Gillis Grafström
Encyclopedia
Gillis Emanuel Grafström (June 7, 1893 – April 14, 1938) was a Swedish figure skater
. He was born in Stockholm
, Sweden
. He won three successive Olympic gold medals in Men's Figure Skating (1920, 1924, 1928) as well as Olympic silver medal in same event in 1932, and three World Championships
(1922, 1924, 1929). Together with Eddie Eagan
he is the only athlete to have won a gold medal
at both the Summer
and Winter Olympic Games
, having the further distinction of being the only person to have won an individual gold medal in both the Summer (1920) and Winter Olympics (1924, 1928), although Eagan remains the only one to have managed the feat in different disciplines.
(behind Karl Schäfer
). He remains the only male figure skater to have won three Olympic gold medals (Sonja Henie
and Irina Rodnina
are other three-time Olympic Champions), and with his silver medal in 1932, is the most successful figure skater in Olympic history. He competed in and won three World Championships in 1922, 1924, 1929, competing only intermittently between editions of Olympic Games.
At his first Olympics in Antwerp one of his skates
broke and he had to go to town to buy a new pair. Unfortunately only curly-toed skates were available. Despite this, he was still able to win.
At his last Olympics in 1932 in Lake Placid
, he collided with a photographer on the ice and still managed to place second.
Grafström was one of the best skaters ever in compulsory figures
. He also invented the Grafström-pirouette (on the back outside edge of the blade) and the flying sit spin
. He skated very elegantly and was famous for his interpretation of music.
From 1925 to his death he lived in Potsdam, Germany. He trained on the Bornstedter See (Bornstedt Lake) when it was frozen or in Berlin
on the artificial ice rink at the Volkspark Friedrichshain
.
Grafström studied architecture at the Technical University of Berlin
(Technische Hochschule Berlin) and worked later as an architect
.
Grafström collected graphics, paintings and sculptures about skating. This collection was continued by his wife Cecilie Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1898–1995). Today this collection belongs to the World Figure Skating Museum in Colorado Springs in the United States. Grafström was also a writer and an etcher
.
Grafström died in 1938 in Potsdam
, Germany
at the age of 44 due to blood poisoning.
Today there is a street in Potsdam named after him. In 1976 he was admitted to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
. Additionally, Grafström won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
in 1929 (Shared with Sven Utterström
).
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
. He was born 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...
, Sweden
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....
. He won three successive Olympic gold medals in Men's Figure Skating (1920, 1924, 1928) as well as Olympic silver medal in same event in 1932, and three World Championships
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
(1922, 1924, 1929). Together with Eddie Eagan
Eddie Eagan
Edward "Eddie" Patrick Francis Eagan was an American sportsman. He is one of only two persons to have won a gold medal at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.-Olympics:...
he is the only athlete to have won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at both the Summer
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
and Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
, having the further distinction of being the only person to have won an individual gold medal in both the Summer (1920) and Winter Olympics (1924, 1928), although Eagan remains the only one to have managed the feat in different disciplines.
Biography
In 1914, Grafstrom competed at the last World Championships before the First World War. After the war, Grafström won the Olympic gold medal three successive times (1920, 1924, and 1928) and the silver medal at the 1932 Winter Olympics1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
(behind Karl Schäfer
Karl Schäfer
Karl Schäfer was an Austrian figure skater and swimmer. In figure skating, he was a dual Olympic Champion at the 1932 Winter Olympics and the 1936 Winter Olympics, a seven-time World Champion and the eight-time European Champion...
). He remains the only male figure skater to have won three Olympic gold medals (Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
and Irina Rodnina
Irina Rodnina
Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals . She initially competed with Alexei Ulanov and later teamed up with Alexander Zaitsev...
are other three-time Olympic Champions), and with his silver medal in 1932, is the most successful figure skater in Olympic history. He competed in and won three World Championships in 1922, 1924, 1929, competing only intermittently between editions of Olympic Games.
At his first Olympics in Antwerp one of his skates
Figure skate
Figure skates are a type of ice skate used by figure skaters. The skates consist of a boot and a blade that is attached with screws to the sole of the boot...
broke and he had to go to town to buy a new pair. Unfortunately only curly-toed skates were available. Despite this, he was still able to win.
At his last Olympics in 1932 in Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
, he collided with a photographer on the ice and still managed to place second.
Grafström was one of the best skaters ever in compulsory figures
Compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
. He also invented the Grafström-pirouette (on the back outside edge of the blade) and the flying sit spin
Figure skating spins
Spins are an element in figure skating where the skater rotates, centered on a single point on the ice, while holding one or more body positions. The skater rotates on the part of the blade just behind the toe pick, with the weight on the ball of the foot...
. He skated very elegantly and was famous for his interpretation of music.
From 1925 to his death he lived in Potsdam, Germany. He trained on the Bornstedter See (Bornstedt Lake) when it was frozen or in 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...
on the artificial ice rink at the Volkspark Friedrichshain
Friedrichshain
Friedrichshain is a part of Berlin's borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and like Kreuzberg across the river it has its own distinct character, with the result that the new double name is hardly ever used outside government administration. From its creation in 1920 until Berlin's 2001...
.
Grafström studied architecture at the Technical University of Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
(Technische Hochschule Berlin) and worked later as an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
.
Grafström collected graphics, paintings and sculptures about skating. This collection was continued by his wife Cecilie Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1898–1995). Today this collection belongs to the World Figure Skating Museum in Colorado Springs in the United States. Grafström was also a writer and an etcher
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
.
Grafström died in 1938 in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at the age of 44 due to blood poisoning.
Today there is a street in Potsdam named after him. In 1976 he was admitted to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored...
. Additionally, Grafström won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning paper Svenska Dagbladet since 1925. According to its statutes the Medal may be awarded in November or December to either...
in 1929 (Shared with Sven Utterström
Sven Utterström
Sven "Uttern" L. Utterström was a Swedish skier who competed in cross country.He was born in Boden, Sweden and won several medals at the Winter Olympics, the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and the Holmenkollen ski festival.Utterström won the 50 km cross country event at the Holmenkollen ski...
).
Results
| Event | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | |||||||||||||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
7th | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||||||||||||||||
| Nordic Championships Nordic Figure Skating Championships The Nordic Championships are an annual invitational elite figure skating competition, open only to skaters from Nordic countries. Skaters compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters compete in three levels: senior , junior, and novice... |
1st | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Swedish Championships Swedish Figure Skating Championships The Swedish Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Sweden.-Men:-Ladies:-Pairs:-References: **** * * "Der Eissport", 35th year, No.8, 8th March 1926... |
2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||||||||||||||||
See also
- List of Olympic medalists in figure skating
- World Figure Skating ChampionshipsWorld Figure Skating ChampionshipsThe World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
- List of Olympians who won medals in the Summer and Winter Games