Erik Elmsäter

Fritz Erik Elmsäter until 1939 Erik Pettersson, ( born October 7, 1919 in Stockholm, † March 9, 2006 ) was a Swedish athlete and Nordic combined. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 1948 he won Olympic silver.

Erik Elmsäter was an officer of the Swedish infantry. In the 1960s, he was managing director of the sports department at the Swedish radio and television.

Career as a track and field athlete

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 1954 official world records were recognized only from the introduction of standard dimensions. Elmsäter, which until 1946 won four Swedish league titles from 1943, presented in 1943 with 9:03,4 8:59,6 minutes and 1944 minutes with two unofficial world records. He was the first, which remained below the limit of nine minutes, he had to skip 37 obstacles contrary to the prescribed since 1954 35 obstacles.

When the first European Championships after the Second World War, which was held in 1946 in Oslo, were also 37 obstacles to cross. With ten seconds ahead of Frenchman Raphael Pujazon won the title. Elmsäter was second in 9:11,0 minutes ahead of his compatriot gates Sjöstrand.

At the 1948 Olympic Games in London Elmsäter was still the holder of the unofficial world record. The heats were won by Elmsäter, Pujazon and Sjöstrand. In the final, the Frenchman was on the go. It won Sjöstrand in 9:04,6 minutes with 3.8 seconds ahead of Elmsäter. The bronze medal went to the third Gothenburg Sweden Hagström.

Career as a winter sports

Half a year before the Summer Games in London Elmsäter was started already at the Olympic Winter Games in 1948 in St. Moritz. In the 18 -kilometer cross-country, he finished 19th on his performance in this competition he took in the ski jumping nordic combined, but where he fell back over some other combiners. In the end he was ranked 9 in the combined score.

1952 drove Elmsäter as Swedish champion in the Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics to Oslo. After he had reached only number 56 in the 18- kilometer course, he had no chance in the combined score. In the end he was ranked 13th