Göthe Hedlund

Göthe Emanuel Hedlund (31 July 1918 – 15 December 2003) was a Swedish speed skater who was at the world top around World War II.

Göthe Hedlund

Hedlund at the 1948 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Göthe Emanuel Hedlund
Born	31 July 1918 Orkesta, Sweden
Died	15 December 2003 (aged 85) Lidingö, Stockholm, Sweden
Sport
Sport	Speed skating
Club	Brunnsvikens SK, Stockholm
Medal record Representing  Sweden Olympic Games 1948 St. Moritz 5,000 m European Championships 1946 Trondheim All-around 1947 Stockholm All-around 1948 Hamar All-around

Hedlund made his international debut at the 1939 European Allround Championships of Riga, Latvia, finishing 16th. Two weeks later, he participated in the World Allround Championships held in Helsinki, but his times on the first three distances were not good enough to qualify him for the final distance. The start of World War II meant that only very few tournaments were organised, so Hedlund could not compete very often during those years.

When the war was over, Hedlund participated in the first European Allround Championships after the war and promptly became the 1946 European Allround Champion. There were no official World Allround Championships that year, but unofficial World Championships were held in Oslo and Hedlund won silver there. In 1947, Hedlund won European silver behind compatriot Åke Seyffarth. At the 1948 Winter Olympics of St. Moritz, Hedlund won bronze on the 5,000 m behind Norwegian skaters Reidar Liaklev and Odd Lundberg.[1] His last international medal came two weeks later at the European Allround Championships where he won silver, again behind Liaklev.[2]

Hedlund competed internationally until 1952, when he finished in 9th–11th places in the 5,000–10,000 m events at the Winter Olympics. He died in Lidingö in 2003 at the age of 85. His daughter Ylva also became an Olympic speed skater.[1]