Fritz Erik Elmsäter (7 October 1919 – 9 March 2006) was the first Swedish athlete to compete in both the

Summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

and

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

. In 1948 he won a silver medal in the 3000 m

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

race, and finished 19th in the 18 km cross-country skiing and 9th in the

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympic ...

event. At the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 195 ...

, he was the flag bearer for Sweden, and finished 56th in the 18 km skiing race and 13th in the Nordic combined.

Biography

He was born Erik Pettersson and changed his name to Fritz Erik Elmsäter in 1939. A multitalented athlete, he played as a football goalkeeper in the 1930s, and competed in

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...

, military relays and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

. He had his best results in the 3000 m steeplechase. In this event he won four national titles in 1943–1946 and set two world records, becoming in 1944 the first person to run the steeplechase within nine minutes. He won silver medals at the 1946 European Championships and at the 1948 Olympics. Elmsäter was a career military officer, retiring in 1959 to accept a position at the Swedish Sports Federation. In the 1960s he worked for the Swedish radio and TV network, and between 1968 and 1985 held various managerial position at the

Sveriges Television Sveriges Television AB ("Sweden's Television Stock Company"), shortened to SVT (), is the Sweden, Swedish national public broadcasting, public television broadcaster, funded by a public service tax on personal income set by the Riksdag (national ...

. His daughter

Eva Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...

is a prominent journalist.

Cross-country skiing results

Olympic Games

References

External links

18 km Olympic cross country results: 1948–52Swedish athletic medalists at Olympic, European, and World Championships.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmsater, Erik 1919 births 2006 deaths Athletes from Stockholm Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1948 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1952 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1948 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1952 Winter Olympics Swedish male long-distance runners Olympic silver medalists for Sweden Olympic athletes for Sweden Olympic Nordic combined skiers for Sweden Olympic cross-country skiers for Sweden Swedish male cross-country skiers Swedish male Nordic combined skiers Swedish male steeplechase runners European Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)