After winning the Swiss championship in 1938 and 1939 , he took part in a major international tournament for the first time, the 1939 European championship, and finished fifth. After that, his career was interrupted by the Second World War. When the war broke out, he lived in England with his uncle Jacques Gerschwiler . When his uncle had to return to Switzerland, Hans stayed with the Cecilia Colledges family , who were multiple world and European champions from 1937 to 1939. During this time, he was a factory worker and fire alarm, so he could only practice figure skating once a week. The coach was his second uncle Arnold Gerschwiler .
After the end of the war, despite a seven-year break, he immediately won the European Championship and the World Championship in 1947. At the European Championship, he won ahead of the Czechoslovakian Vladislav Čáp and at the World Championship just ahead of the American Richard Button . In the following year he lost Button at the European Championship, the World Championship and the Olympic Games and won the silver medal. He then ended his amateur career and turned professional .
Gerschwiler was the first European and world champion in figure skating from Switzerland and is the only Swiss European champion to this day. Until the 2005 World Cup , where Stéphane Lambiel won, he was also the only Swiss world champion. After the bronze medal of Georges Gautschis at the Olympic Games in 1924 , Gerschwiler won the second Olympic medal for Switzerland in figure skating and today shares the record with Stéphane Lambiel, who also won silver at the 2006 Olympic Games .
In the years 1920, 1922, 1923 and 1928–1930 there were no Swiss championships in men's figure skating, 1974–1975 the title of Swiss champion was not awarded.
Switzerland
