Bertil Haase
Encyclopedia
Bertil Robert Herman Haase Vidarsson (born June 5, 1923 in Uppsala
) is a former Swedish
modern pentathlete
. He competed at both Olympic Winter and Summer Games.
Bertil Haase always was an enthusiastic all-round sportsman, being a good skier
as well as a good swimmer and runner already at young ages. He joined the Swedish Army
as a volunteer and attended military school (Swedish: volontär–, konstapel– och furirskola) as a Furir
(Private First Class), where he went on to intensify his sporting activities. He later quit the army as a Kapten
.
Together with Claes Egnell
, William Grut
and Gustaf Lindh
he competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics
in the Winter Pentathlon
. As an excellent skier, he won both the downhill
and the 10 km cross country
disciplines, but was not among the first in shooting
, fencing
and horse riding
. He finished third overall and won the bronze medal. Fellow countrymen Lindh and Grut took the first and second place respectively.
Since the winter pentathlon would have no other appearance of its kind at Olympic Games, Haase turned to the modern pentathlon. He was a moderate shooter, but a good fencer, running
and swimming
were also well above average. He was nominated for the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
and appeared in modern pentathlon
. In the individual event, he finished seventeenth. In the team event Sweden was the favourite and Haase competed together with the individual Olympic champion, Lars Hall
, and Björn Thofelt. In the initial horse riding event Thofelt had drawn the lot for a very peculiar horse and eventually suffered from a concussion, after he fell off twice with the saddle turning around the horse's back and had to withdraw. Because of his retirement the Swedish team was not ranked and Haase was denied the chance for a second olympic medal.
At world championships in modern pentathlon Haase was successful, too. He secured the title in the team event in 1950 in Bern, Switzerland together with Lars Hall and Thor Henning. 1954 in Budapest, he placed third with Åke Julin and again Björn Thofelt. He finished his career in 1957 and got married the very same year to his wife Ann Marie.
Haases home club was Studenternas Idrottsförening Stockholm. He completed an engineering study at the Royal Institute of Technology
in Stockholm
with a focus on metallurgical
and then worked in the metallurgical industry in Fagersta
, where he still resides.
In 1979 Bertil Haase as well as all Swedish participants in the winter pentathlon and many of the modern pentathletes from the 1950s contested at a senior pentathletes' competition in Budapest. As of 2008 he still is in contact with Hall, Grut, Lindh, Thofelt and Egnell.
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
) is a former Swedish
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....
modern pentathlete
Modern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
. He competed at both Olympic Winter and Summer Games.
Bertil Haase always was an enthusiastic all-round sportsman, being a good skier
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
as well as a good swimmer and runner already at young ages. He joined the Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
as a volunteer and attended military school (Swedish: volontär–, konstapel– och furirskola) as a Furir
Furir
-Origin 1600:The responsibility of a furir was to arrange for housing as well as the distribution of food in a Company.-1875:Holders of the rank Furir were elevated to Sergeant and the rank was removed.-1914:...
(Private First Class), where he went on to intensify his sporting activities. He later quit the army as a Kapten
Kapten
Finnish Defence Forces rank of Kapteeni is comparable to Ranks of NATO armies officers as OF-2.-Origin:The basic military unit during the Middle Ages was the company raised by a vassal lord on behalf of his lord usually the King. The lord was commissioned by the king as Kapten to lead the unit...
.
Together with Claes Egnell
Claes Egnell
Claes Egnell is a Swedish sport shooter and modern pentathlete, and an Olympic medalist. He competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where he received a silver medal in modern pentathlon with the Swedish team....
, William Grut
William Grut
William Oscar Guernsey Grut is a Swedish modern pentathlete and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, where he received a gold medal in modern pentathlon....
and Gustaf Lindh
Gustaf Lindh
Gustaf Allan Lindh is a former Swedish modern pentathlete who competed in the winter pentathlon in the 1948 Winter Olympics....
he competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
in the Winter Pentathlon
Winter pentathlon at the 1948 Winter Olympics
At the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, a winter pentathlon competition was held. It was one of two demonstration sports held at these Games.The pentathlon was composed of five segments:*cross-country skiing*shooting*downhill skiing*fencing...
. As an excellent skier, he won both the downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
and the 10 km cross country
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
disciplines, but was not among the first in shooting
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...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and horse riding
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
. He finished third overall and won the bronze medal. Fellow countrymen Lindh and Grut took the first and second place respectively.
Since the winter pentathlon would have no other appearance of its kind at Olympic Games, Haase turned to the modern pentathlon. He was a moderate shooter, but a good fencer, running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
were also well above average. He was nominated for the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and appeared in modern pentathlon
Modern pentathlon at the 1956 Summer Olympics
At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, two events in modern pentathlon were contested.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...
. In the individual event, he finished seventeenth. In the team event Sweden was the favourite and Haase competed together with the individual Olympic champion, Lars Hall
Lars Hall
This is an article about a Swedish pentathlete. For the advertiser, see Lars Hall .Lars Göran Ivar Hall was a Swedish modern pentathlete, world champion and Olympic champion...
, and Björn Thofelt. In the initial horse riding event Thofelt had drawn the lot for a very peculiar horse and eventually suffered from a concussion, after he fell off twice with the saddle turning around the horse's back and had to withdraw. Because of his retirement the Swedish team was not ranked and Haase was denied the chance for a second olympic medal.
At world championships in modern pentathlon Haase was successful, too. He secured the title in the team event in 1950 in Bern, Switzerland together with Lars Hall and Thor Henning. 1954 in Budapest, he placed third with Åke Julin and again Björn Thofelt. He finished his career in 1957 and got married the very same year to his wife Ann Marie.
Haases home club was Studenternas Idrottsförening Stockholm. He completed an engineering study at the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
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...
with a focus on metallurgical
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and then worked in the metallurgical industry in Fagersta
Fagersta
Fagersta is a locality and the seat of Fagersta Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden, with 10,890 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :The city is located at the junction of two railways between Ludvika-Västerås and Avesta -Örebro, in the heart of the historic Bergslagen region which is rich in...
, where he still resides.
In 1979 Bertil Haase as well as all Swedish participants in the winter pentathlon and many of the modern pentathletes from the 1950s contested at a senior pentathletes' competition in Budapest. As of 2008 he still is in contact with Hall, Grut, Lindh, Thofelt and Egnell.