Voldemar NOORMÄGI

Voldemar Noormägi was born deaf in Kingisepp (then Yamburg), Russia. He was inspired to do wrestling and weightlifting in 1909, when famous Estonian professional wrestler and weightlifter Georg Lurich visited the Vändra School for the Deafs, where Noormägi studied, and gave a pair of camels to the school. Lurich had won the camels earlier as a first place prize from tourney in Caucasus. At the inaugural World Championships in weightlifting in 1922 in Tallinn, Noormägi was third in the lightweight class behind fellow countrymen Alfred Neuland and Eduard Vanaaseme. In 1923-24 Noormägi made three world records in snatch (88,5, 91,0 and 91,5). He was last in the lightweight class in Paris 1924, because he got 0 in the last part - clean & jerk. If he would have lifted his starting weight of 105 kg in the last part, he would have finished around 10th place. Unfortunately he injured his hand on a second attempt of 105 kg and was unable to continue. Noormägi was Estonian champion in weightlifting in the lightweight class in 1923 and 1927 and also tried to make to the 1928 Olympic team, but was not selected. He worked as a photographer in Tallinn and Narva after his sporting career.