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Gert Fredriksson

Gert Fredriksson
Gert Fredriksson at the 1960 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameGert Fridolf Fredriksson
Born21 November 1919
Nyköping, Sweden
Died5 July 2006 (aged 86)
Nyköping, Sweden
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
Sport
SportCanoe sprint
ClubNyköpings Kanotklubb

Gert Fridolf Fredriksson (21 November 1919 – 5 July 2006) was a Swedish sprint canoeist. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won eight medals including six golds (1948: K-1 1000 m, K-1 10000 m; 1952: K-1 1000 m, 1956: K-1 1000 m, K-1 10000 m; 1960: K-2 1000 m), one silver (1952: K-1 10000 m), and one bronze (K-1 1000 m). At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Fredriksson was head coach of the Swedish team.

He was the most successful male canoeist ever, having gained medals in a succession of Swedish, Nordic, World and Olympic championships from 1942 to 1960. With six gold medals Fredriksson remains the most successful Swede at the Olympics.[1]

He also won seven gold medals at the World Championships and 71 medals in the Swedish championships.[1]

Fredriksson was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1949. In 1956 he was awarded the Mohammad Taher trophy by the International Olympic Committee as the number one sportsman in the world, the only canoeist to be presented with this trophy.[2]

Nordic Championships
Year Event Gold Silver Bronze
1946–1955 K-1 500 m 2    
K-1 1000 m 5    
K-1 10000 m 5    
K-1 4×500 m relay 5    
Total   17    
Swedish Championships
Year Event Gold Silver Bronze
1942–1960 K-1 500 m 1 1  
K-1 1000 m 16 1 1
K-1 10000 m 15   1
Total   32 2 2

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Swedish canoeist Gert Fredriksson, 6-time Olympic gold medallist, dies at 86[usurped]. slam.canoe.ca. 6 July 2006
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Gert Fredriksson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
Preceded by Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
1949
Succeeded by