Klein was born to a farmer and started training in wrestling only in his twenties. He left home aged 17 to work as a sailor, but after two years, together with his brother, signed up to a factory in Saint Petersburg, which was then the capital of the
Russian Empire. Seeking additional income, he became a night-shift guardian in a wrestling club and, in this way, was introduced to the sport. In 1910, Klein won his first title at the St. Petersburg Championships in the unlimited class. Besides the 1912 Olympics, he also competed at the 1913 World Championships but withdrew due to a hand injury. The same year, he won the Russian heavyweight title. During
World War I, he served in the Russian army and later took part in the
Estonian War of Independence. In 1919, he became a wrestling coach and prepared Estonian wrestlers for the 1920 Olympics. At those games, he was also offered a place as a competitor, but he refused in favor of his younger teammates. Klein continued coaching and competing in wrestling in Estonia until 1937. He died as a consequence of a
hernia, which he developed when moving logs, and was buried in the
Tarvastu cemetery. Since 1962, an international Martin Klein Memorial in Greco-Roman wrestling has been held in
Viljandi, Estonia. ==Notes==