Paavo Hietala

Paavo Iisakki Hietala (26 September 1919 – 18 September 1984) was a Finnish wrestler.

In 1937, as a member of Lapuan Virkiä, Hietala won the Finnish Wrestling Federation [fi] championship for the under 61kg weight class.^[1] In 1947, he won the flyweight class of the Finnish Men's Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Helsinki, besting three opponents and winning with a 3-point minus. Hietala was also given the award of best Finnish Wrestling Federation wrestler.^[2] He competed in the men's freestyle featherweight at the 1948 Summer Olympics.^[3] His lost his first match against Ivar Sjölin on a 3–0 decision. Believing he had a decisive lead, Hietala claimed to have held back toward the end of the match, ultimately losing him the match.^[4] With his falls against Marco Gavelli, José López, and Gazanfer Bilge, Hietala was ultimately eliminated from competition after the fifth round.^[5] In 1949, he was awarded an honorary prize for best wrestler in the 1949 Finnish Men's Freestyle Wrestling Championships held in Imatra, despite only placing third in his weight class.^[6]