Alfred Neuland
Estonia's first Olympic champion, holder of 12 world records, Alfred Neuland, was born on October 10, 1895, in Valga, in the family of a cabman. In the church register (Valga St. Peter's Lutheran entry no. 35), the name was recorded as Karl Alfred Neiland. His father, Juhan Neiland, was born on 25.09.1861 in Uue Antsla, and his mother, Trina, on 22.05.1864 in Leebiku. Soon, the Neiland family moved to Riga, where the father got a job as a stoker in a sawmill and the mother worked as a housekeeper. All seven brothers also had to start working early; 8-year-old Alfred worked in a wire weaving factory, earning 18 kopecks a day.
The weightlifting enthusiasm that arrived in Riga from Germany via Russia also infected the Neiland family. When the brothers Voldemar and Alfred saw the performances of Lurich and Aberg, a lifelong passion and interest was found. Training began with a five-pood barbell bought from the flea market. “Of course, using such a treasure was only possible when the parents were away from home.”
They worked with the iron friend in every possible way, and if a lift failed, the brothers would stand silently for a long time after the crash. Yet youthful optimism could not avoid the inevitable. The patience of the downstairs neighbors ran out. The head of their family swore in the middle of the yard that he would no longer eat soup mixed with plaster and that no law allowed a smithy on the fourth floor.
“Then the landlord came and talked to the mother about repair costs and threatened with eviction” (Randviir, J. Lifting and Breaking Weights. Spordileht 1964). Fortunately, the father relented, and Alfred even got permission to attend the local strongmen’s club. He caught the eye of gymnastics teacher Voldemars Cekuls, who let him into the gym and encouraged him to exercise. Versatile physical development later helped Alfred in weightlifting, especially in tempo lifts. Cekuls noticed Alfred’s diligence and persistence and later guided the boy’s weightlifting training.
The first competition took place in Riga in 1911, where for the first time the French lifting system was used. The competition, consisting of nine different lifts, included all of Riga’s most famous athletes – Krauze, Ledat, Laptzinski, Minkevitch, and others. Competition was held in light, middle, and heavyweight categories. Barely 16 years old, Alfred won the lightweight category with a large margin over all opponents and came second in all other categories after Krauze, breaking a whole series of Russian records. He jerked 256 pounds with two hands (Russian record), 182 pounds with the left hand (Russian record), 186 pounds with the right hand (Russian record), snatched 158 pounds (Russian record), pressed 172 pounds with two hands, screwed 168 pounds with the right hand, 172 pounds with the left hand. For each record, a special gold badge was awarded in addition to the usual prize.
Thanks to his athletic fame, he managed to get a junior accountant position in St. Petersburg. This expanded his training opportunities. Now, in addition to “Kalev,” the doors of famous athletics clubs “Sanitas” and “Gerkules” were also open. Training with others, records increased – 11 world records, which at the time were not officially recorded, and his medal collection grew.
The First World War passed with him serving as a volunteer in an automobile company on the Caucasus front.
“He heard here and there that the volunteer’s path in the war was smoother. Eventually, he walked toward a recruitment point on some square, stopped by a wooden-wheeled taxi, and let his ears and eyes take in everything. “Cobblers – here!” shouted an officer in the middle of the square, “Tailors – here! Drivers…” Alfred felt a jolt that artists call inspiration and adventure novelists call the awakening of an adventurous spirit. “Hey, friend!” he nudged the yawning taxi driver next to him, “say something about cars, but quickly!” “Huh?” muttered the sleepy chauffeur, scratching his head thoughtfully, but then he seemed to melt and began waving his hands. “Well, fool, there’s a carburetor, a gearbox, you see, and a clutch, and then there’s also…” But Alfred was already far away. An officer with bloodshot eyes from a tiring night looked at him suspiciously and grunted: “Well, what do you know about cars?” “Everything, sir! Carburetor, gearbox, steering wheel, piece of cake, sir!” rattled the young man in strict attention. “Довольно! Молодец! Видно, что ты шофёр,” said the officer more kindly and directed him where to go. Thus Alfred Neuland, who had never touched a car before, became a driver in the 17th automobile company of the Tsarist army.” (Randviir, J.).
After the end of the war, A. Neuland moved back from Riga to Valka to join his family, who had returned in the meantime, and started working in a lemonade factory. He also participated in the War of Independence on an armored train and in an armored car.
At the seventh Olympic Games, weightlifting was again on the program. In the combined triathlon – one-hand snatch, one-hand and two-hand jerk – Alfred Neuland took first place in the lightweight category. In addition to his overwhelming victory – Neuland led by 12.5 kg – he also surprised with deep squats, wide grip, and thumb lock. Besides him, 53 athletes from 14 countries participated.
Alfred Neuland and Estonia had won their first Olympic medal.
