-Roman category. Hamit Kaplan, weighing 100 kg at his 1.90 m height, was a defensive wrestler, who finished much of his matches in draw.
Competitions
| Competition | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 Summer Olympics | 1956 | |
| 1960 Summer Olympics | 1960 | |
| 1964 Summer Olympics | 1964 |
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q1385869 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.