Laurent Gerstmans (26 February 1885 – 3 April 1955) was a Belgian wrestler. He competed in the heavyweight event at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Information Gerstmans was a dock worker originally. He was said to be a legend of the Antwerp wrestling scene and was nicknamed, "Apollo". He was a European wrestling champion and had once competed for a version of the world heavyweight title.The Man of All Talents:The Extraordinary Life of Douglas Duggy Clark, publisher: Pitch Publishing, published: 2020, url: https://books.google.com/books?id=y8tHEAAAQBAJ&dq=Laurent+Gerstmans&pg=PT217 Gertmans also competed as a professional boxerSport in 't stad:Antwerpen 1830-1914, publisher: Universitaire Pers Leuven, published: 2006, url: https://books.google.com/books?id=y8tHEAAAQBAJ&dq=Laurent+Gerstmans&pg=PT217 and once defeated Japanese jiu-hitsu legend Mikinosuke Kawaishi in a match. Gertsmans wrestled in places such as England and Madison Square Garden throughout his career.The History of Professional Wrestling, publisher: Scott Teal, published: 2009, url:https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Professional_Wrestling/-THYAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Laurent+Gerstmans&dq=Laurent+Gerstmans&printsec=frontcover
After retiring from the ring, he opened Café Jozef in Astridplein. He was later honored with a mural on Constitutiestraat 11 street in Antwerp, Belgium. In 2015, a professional wrestling tournament was held in Antwerp called the "Laurent Gerstmans Cup".
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