Yrjö Saarela's Wrestling Boot

This left foot wrestling boot made of brown leather belonged to Yrjö Saarela. He won a World Championship title in 1911 and Olympic gold in the heavyweight division of Greco-Roman wrestling in Stockholm 1912. Finnish strongmen dominated the European amateur wrestling scene in the first two decades of the 20th century. A total of 37 Finns competed in the five weight divisions of wrestling at the Olympic Games of 1912 in Stockholm, winning almost half of the medals. The front-laced wrestling boot is tall enough to support the ankle. The diamond-patterned leather sole has a very thin heel patch. Padded heels and staples were forbidden by the rules. Source: Objaverse 1.0 / Sketchfab