The Olympic victory was achieved, and it was time to create a home and family. On April 17, 1922, Alfred Neuland and Alvine Aleksandra Kalnin, who was born in Adseli parish, Latvia, were married in Valga St. John’s Church.
The family had four sons. The eldest, Harri (October 7, 1922), was mobilized into the Red Army and died of wounds on December 23, 1942, near Velikije Luki. Ringold (June 2, 1925) was in the German army, went through a training camp in Poland, and miraculously escaped from Siberian prison camps. The third son, Erich (October 27, 1926 – August 2, 1933), died young. The youngest son, Illar (September 25, 1937), survived the hardships of wartime and moved with his parents to Tallinn.
In 1921, A. Neuland established a business at Vabaduse 5 in Valga with a starting capital of 7,000 marks. Here he mainly traded in fishing gear. According to contemporary memories, he himself was an avid fisherman, so his shop could just as well have been called a collection of fishing equipment. In 1941, just before the war, an inventory was taken in the nationalized shop. At that time, the shop belonged to the Valga Consumers’ Cooperative, and the manager was Elmar Radsin. During the inventory, it turned out that it was impossible to count all the fishing hooks – there were so many. To count the hooks and spinning rods, 10 high school boys were recruited, who counted them for six days straight. When the war started, the Germans sent the fishing hooks to Germany, and it is not known what they were needed for. He was mostly behind the counter himself, sometimes his brother or wife. With a bank loan, Alfred bought a car, and his older brother Voldemar drove it as a taxi. During the Valga period, the Neuland family lived in three different houses: J. Kuperjanovi 14 (1920–1927), Kungla 19 (1927–1934), J. Kuperjanovi 4 (1934–1944).
Before the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, Neuland was again called from Valga to the Estonian team and to train in Tallinn. Despite the expenses, which he had to cover himself, Neuland, feeling in top form, set out on the journey. Despite setting a world record in the one-hand snatch with his right hand – 82.5 kg – he did not manage to win the gold medal. The chief judge, a Frenchman who would apparently have liked to see his compatriot win, did not allow Neuland to use a fully rule-compliant wide grip in the two-hand snatch. The competition continued, though the momentum and mood were ruined. Despite everything, Neuland finished with a silver medal, behind the Italian Carlo Galimberti.
Alfred longed for a third gold medal and began preparations for the Amsterdam Olympic Games. As a result of the first trial competition, he achieved the Harju record – 125 kg in the jerk. At the Olympic trials in Narva on February 27, 1927, which turned out to be Neuland’s last competition, he lifted 305 kg – 90+95+120 kg. Due to financial difficulties – he would have had to travel at his own expense – he could not go to Amsterdam.
On May 21, 1936, Neuland spoke about his Olympic victories and assessed life in Valga as follows: “I run a business here – there are worries, but I manage. I gave up active sports relatively early. I would have gladly continued my sports career, but financial worries put an end to it. When you already have a family and children, there is no time for sports. If you want to be a successful athlete, you have to give up everything and give your best to sports.”
While running his business in Valga, Alfred Neuland accomplished much more: he was an active social figure, led the Valga sports section of the Defence League, coached young weightlifters, competed in shooting, and made trips around Southern Estonia and Latvia on a gifted red “Indian” motorcycle. He kept up with the Estonian weightlifting team’s preparations for the Berlin Olympics and stood among the Olympic heroes when those who had been to Berlin were honored at Kadriorg Stadium.
When the war broke out, Alfred Neuland had to hand over his shop to the cooperative and look for work elsewhere. He rented a railway car, hauled his belongings to the station with horses, and moved with his family to Jõhvi, where he became the director of a brewery. After the Germans arrived, a week-long journey back to Valka began, where everything had to start over again.
Alfred Neuland, who had lost his son at Velikije Luki and his home in the war, wandered to the West Estonian coast, but did not make it across the sea. His new home became Viljandi, where he worked as the head of the distillers’ artels. In 1950, he moved with his family to Tallinn, where Alfred became the head of the Tallinn branch of the Tartu Brewery’s soft drinks department. Here, his connections with weightlifting continued. He was a respected judge both in Estonia and elsewhere, and in 1952 he was awarded the title of Republican Judge and in 1955 the title of All-Union Judge. When, in 1964, the title of Merited Sports Figure of the Estonian SSR was awarded for the first time, Alfred Neuland was among the recipients.
Alfred Neuland died on November 16, 1966, in Tallinn.
On the 100th anniversary of his birth, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the wall of his residence at Kuperjanovi 14, and a bronze bust on a granite base (sculptor Mati Karmin) was erected in the green area at the intersection of Kuperjanovi, Vabaduse, and Kesk streets. In 2016, the street leading from his bronze bust towards Pedeli was named Alfred Neuland Street. On the occasion of Alfred Neuland’s 130th birthday, on October 24, 2025, a memorial plaque was placed on the oak tree he planted at Pärna puiestee 20.
