Torsten Ullman
Encyclopedia
Torsten Ullman was a Swedish
pistol
shooter
and entrepreneur, most famous for his gold medal in the 1936 Berlin
Olympics, where the Germans were favourites in the Free Pistol
competition but Ullman won by a margin of 15 points. His record score of 559 would still be competitive today in this event. He also won the World Championships
in Free Pistol in 1933, 1935, 1937, 1947
and 1952
.
However, he was not a Free Pistol specialist but rather an all-round shooter, achieving great successes in all three pistol events that existed at the time. In the Rapid Fire competition in Berlin, he won the bronze medal after an extremely rapid shoot-off, and three years later he became World Champion in that event, being one of only four shooters to win major worldwide titles in both 50 m Pistol
and 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
. He entered the first World Championship in 25 m Center-Fire Pistol
in 1947
, surprisingly with a Smith & Wesson
revolver
, and won by seven points, causing a worldwide revolver hype. He repeated this victory in 1954
.
Ullman was one of the first sport shooters to take practice and preparation to a scientific level, which he himself always claimed was a main reason for his success. In 1937, he received the Svenska Dagbladet
gold medal for the greatest Swedish sports achievement of the year. He is the only pistol shooter to have received this prestigious award.
Besides his shooting career, Ullman worked with pistol development, and co-authored a widely-spread book on shooting with Lev Weinstein. He also started a mechanical industry on Helgö outside Växjö
, Småland
. It was later moved to Moheda
and developed a few filials. Today this industry has been purchased by Finnveden AB.
Ullman was married twice, and several of his children have been successful shooters. His youngest daughter Marie-Louise Ullman won the European Junior Championships in 10 m Air Pistol
in 1992.
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....
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
shooter
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
and entrepreneur, most famous for his gold medal in the 1936 Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
Olympics, where the Germans were favourites in the Free Pistol
50 m Pistol
50 metre pistol, formerly and unofficially still often called free pistol, is one of the ISSF shooting events. It provides the purest precision shooting among the pistol events, and is one of the oldest shooting types, dating back to the 19th century and only having seen marginal rule changes since...
competition but Ullman won by a margin of 15 points. His record score of 559 would still be competitive today in this event. He also won the World Championships
ISSF World Shooting Championships
The ISSF World Shooting Championships are governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. World Shooting Championships began in 1897, after the successful 1896 Summer Olympics, and although the ISSF was not founded until 1907, these early competitions are still seen by the organization as...
in Free Pistol in 1933, 1935, 1937, 1947
1947 ISSF World Shooting Championships
The 33rd UIT World Shooting Championships was the contemporary name of the ISSF World Shooting Championships held in Stockholm, Sweden in the summer of 1947. It was the first championship after World War II.- Medal count :- Rifle events :...
and 1952
1952 ISSF World Shooting Championships
The 35th UIT World Shooting Championships was the contemporary name of the ISSF World Shooting Championships in all ISSF shooting events held in Oslo, Norway, in 1952, only weeks before the 1952 Summer Olympics...
.
However, he was not a Free Pistol specialist but rather an all-round shooter, achieving great successes in all three pistol events that existed at the time. In the Rapid Fire competition in Berlin, he won the bronze medal after an extremely rapid shoot-off, and three years later he became World Champion in that event, being one of only four shooters to win major worldwide titles in both 50 m Pistol
50 m Pistol
50 metre pistol, formerly and unofficially still often called free pistol, is one of the ISSF shooting events. It provides the purest precision shooting among the pistol events, and is one of the oldest shooting types, dating back to the 19th century and only having seen marginal rule changes since...
and 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
25 metre rapid fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events. The event has been a part of the Olympic program ever since the beginning in 1896, although its rules changed greatly before World War II, after which they were only slightly changed until the two major revisions of 1989 and 2005...
. He entered the first World Championship in 25 m Center-Fire Pistol
25 m Center-Fire Pistol
25 metre center-fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events, and is normally a men-only event. Its origin lies in competitions with military-style service pistols, and as such its history dates back to the 19th century....
in 1947
1947 ISSF World Shooting Championships
The 33rd UIT World Shooting Championships was the contemporary name of the ISSF World Shooting Championships held in Stockholm, Sweden in the summer of 1947. It was the first championship after World War II.- Medal count :- Rifle events :...
, surprisingly with a Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, and won by seven points, causing a worldwide revolver hype. He repeated this victory in 1954
1954 ISSF World Shooting Championships
The 36th UIT World Shooting Championships was the contemporary name of the ISSF World Shooting Championships in all ISSF shooting events that were held in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1954...
.
Ullman was one of the first sport shooters to take practice and preparation to a scientific level, which he himself always claimed was a main reason for his success. In 1937, he received the Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet is a daily newspaper in Sweden. The first issue appeared on 18 December 1884. Svenska Dagbladet is published in Stockholm and provides coverage of national and international news as well as local coverage of the Greater Stockholm region...
gold medal for the greatest Swedish sports achievement of the year. He is the only pistol shooter to have received this prestigious award.
Besides his shooting career, Ullman worked with pistol development, and co-authored a widely-spread book on shooting with Lev Weinstein. He also started a mechanical industry on Helgö outside Växjö
Växjö
Växjö is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 64 200 inhabitants in 2010. It is the administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Kronoberg County. Furthermore it is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Växjö. It has a population of about 64 200, out of a...
, Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
. It was later moved to Moheda
Moheda
Moheda is a locality situated in Alvesta Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 1,852 inhabitants in 2005.-Notable natives:*Sven Nykvist*Torsten Ullman*Torsten Hägerstrand*Mats Wilander *Niklas Jihde...
and developed a few filials. Today this industry has been purchased by Finnveden AB.
Ullman was married twice, and several of his children have been successful shooters. His youngest daughter Marie-Louise Ullman won the European Junior Championships in 10 m Air Pistol
10 m Air Pistol
10 metre air pistol is an Olympic shooting event governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation . It is similar to 10 metre air rifle in that it is shot with 4.5 mm caliber air guns at a distance of 10 metres , and the programme consists of 60 shots within 105 minutes...
in 1992.