Nicolae Linca

Nicolae Linca was a Romanian amateur welterweight boxer. After winning bronze medals at the 1953 and 1955 European championships, he became Romania's first Olympic champion in boxing at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Fighting with a broken finger, he won against Fred Tiedt in a 3:2 split decision. Today, he remains the only Romanian boxer to win gold at the Olympics. His amateur record upon retirement was 281-25. After competing as an amateur, Linca turned to coaching in the sport. By the 1990s he was living in poverty and suffering from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, which led to his deaths at the age of 79. In 2005 he was awarded the Sports Merit Order of First Class.