MIKAELSSON John

Personal information

Date of birth   06-12-1913
Birthplace   Kristinehamn (S)
Nationality   Sweden
Date of death   16-06-1987


John Mikaelsson: recognized as an icon in Swedish history
2 x Olympic gold medalist in the 10 km Race walk at the Olympic Games in London (GB) 1948 & Helsinki (FIN) 1952 
gold medalist in the 10 km Race walk at the European Championships in 1946 Oslo (N)
bronze medalist in the 10 km Race walk at the European Championships in 1950 Brussels (B) 

His athletics career

The athletics career of race walker John Mikaelsson was interrupted by World War II. Unfortunately, his peak years as an athlete fell during the Great War between 1939 and 1945, and as a result, he missed his best years to develop a promising athletics career.

John Mikaelsson retired from sports after the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and emigrated to the United States in 1965. 
He settled in California, where he remained closely involved in sports as an official. He applied his expertise by acting as a judge at local walking competitions.

John Mikaelsson passed away on 16 June 1987 in Placer County, California, at the age of 73. The cause of his death is unknown. 

International honors

Olympic Games

2 x gold medalist at the Olympic Games in 1948 London (GB) & 1952 Helsinki (FIN) 

Podium Race walk 10 km London 1948   

1. John Mikaelsson (S)      45' 13"
2. Ingemar Johansson (S)   45' 43"
3. Fritz Schwab (CH)           46' 00"  

Podium Race walk 10 km Helsinki 1952   

1. John Mikaelsson (S)   45' 02" 
2. Fritz Schwab (CH)        45' 41"    
3. Bruno Junk (EST)         45' 41"

European Championships 

European champion in the 10 km Race walk in 1946 Oslo (N) 

Podium Race walk 10 km Oslo 1946 

1. John Mikaelsson (S)   46' 05"  
2. Fritz Schwab (CH)        47' 03"    
3. Émile Maggi (F)            48' 10"    

Bronze medalist at the European Championships in Brussels (B) 1950

Podium Race walk 10 km Brussels 1950

1. Fritz Schwab (CH)         46' 01" 
2. Émile Maggi (F)             46' 16"
3. John Mikaelsson (S)   46' 48"    

Medal record

♦ Olympic Games                   2 x gold   
♦ European Championships   1 x gold / 1 x bronze

    total number of medals      4

Best memories

My top three memories in my career are in descending order:

♦ My 1st gold medal in the 10 km Race walk at the London 1948 Olympic Games, awarded with the prestigious title of << Olympic champion >>;

♦ My second consecutive gold medal in the 10 km Race walk at the Helsinki 1952 Olympics by setting a new Olympic record;

♦ My victory at the Oslo 1946 European Championships, awarded with the honourable title of << European champion >>.

Personal bests

♦ 10 km Race walk track         42' 52"   13.997 km/h   1945   xxxxxx  

♦ 20 km Race walk track   1 h 31' 44"   13.081 km/h   1946   Stockholm (S)   ex-WR      

Palmares

Discipline Distance Time Average Year Location Description
10 km piste 10.000 00 h 42' 52" 13.997 1945 xxxxxx My first early post-war highlight
10 km piste 10.000 00 h 45' 02" 13.323 1952 Helsinki (FIN) Olympic Games Helsinki 1952 ► gold medalist
10 km piste 10.000 00 h 45' 13" 13.269 1948 London (GB) Olympic Games London 1948 ► gold medalist
10 km piste 10.000 00 h 46' 05" 13.020 1946 Oslo (N) European Championships ► gold medalist
10 km piste 10.000 00 h 46' 48" 12.821 1950 Brussels (B) European Championships ► bronze medalist
suite du palmarès ...
 
Discipline Distance Time Average Year Location Description
20 km piste 20.000 01 h 31' 44" 13.081 1946 Stockholm (S) Former world record Race walk 20 km
20 km piste 20.000 01 h 32' 12" 13.015 1937 Malmö (S) 1st place / Winner of the race
20 km piste 20.000 01 h 32' 28" 12.978 1942 Växjö (S) -
suite du palmarès ...

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