Oskar Wetzell

Oskar Wilhelm Wetzell (5 December 1888 – 28 November 1928) was a Finnish diver, who competed at the 1908 and the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1][2]

Oskar Wetzell
Personal information
Full nameOskar Wilhelm Wetzell
Born(1888-12-05)5 December 1888
Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died28 November 1928(1928-11-28) (aged 39)
Helsinki, Finland
OccupationBookbinder
Spouse(s)Selma Maria Forsström
Other interestsStage magic
Sport
CountryFinland
SportDiving
Club
  • Helsingfors Simsällskap
  • Helsingin Uimarit

Diving

Olympics
See also: Deaf people in the Olympics

Wetzell was the first deaf person ever to compete at the Olympics twice.[3] He is also the only deaf Finnish Olympian.[4]

Oskar Wetzell at the Olympic Games
Games Event Stage Rank Notes
1908 Summer Olympics 3 metre springboard Round one 2nd in heat Advanced to semi-final[5]
Semi-final 6th in heat Did not advance[5]
10 metre platform Round one 4th in heat Did not advance[6]
1912 Summer Olympics 3 metre springboard Round one 7th in heat Did not advance
10 metre platform Round one 6th in heat Did not advance
Plain high diving Round one 2nd in heat Did not advance

National

He won eight Finnish national championships in diving:

He represented the clubs Helsingfors Simsällskap and Helsingin Uimarit.[4]

Biography

Oskar Wetzell became deaf after being confronted with influenza when he was just two years old. He was sent to the Porvoo Deaf School at the age of seven. His father worked initially at the Sinebrychoff Brewery in Helsinki and later went onto become a merchant.[7]

He became interested in stage magic at the age of 20. In the 1920s he performed in clubs and major charity events. He modeled his show after Tobias Bamberg.[8]

He married Selma Maria Forsström in 1916. They had four children.[8]

He was an inaugural board member of the Nordic Balticum Deaf Sport Federation.[9] He was a founding member of the Finnish Deaf Sports Federation,[10] and was its secretary in 1921–1922.[11]

He died of stomach cancer.[8]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Oskar Wetzell". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  2. "Oskar Wetzell". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  3. "Deaflympics 2017 Samsun". deaflympics2017.org. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  4. Siukonen, Markku (2001). Urheilukunniamme puolustajat. Suomen olympiaedustajat 1906–2000. Suuri olympiateos (in Finnish). Jyväskylä: Graface. p. 371. ISBN 951-98673-1-7.
  5. Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian (2001). The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: McFarland. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7864-0598-5.
  6. Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian (2001). The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States: McFarland. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7864-0598-5.
  7. "Oskar Wetzell | home". www.kuurojenmuseo.fi. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  8. Nevala, Heikki (2011). Silmänkääntäjiä, konstiniekkoja ja loihtutaiteilijoita. Taikurien vaiheita Suomessa 1800-luvulta 1960-luvulle. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran toimituksia (in Finnish). Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. pp. 100–106. ISBN 978-952-222-250-3. ISSN 0355-1768.
  9. Fagerström, Salla (2020). Voitto ja kunnia. Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto 100 vuotta. 1920–2020 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto SKUL ry. p. 50. ISBN 9789529440122.
  10. Fagerström, Salla (2020). Voitto ja kunnia. Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto 100 vuotta. 1920–2020 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto SKUL ry. p. 32. ISBN 9789529440122.
  11. Fagerström, Salla (2020). Voitto ja kunnia. Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto 100 vuotta. 1920–2020 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Suomen Kuurojen Urheiluliitto SKUL ry. p. 39. ISBN 9789529440122.
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