Per-Erik Hedlund (18 April 1897 – 12 February 1975) was a Swedish cross-country skier. He competed in the 18 and 50 km events at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics and won the gold medal over 50 km in 1928, more than 13 minutes ahead of fellow Swede Gustaf Jonsson. While competing, he wore a show-white outfit, which was later considered as lucky, and was worn by Swedish Nordic skiers at every Winter Olympics for the next 48 years.[1][2]
 Hedlund at the 1928 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 18 April 1897 Särna, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 12 February 1975 (aged 77) Särna, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Cross-country skiing | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Särna SK | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Hedlund finished sixth in the 50 km event, but won the 4 × 10 km relay at the 1933 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. He won the Vasa run in 1926 and 1928. In 1928 Hedlund wanted to share the victory with his best friend Sven Utterström. They crossed the finish line simultaneously, but gave up their medals after the jury decided to award gold to Hedlund. Hedlund won nine individual Swedish Championships over various distances. He received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1928.[1][2]
In his prime Hedlund worked six days a week in the woods and skied on the seventh.[1]
Cross-country skiing results
editAll results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[3]
Olympic Games
edit- 1 medal – (1 gold)
| Year | Age | 18 km | 50 km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 26 | 6 | DNF |
| 1928 | 30 | 6 | Gold |
World Championships
edit- 1 medal – (1 gold)
| Year | Age | 17 km | 18 km | 50 km | 4 × 10 km relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 32 | — | — | 11 | — |
| 1933 | 35 | — | — | 6 | Gold |
References
edit- ^ a b c Per-Erik Hedlund. sports-reference.com
- ^ a b Per-Erik Hedlund. Swedish Olympic Committee
- ^ "HEDLUND Per-Erik". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
External links
edit- Per-Erik Hedlund at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Per-Erik Hedlund at databaseOlympics.com (archived)
- Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Cross-Country (Nordic) Skiing, Men: 50 Kilometers". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 232.
- Per-Erik Hedlund at Olympedia
- Per-Erik Hedlund at Olympics.com
- Per-Erik Hedlund at the Sveriges Olympiska Kommitté (in Swedish) (English translation)
