Mārtiņš Grundmanis Explained

Mārtiņš Grundmanis
Position:Defender
Birth Date:18 November 1913
Death Place:Rīga, Latvian SSR
Nationality:Latvian
Career Start:early 1930s
Career End:early 1940s
Team1:Rīgas ASK

Mārtiņš Grundmanis (18 November 1913 – 30 November 1944) was a Latvian basketball player. Grundmanis won a gold medal at the 1935 EuroBasket competition, becoming the first European champion. He also participated at the 1936 Summer Olympics and at the 1937 EuroBasket.[1]

Career

In the first half of the 1930s Grundmanis played for the JKS (Latvian Christian Youth) team. He was also a member of the Latvian Christian Youth Society, and graduated from a four-year physical education program at the University of Tartu. In late 1930s Grundmanis played for the military team Rīgas ASK, and became a two time Latvian champion (1939-1940).[2]

Overall Grundmanis played 20 games for the Latvian national basketball team. During Nazi occupation of Latvia during World War II, Grundmanis was conscripted into Latvian Legion. He was taken prisoner of war by Soviet Red Army in 1944. He committed suicide on 30 November 1944 at the German POW camp in Sarkandaugava, Riga.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Grundmanis Bio, Stats, and Results. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418003834/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/martins-grundmanis-1.html. dead. 2020-04-18. Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. en. 2017-12-20.
  2. Web site: Mārtiņš Grundmanis « Latvijas olimpieši. olimpiade.lv. 2017-12-20. 2017-12-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20171205194723/http://olimpiade.lv/lv/latvijas-olimpiesi/martins-grundmanis-225. dead.
  3. Web site: Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417055433/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi?id=65 . dead . 17 April 2020 . 24 July 2018 . Sports Reference.