The well-known national wrestling champion tells his iron strong story about becoming the best in what he does and staying on top of the game.
A local legend who runs the family sports centre ‘Kops’ in Amsterdam, Bert Kops looks back at 30 years during which he competed in more than 20 national and international wrestling championships.
Bert is the self-proclaimed mayor of Amsterdam’s Weesperzijde. He greets almost every passer by while sitting in front of the gym he founded with his two sisters in 1985. Kops has become an inspiration for anyone in the city who lives for combat sports such as wrestling, boxing, kickboxing or mixed martial arts.
Born and raised in Amsterdam, Bert built his fighting reputation from a young age when he learnt from the very best, including his father Bert Kops Sr, a multiple national title winner. “My dad was a well-known wrestler in his time, as a young kid I thought that was amazing,” says Bert. “Seeing these big guys wrestle was something I looked up to. Back then it was my dream to become as strong as them. My goal was to be national champion, and at the age of 13 it came true for the first time. Another gratifying moment was when I won a bronze medal at the 1978 world championships in the youth division.”
no matter what”
His career knows many highs, yet the greatest battle he ever fought was not against an opponent, but against himself when he was in a severe car accident in 1982 and almost lost his life.
“I guess I was overdoing it at training as it was just before I was about to compete in another world championship. I had a black out in the car while driving to Amsterdam for training and I crashed into a tree. It happened right in front of a hospital; the guy who saved me was a first aider who saw it happen and ran to help me. He had to pull my jaw back into place as it was almost in the back of my neck, blocking my ability to breath. When I gained consciousness, apparently I tried to punch him in the face because I didn’t understand what was happening. I still wanted to go on and head to training. Six months after the accident I was back on track and wrestling my first competition again, although my leg has never been the same since.”
