Knut Fridell

Knut Fridell (born September 8, 1908 in Uddevalla ; † February 3, 1992 ibid) was a Swedish wrestler . He was European champion in 1934 and Olympic champion in 1936 in the free style light heavyweight division.

Career

Knut Fridell grew up in his hometown Uddevalla and started wrestling there as a teenager at the sports club IS (Idrottssällskap) Uddevalla . He was active in the two styles of Greco-Roman style and free style. In the course of his career it became clear that he would be more successful on the international wrestling mat in the free style, so he focused on this style at international championships. Later Knut Fridell also wrestled for BK Orion Karlstad .

In 1932 he participated in Stockholm in a large international tournament in Greco-Roman. Middleweight style part. He took 3rd place behind his compatriots Axel Cadier and Ivar Johansson . All three wrestlers, Fridell, Cadier and Johansson, became Olympic champions four years later in Berlin . Ivar Johansson had even won a double Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 1932.

In 1934 Knut Fridell defeated at the European Championships in Stockholm in free style in the light heavyweight division Stanley Bissell from Great Britain , Karl Engelhardt from Germany and Ede Virágh-Ebner from Hungary and became European champion . In the same year he defeated the Finnish top wrestlers in free style Aukusti Sihvola and Jussi Juhola in a double international match in Helsinki .

Knut Fridell had his next start at an international championship again in 1936, because Axel Cadier competed in both styles at the 1935 European championships. At the Olympic Games in Berlin , however, he was in excellent form, well prepared by coach Robert Oksa, and was Olympic champion in superior style with victories over August Neo , Estonia , Matti Lahti, Finland, Ede Virágh-Ebner , Hungary and Ray Clemons , USA light heavyweight free style.

After the Olympic Games in Berlin, Knut Friedell became a professional wrestler. After his time as a professional wrestler, he returned to Uddevalla and lived there as a businessman or pensioner.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, EM = European Championship, GR = Greco-Roman style, F = free style, Mi = middleweight, Hs = light heavyweight, at that time up to 79 kg or 87 kg body weight)

• 1931, 3rd place , intern. Tournament in Gothenburg , GR, Wed, behind Väinö Kokkinen , Finland u. Ivar Johansson (wrestler) , Sweden;
• 1932, 3rd place , intern. Tournament in Stockholm , GR, Wed, behind Axel Cadier u. Egon Nilsson, bde. Sweden;
• 1932, 3rd place , tournament in Stockholm , GR, Wed, behind Axel Cadier u. Ivar Johansson , bde. Sweden ;
• 1934, 1st place , EM in Stockholm , F, Hs, with victories over Stanley Bissell , Great Britain , Karl Engelhardt , Germany a . Ede Virágh-Ebner , Hungary ;
• 1936, gold medal , OS in Berlin , F, Hs, with victories over August Neo , Estonia , Matti Lahti, Finland a . Ede Virágh-Ebner

literature

• Professional magazine Athletik , numbers 12/1932, 41/1934, 50/1934 u. 31/32/1936

Web links

• Profile of Knut Fridell at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• Photo of Knut Fridell (left) together with his club colleague Gustav Blomquist (right)
• Knut Fridell in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )