Gustav Fischer (equestrian)
Encyclopedia
Gustav Fischer (November 8, 1915-November 22, 1990) was a Swiss
equestrian
athlete who competed at five Summer Olympic Games, winning a total of five medals. He won medals in the team dressage events in the 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1968 games; there was no team dressage event held in 1960, but he won an individual dressage medal in that year.
In 1968, he and fellow equestrian Henri Chammartin
jointly became the second Swiss sportspersons to compete at five Olympic Games. (The first was middle-distance runner Paul Martin
.)
in Helsinki
, Finland
at the age of 36, in both the individual and team dressage events. He came in a disappointing 8th place in the individual event, behind both of his Swiss teammates; Gottfried Trachsel, who finished 4th, and Henri Chammartin
, who finished 6th. However, he earned the first of five Olympic medals, a silver, in the team event with Trachsel and Chammartin. Four years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Stockholm
, Sweden
, Fischer again medaled in the team event, and again fell short in the individual. This time, Trachsel, Chammartin, and Fischer took bronze, and finished 6th, 8th, and 10th respectively in the individual event.
Of the three athletes, only Fischer and Chammartin would compete in the 1960 Summer Olympics
in Rome
, Italy
, although in any case no team dressage event was held that year. However, Fischer found new success, winning second place and a silver medal in the individual dressage competition, the only individual medal of his career. The 1964 Summer Olympics
in Tokyo
, Japan
, saw Fischer as the oldest member of the Swiss team, at 48 years of age. That year, he just missed winning a second individual medal in dressage, taking fourth place while his teammate Henri Chammartin took gold. However, with Chammartin and 21-year-old Marianne Gossweiler, the youngest Swiss equestrian athlete at the games, Fischer earned yet another silver medal in team dressage. He won his final Olympic medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City
, Mexico
at the age of 52, a bronze in team dressage, again with Chammartin and Gossweiler.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
equestrian
Equestrian at the Summer Olympics
Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping...
athlete who competed at five Summer Olympic Games, winning a total of five medals. He won medals in the team dressage events in the 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1968 games; there was no team dressage event held in 1960, but he won an individual dressage medal in that year.
In 1968, he and fellow equestrian Henri Chammartin
Henri Chammartin
Henri Chammartin was a Swiss equestrian and Olympic champion. He won an individual gold medal in dressage at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo....
jointly became the second Swiss sportspersons to compete at five Olympic Games. (The first was middle-distance runner Paul Martin
Paul Martin (athlete)
Paul Martin was a Swiss athlete who competed mainly in the 800 metres. He was the first Swiss sportsperson to compete at five Olympics, which he did from 1920 to 1936....
.)
Olympic career
Fischer first competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
at the age of 36, in both the individual and team dressage events. He came in a disappointing 8th place in the individual event, behind both of his Swiss teammates; Gottfried Trachsel, who finished 4th, and Henri Chammartin
Henri Chammartin
Henri Chammartin was a Swiss equestrian and Olympic champion. He won an individual gold medal in dressage at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo....
, who finished 6th. However, he earned the first of five Olympic medals, a silver, in the team event with Trachsel and Chammartin. Four years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Fischer again medaled in the team event, and again fell short in the individual. This time, Trachsel, Chammartin, and Fischer took bronze, and finished 6th, 8th, and 10th respectively in the individual event.
Of the three athletes, only Fischer and Chammartin would compete in the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, although in any case no team dressage event was held that year. However, Fischer found new success, winning second place and a silver medal in the individual dressage competition, the only individual medal of his career. The 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, saw Fischer as the oldest member of the Swiss team, at 48 years of age. That year, he just missed winning a second individual medal in dressage, taking fourth place while his teammate Henri Chammartin took gold. However, with Chammartin and 21-year-old Marianne Gossweiler, the youngest Swiss equestrian athlete at the games, Fischer earned yet another silver medal in team dressage. He won his final Olympic medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
at the age of 52, a bronze in team dressage, again with Chammartin and Gossweiler.