Gustav Fischer (8 November 1915 – 22 November 1990) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

athlete who competed at five

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

, winning a total of five medals. He won medals in the team dressage events in the 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1968 games; there was no team dressage event held in 1960, but he won an individual dressage medal in that year. In 1968, he and fellow equestrian

Henri Chammartin Henri Chammartin (30 July 1918 – 30 May 2011) was a Swiss equestrian who won an individual gold medal in dressage at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son ...

Early life

Fischer was born on 8 November 1915 in Meisterschwanden, Switzerland.

Olympic career

Fischer first competed in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

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Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

at the age of 36, in both the individual and team dressage events. He came in a disappointing 8th place in the individual event, behind both of his Swiss teammates;

Gottfried Trachsel Gottfried Trachsel (5 October 1907 – 15 June 1974) was a Swiss equestrian. He placed fourth in individual dressage, won a silver medal in team dressage at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, and a won bronze medal in team dressage at the ...

, who finished 4th, and

Henri Chammartin Henri Chammartin (30 July 1918 – 30 May 2011) was a Swiss equestrian who won an individual gold medal in dressage at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, w ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, Fischer again medaled in the team event, and again fell short in the individual. This time, Trachsel, Chammartin, and Fischer took bronze, and finished 6th, 8th, and 10th respectively in the individual event. Of the three athletes, only Fischer and Chammartin would compete in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, although in any case no team dressage event was held that year. However, Fischer found new success, winning second place and a silver medal in the individual dressage competition, the only individual medal of his career. The

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

, saw Fischer as the oldest member of the Swiss team, at 48 years of age. That year, he just missed winning a second individual medal in dressage, taking fourth place while his teammate Henri Chammartin took gold. However, with Chammartin and 21-year-old

Marianne Gossweiler Marianne Gossweiler (born 15 May 1943 in Schaffhausen) is a Swiss equestrian. She placed seventh in individual dressage and won a silver medal in team dressage at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She a won bronze medal in team dressage at the 1 ...

, the youngest Swiss equestrian athlete at the games, Fischer earned yet another silver medal in team dressage. He won his final Olympic medal at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport ev ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

at the age of 52, a bronze in team dressage, again with Chammartin and Gossweiler.

Later life

Fischer died on 22 November 1990.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Gustav 1915 births 1990 deaths Swiss male equestrians Swiss dressage riders Olympic equestrians of Switzerland Equestrians at the 1952 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1956 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1960 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1964 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Switzerland Olympic bronze medalists for Switzerland Olympic medalists in equestrian Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics 20th-century Swiss people

Early life

Olympic career

Later life

See also

References

External links