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Wrestling

Wrestling

Modern Wrestling competitions are divided into two disciplines - Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Greco-Roman wrestlers can use only their arms and upper body to attack and hold, while Freestyle wrestlers can also use their legs.

Origins
Wrestling is perhaps the most ancient of all sports, with early bouts recorded in cave paintings dating from 3000 BC. Wrestling first featured in the ancient Olympics in 708 BC, more than 2,500 years ago.

Olympic Heritage
Wrestling was a central part of Ancient Olympics, and was one of the events contested in the first modern Games in 1896. Wrestling has featured in every Games since, with the exception of Paris in 1900.

Sport at Heart
At the London Olympics of 1908 the final of the Greco-Roman wrestling match between Sweden's Frithiof Martensson and Mauritz Andersson was delayed one day to allow Martensson to recover from a minor injury. He duly won the gold medal.

 
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Joanna Lumley
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Joanna Lumley

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