Hugo Wieslander
Encyclopedia
Karl Hugo Wieslander (11 June 1889 – 24 May 1976) was a Swedish
athlete, who competed in combined events. He set the inaugural world record in the pentathlon
in Gothenburg
, Sweden in 1911 with a score of 5516 points. He was born in Ljuder.
The following year he competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics
in Stockholm
, Sweden. He finished second in the decathlon
, behind American Jim Thorpe
by 688 points. In 1913, after it had been discovered that Thorpe had played professional baseball for a minor league team, Thorpe was disqualified for not being an amateur. Wieslander was therefore declared the winner of the 1912 Olympics. He was awarded the Gold medal but refused to accept it. In 1982 Jim Thorpe was reinstated by the IOC with Hugo Wieslander as joint winners of the 1912 Olympic decathlon.
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....
athlete, who competed in combined events. He set the inaugural world record in the pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden in 1911 with a score of 5516 points. He was born in Ljuder.
The following year he competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
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. He finished second in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
, behind American Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
by 688 points. In 1913, after it had been discovered that Thorpe had played professional baseball for a minor league team, Thorpe was disqualified for not being an amateur. Wieslander was therefore declared the winner of the 1912 Olympics. He was awarded the Gold medal but refused to accept it. In 1982 Jim Thorpe was reinstated by the IOC with Hugo Wieslander as joint winners of the 1912 Olympic decathlon.