{{Short description|Turkish wrestler (1934–2004)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}} {{Infobox sportsperson |name= |nickname= |image =Guram Sagaradze, Mahmut Atalay, Hossein Tahami 1966.jpg | image_size = 200px |caption=Atalay (center) at the 1966 World Championships |birth_date= 30 March 1934 |birth_place= Çorum, Turkey | death_date = 4 December 2004 (aged 70) | death_place = Ankara, Turkey | height = 171 cm | weight = |sport=Freestyle wrestling |event= |club= |coach= |alma_mater= | headercolor = lightblue | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's freestyle wrestling}} {{MedalCountry | {{TUR}}}} {{MedalCompetition |Olympic Games}}
{{MedalGold | 1968 Mexico City|78 kg}} {{MedalCompetition |World Championships }} {{MedalGold|1966 Toledo|78 kg}} {{MedalSilver|1965 Manchester|70 kg}} {{MedalCompetition |European Championships}} {{MedalSilver|1966 Karlsruhe|78 kg}} {{MedalSilver|1967 Istanbul|78 kg}} {{MedalCompetition |Mediterranean Games}} {{MedalGold|1959 Beirut|78 kg}} {{MedalGold|1963 Naples|70 kg}} {{MedalCompetition |Balkan Championships}} {{MedalGold|1962 Istanbul|78 kg}} {{MedalGold|1965 Yambol|78 kg}} }} '''Mahmut Atalay''' (30 March 1934 – 4 December 2004) was a Turkish freestyle wrestler and coach.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.circassiancenter.com/tr/mahmut-atalay-kimdir/ | title=Mahmut Atalay Ki̇mdi̇r? | date=6 March 2019 }}</ref> He competed at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and won a gold medal in 1968, placing fourth in 1964.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://whatsmat.uww.org/daten.php?spid=A3EC31610F764D59A0513547ED7DA2CF | title=International Wrestling Database }}</ref>
==Early life and wrestling career==
He was born in 1934 in Çorak, a village of Çorum Province in northern Turkey. He began wrestling in the traditional Turkish karakucak style before changing to freestyle wrestling. It was not until the age of 18 that he began Olympic wrestling in 1952. It took him a relatively long time to grow into the Turkish top class of freestyle wrestlers. It was not until the late 1950s, at the age of 25, that he was selected for the Turkish national wrestling team. He was admitted to the national team after winning the national title in 1959, and received training by the renowned wrestlers such as Yaşar Doğu, Celal Atik and Nasuh Akar and Halit Balamir.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kimoneo.com/mahmut-atalay-kimdir-gures-nereli-basarilari-hayati/ | title=Mahmut Atalay Kimdir? Güreş, Nereli, Başarıları, Hayatı | date=29 June 2021 }}</ref>
After the 1960 Olympic champion İsmail Ogan, who wrestled in Mahmut's weight class, ended his active career, the way was clear for him to compete in the international championships. From 1961, he competed for Turkey in many championships until 1968. However, it took until 1965 before he could win an international medal. Since Turkish wrestlers are among the strongest in the world in the freestyle along with the Soviet athletes and the U.S., it is surprising that Mahmut Atalay was given so many chances by the Turkish wrestling federation. In the end, he justified this trust when he became world champion in 1966 and Olympic champion in 1968. He achieved remarkable victories over the world-class wrestlers Abdollah Movahed, Iran, Guliko Sagaradze and Sarbeg Beriashvili, both USSR and Enju Valchev Dimov, Bulgaria.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Mahmut Atalay Bio, Stats, and Results {{!}} Olympics at Sports-Reference.com |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/at/mahmut-atalay-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418004542/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/at/mahmut-atalay-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-18 |access-date= |website=www.sports-reference.com}}</ref>
==Awards and achievements==
He became the national champion 15 times, and besides his Olympic gold won several medals at other international competitions. In 1968, he was honored by the International Wrestling Federation with the award "Most Technical Wrestler of the World".
==Later life and death==
He retired from competitions in 1968 and then worked as a national wrestling coach for 16 years.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.guresdosyasi.com/atalay78.html | title=Guresdosyasi }}</ref> Atalay died on 4 December 2004 in Ankara following a heart attack.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/mahmut-atalay-vefat-etti-38673264 | title=Mahmut Atalay vefat etti | date=6 December 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/koseyazisi/guresin-efsanelerinden-mahmut-atalay-266398 | title=Kemal Ateş - Güreşin efsanelerinden Mahmut Atalay | date=12 February 2021 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}}
{{Olympic medalists for Turkey}} {{Olympic Champions freestyle wrestling welterweight}} {{World Champions freestyle wrestling welterweight}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atalay, Mahmut}} Category:1934 births Category:2004 deaths Category:Sportspeople from Çorum Category:Turkish people of Dagestani descent Category:Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Category:Turkish male sport wrestlers Category:Olympic gold medalists for Turkey Category:Olympic medalists in wrestling Category:Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Turkey Category:Competitors at the 1959 Mediterranean Games Category:Competitors at the 1963 Mediterranean Games Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in wrestling Category:European Wrestling Championships medalists Category:World Wrestling Championships medalists Category:20th-century Turkish sportsmen