Kurt Pettersén

Kurt Arne Pettersen ( born June 21, 1916 in Borås, † November 15, 1957 ) was a Swedish wrestler. He was Olympic champion in 1948 in the Greco-Roman Bantamweight.

Career

Kurt Pettersen grew up in Borås where he started as a teenager when Boras BK ( BK = Brottning club ) with the rings. His coach in Borås was Erik Söderlund. In 1936 he was first Swedish champion in Greco -Roman style bantamweight, but was at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, a spare man in the Swedish team. After he had developed with the help of the national team coach Rudolf Svedberg and Robert Oksa on, it was used in 1938 at the European Championships in Greco -Roman style in Tallinn bantamweight. In Tallinn he scored three victories, inter alia, also one about the German Ferdinand Schmitz. However, in the final battle he was defeated by Väinö Perttunen from Finland and thus became vice - European champion.

Also get at the European Championships 1939 in Oslo in Greco-Roman wrestling Kurt Pettersen bantamweight three victories. He defeated Ivar Stokke of Norway, Martin Maiste from Estonia and Georg Pulheim from Germany. The final battle he lost again against a Finnish wrestler, Kauko Kiiseli. This was the second time became European vice-champion.

After this championship Pettersen had to take a break until 1946 because of World War 2 on the international wrestling mat. 1946 were then in Stockholm for the first time European Championships in free style instead. In Stockholm there was the constellation that Lajos Bencze ( Biringer ) from Hungary, Nasuh Akar from Turkey, Erkki Johansson from Finland and Kurt Pettersen mutually defeated. The worst end of it had Kurt Pettersen, because he ended up in the final in 4th place and even so missed a medal.

The great triumph then succeeded Kurt Pettersen at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. In Greco-Roman style, bantamweight, he lost his first fight, although surprisingly against Raidar Maerlie from Norway. Maerlie difference but after two defeats in the 2nd and 3rd round, while Kurt Pettersen with victories over Francesco Suppo from Italy, Lajos Bencze, Mahmoud Hassan Ali of Egypt and Taisto Lempinen from Finland won the gold medal.

Although he was already 32 years old, sat Kurt Pettersen 's Ringer career continued. In 1949, he fought his case at the European Championships in free style in Istanbul bantamweight again the silver medal. He succumbed fight for victory the Turkish local hero Nasuh Akar.

1950 found for the first time after 1922 in Stockholm back world championships in wrestling ( Greco-Roman style) instead. Kurt Pettersen wanted it to finish his career with a success. There he did not succeed, because after victories over Raidar Maerlie and Lajos Bencze he lost to Mahmud Hassan Ali and finished only 4th in the bantamweight. Then he ended his international career Ringer.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, European Championship EM =, F = free style, GR = Greco-Roman style, Ba = bantamweight, then to 56/57 kg body weight)

Swedish Championships

Kurt Pettersen was Swedish champion in Greco-Roman bantamweight in the years 1936, 1938, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1950 and 1951.

Swell

• Journal weight training from the years 1937-1939 and athletics from 1949 to 1951
• Documentation of International Wrestling Championships, FIFA, 1976