Ivar Johansson (wrestler)

for the politician see Ivar Johansson (politician)

Ivar Johansson

Personal information
Born	31 January 1903 Norrköping, Sweden
Died	4 August 1979 (aged 76) Norrköping, Sweden
Sport
Sport	Wrestling
Club	IK Björnen, Norrköping
Medal record Competitor for  Sweden Olympic Games Greco-Roman wrestling 1932 Los Angeles welterweight 1936 Berlin middleweight Freestyle wrestling 1932 Los Angeles middleweight

Ivar Valentin Johansson (31 January 1903 – 4 August 1979) was a Swedish wrestler who competed at the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1932 he won the gold medal in the Greco-Roman welterweight and freestyle middleweight events. Four years later he won the gold medal in the Greco-Roman middleweight competition.^[1]

At the 1932 Olympics Johansson first competed as a freestyle middleweight. Despite being a favorite, he lost his first bout to Kyösti Luukko. Yet he won his all other bouts by fall, while Luukko lost in the semifinals and finished second.^[2] Two days later he was scheduled to compete as a Greco-Roman welterweight. For this purpose he shed five kilograms of bodyweight by fasting and sweating in a sauna, yet relatively easily won all four bouts.^[3]

Johansson never competed at the world championships. At the European championships he won nine titles in 1931–1939, six in Greco-Roman and three int freestyle wrestling.^[1][4]

Johansson grew up in a rural area near Norrköping, where he built his strength by manual labor at a farm. He then moved to Norrköping city to work as a police officer and then as a wrestling coach. The annual wrestling award "Ivars Guldsko" was established in Sweden in his honor after his death.^[5]

References

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