John Peterson (wrestler)

John Allan Peterson ( born October 22, 1948 in Cumberland, Barron County, Wisconsin ) is a former American professional wrestler.

Career

John Peterson grew up in Comstock, Wisconsin, on. Like almost all American world-class wrestler, he learned wrestling in high school and at the university, in his case at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. He won several titles for its university, including three " All-American Championships " for the University Sports Association NAIA. In 1971 he won the qualification for the Pan American Games in Cali, but there could not start because of an injury. For this he was of the AAU (American athletes Union) used at the World Championships in Sofia in freestyle wrestling but had to pay dearly when he finished only 19th place without a win. The discouraged but not John. He qualified with his younger brother Benjamin for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where he won a silver medal, while Benjamin a weight class higher even won the gold medal. Four years later, in Montreal in 1976, the two brothers turned to this result, for now, John and Olympic champion Benjamin won a silver medal. They both wanted to go again in 1980 at the start and at the Olympic Games, but the political development of those years forbade them from the start. 1972 and 1976, he struck at the Olympics, the German top wrestler Peter Neumair, Horst Stottmeister and Adolf Seger.

John Peterson then went for seven years as a preacher of an American Christian group to Europe, but he lived for five years in Vienna. He then returned to the United States and operates with his brother Ben, a training camp for rings in Watertown, Wisconsin, in the train some top American athletes.

Achievements

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, F = Freestyle, Mi = middleweight, then to 82 kg body weight)