Nils Åkerlindh

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Nils Erik Åkerlindh (born March 31, 1913 in Sevalla , Västmanland County , † April 23, 1992 in Stockholm ) was a Swedish wrestler . He was European light heavyweight champion in 1937 and 1939 in the Greco-Roman style.

Career

Nils Åkerlindh started wrestling as a teenager. He developed into a wrestler who, as an adult, was a heavyweight with a body weight of approx. 90 kg, but was able to train into the light heavyweight, which at that time reached up to 87 kg body weight. He wrestled in both styles. As a young man he joined the Stockholm fire brigade and belonged to the "Brandkårens" IF Stockholm association.

In 1934 the young Nils Åkerlindh reached the Swedish top class and was used for the first time in an international championship in 1935. He started at the European heavyweight championship in free style in Brussels . After two wins he met the German Kurt Hornfischer in his third fight , to which he was defeated. He ended up in 3rd place and won the European Championship bronze medal.

In 1936 the Olympic Games took place in Berlin . Nils Åkerlindh was used there again in free style in the heavyweight division. He would have preferred to wrestle in the Greco-Roman style, but could not prevail against Axel Cadier in the Swedish championship in the light heavyweight division . In Berlin, Nils Åkerlindh won his first fight over the American Roy Dunn, won on points in his second fight against Hjalmar Nyström from Finland and was able to shoulder the strong Swiss Willi Bürki in his third fight . With only one missing point, he went into the fourth round in the fight against the physically far superior Czech Josef Klapuch . Nils Åkerlindh let himself be taken by surprise by Klapuch and laid on his shoulder after just over 2 minutes of fighting time. The Swedish officials wanted to have seen a foul by Klapuch. The jury stuck to its decision and rejected an official protest by the Swedes. Nils Åkerlindh was certainly badly advised not to show up for his last fight against Kristjan Palusalu from Estonia in protest. He gave away a medal, either the gold one he would have won if he had won over Palusalu, or the bronze one he would have had if he had lost points. This bronze medal then went to Hjalmar Nyström, who had lost to Åkerlindh.

In 1937, Nils Åkerlindh sat down at the Swedish light heavyweight championship in Greco-Roman. Style against Olympic champion Axel Cadier and represented Sweden at the European Championships in Paris . He defeated his five opponents there and became European champion in a convincing manner . Among the wrestlers he defeated were the German champion Werner Seelenbinder from Berlin and the silver medalist from the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin August Neo from Estonia .

In the same year he started at the European Free Style Championships in Munich . Here he defeated Josef Klapuch in the heavyweight division, successfully taking revenge for the defeat in 1936 and Willy Lardon , the young Swiss champion. Then he was surprisingly defeated by the Hungarian Gyula Bóbis and had no chance in his last fight against Kurt Hornfischer. He only reached 4th place.

In the years 1938 and 1939 only European championships in Greco-Roman took place because of the uncertain political situation. Style instead. The European championships in free style were canceled. At the European Championships in Reval in 1938 , Åkerlindh Axel Cadier had to give way. In 1939 he was back at the last European championship before the Second World War in Oslo . He was back in the light heavyweight division. Three victories were enough for him to win the title again. In the final battle he defeated the Turk Mustafa Çakmak .

When the Second World War broke out in 1939 and there were no more international championships from 1940, Nils Åkerlindh was 27 years old in the prime wrestling age. So he could have won at least two Olympic Games. After 1945, Nils Åkerlindh, now a fire chief for the Stockholm Fire Brigade, was no longer active.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, EM = European Championship, GR = Greco-Roman style, F = free style, Hs = light heavyweight, S = heavyweight, back then up to 87 kg or over 87 kg body weight)

  • 1934, 1st place , tournament in Stockholm , GR, Hs, in front of C. Holmberg u. G. Backlund, both Swedes ;
  • 1939, 1st place , EM in Oslo , GR, Hs, with victories over Hans Hansen, Norway, Gunnar Nielsen, Denmark a. Mustafa Çakmak , Turkey

swell

  • Trade journal Athletik from the years 1934 to 1936, especially No. 31/32 v. August 13, 1936 (Olympic special edition),
  • Kraftsport trade journal from 1937 to 1939,
  • Documentation of International Wrestling Championships of FILA , 1976, pages E-31, O-35, E-33, E-35 u. E-38,

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Åkerlindh, Nils
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Åkerlindh, Nils Erik
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish wrestler
DATE OF BIRTH March 31, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Sevalla
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 1992
Place of death Stockholm