Illya Fedorovych Mate (spelled Maté, Russian: Илья Фёдорович Мате, IPA: [ɪˈlʲjæ maˈtɛ], born 6 October 1956) is a retired Soviet and Ukrainian freestyle wrestler. He won gold medals at the 1980 Olympics and 1979 and 1982 world championships, finishing third in 1981.[1][2] Mate was reputed for his deceitfully flabby appearance, which misled his opponents into thinking of him as of an "easy prey," as well as for his springy sudden movements and the mat generalship, avoiding flukes, and providing no "chinks in the armor" for his opponents.
 Mate receiving an arm massage in-between the periods of his Olympic match, 25 July 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 6 October 1956 (age 68) Starohnativka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Makiivka Civil Engineering Institute | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (220 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Freestyle wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Kolos Donetsk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editEarly years
editMate was born to a Greek father and Ukrainian mother. He began training in kuresh wrestling while studying in a secondary school.
Prime years
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He took up freestyle wrestling in 1970 and won the Soviet heavyweight title in 1978–80 and 1982.
Retirement and later years
editAfter retiring from competitions he worked as a private entrepreneur in Donetsk, and remained involved with the Donetsk Wrestling Federation. Since 2003, an annual junior freestyle wrestling tournament has been held in Donetsk Oblast in his honor.[1]
International competition record
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References
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- ^ a b "Ilia Mate". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011.
- ^ Mate, Ilja (URS). iat.uni-leipzig.de
- ^ Details of Ilja Mate profile available at the United World Wrestling Database.
External links
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  | This article about a Soviet Olympic medalist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This biographical article relating to a Soviet sport wrestler or wrestling coach is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This biographical article relating to a Ukrainian sport wrestler or wrestling coach is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |