Josef Stalder (6 February 1919 – 2 March 1991) 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 ...

gymnast 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, sh ...

and Olympic champion.

Career

He competed at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where he received a gold medal on the

horizontal bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...

, a silver medal in team combined exercises, and a bronze medal on the

parallel bars Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally we ...

."1948 Summer Olympics – London, United Kingdom – Gymnastics"
''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on 28 March 2008) He also won four medals at 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 ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. He was the originator and namesake of stalder circles, now a common skill on both the horizontal bar and the uneven bars.

References

1919 births 1991 deaths Swiss male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1948 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts for Switzerland Olympic gold medalists for Switzerland Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Switzerland Olympic bronze medalists for Switzerland 20th-century Swiss people {{Switzerland-Olympic-medalist-stub