Søren Marinus Jensen (5 May 1879 – 6 January 1965) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

sport wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

who competed in the

1906 Intercalated Games The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games i ...

and the

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

and

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

. He won medals at each Game; however, the gold medals he won at the 1906 Games are no longer considered to be Olympic medals. He remains Denmark's most successful wrestler at the Olympics. In addition, he was

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 1905 and won multiple European championship silver medals.

Sporting career

Jensen first competed at the 1904 World Wrestling Championships, failing to finish in the top three of his weight category. Returning the following year, he was victorious in the heavyweight competition, taking the gold medal. It was the only occasion he won the world championship, although he did place third in 1910. He also placed second in the European championships on three occasions.

Olympics

He competed for Denmark at the

, in the Greco-Roman heavyweight class and in an open weight class for all Greco-Roman competitors. In the very first round of the heavyweight class he faced the Austrian wrestler Arnold, who he considered to be his greatest threat in the competition. After an hour of wrestling, Jensen emerged victorious. In the second round he faced Ronti, of the German team who weighed in excess of 120 kilograms (264 lbs). Following a victory against the German, he faced and defeated the Belgian Debouis and then Bauer from Austria in order to win the gold medal in the heavyweight class, at which point King

George I of Greece George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for ...

called out to him in congratulation. Following that gold medal, he competed once more in the open competition, winning that competition as well and a second gold medal. He competed at the following two Olympic Games, winning the bronze medal in the Greco-Roman super heavyweight event at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

and another bronze medal this time in the Greco-Roman heavyweight competition at the

. At the 1912 Games he actually made it to the deciding match to find out who would win the gold medal, against Finland's

Yrjö Saarela Yrjö Erik Mikael Saarela (13 July 1884 – 30 June 1951) was a Finnish wrestler, who won an Olympic gold and a world championship. Wrestling Saarela began wrestling in 1906, coached by Carl Allén. By 1908 he was a well-established wrestler ...

. After three hours of wrestling in the open air, Jensen retired from exhaustion on a particularly hot day.

Legacy

Although he won Denmark's only wrestling gold medal at an Olympic Games, those Games are no longer considered to be a true Olympic Games and instead is referred to as the

. Including those medals at the 1906 Games, Jensen remains Denmark's most successful wrestler at the Olympics with his four medals.

References

;General * ;Specific

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Soren Marinus 1879 births 1965 deaths Olympic wrestlers for Denmark Wrestlers at the 1906 Intercalated Games Wrestlers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Danish male sport wrestlers Olympic gold medalists for Denmark Olympic bronze medalists for Denmark Olympic medalists in wrestling Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Aarhus Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games