Mehmet Çoban
Turkish wrestler (1905–1969)
- Born
- 1905, Balıkesir
- Died
- 1969, Istanbul
- Citizenship
- Turkey, Ottoman Empire
- Sport
- amateur wrestling
- Occupation
- amateur wrestler
Mehmet Çoban (1905–1969), a.k.a. Koç Çoban Mehmet, was a Turkish Olympian wrestler in the heavyweight division of Greco-Roman style.
He was born 1905 in Balıkesir, Ottoman Empire. A shepherd, he was discovered by the local military commander Hikmet Pasha during a Turkish traditional sport yağlı güreş (oil wrestling) match, and was sent to Istanbul to join "İstanbul Güreş İhtisas Kulübü", a renowned club specialized in wrestling. During his sport career from 1928 until his retirement in 1940, he was the only heavyweight wrestler of Turkey's national Greco-Roman wrestling team.
Mehmet Çoban became 5 times Balkan champion and earned also once the silver medal at the Balkan and the European Championships each. At his age of 41, Mehmet Çoban won a bronze medal at the European Championship. He participated at the 1928 and 1936 Olympics, ranking 8th and 4th respectively. Mehmet Çoban died in 1969.
Competitions
| Competition | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 Summer Olympics | 1928 | |
| 1936 Summer Olympics | 1936 |
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q6809660 (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.