Hans Bertil August Antonsson (19 July 1921 – 27 November 2006) was a Swedish heavyweight wrestler. He competed at the 1948, 1952 and 1960 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling and won silver medals in 1948 and 1952. In 1956 he entered the Greco-Roman contest instead and finished fifth.[1]

Bertil Antonsson
Antonsson at the 1952 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameHans Bertil August Antonsson
Born19 July 1921
Trollhättan, Sweden
Died27 November 2006 (aged 85)
Trollhättan, Sweden
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight100 kg (220 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
ClubTrollhättans Atletklubb
Medal record
Men's wrestling
Representing  Sweden
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1948 London Freestyle +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 1952 Helsinki Freestyle +87 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1950 Stockholm Greco-Roman +87 kg
Gold medal – first place 1951 Helsinki Freestyle +87 kg
Gold medal – first place 1953 Naples Greco-Roman +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 1954 Tokyo Freestyle +87 kg
Silver medal – second place 1955 Karlsruhe Greco-Roman +87 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1946 Stockholm Freestyle +87 kg
Gold medal – first place 1949 Istanbul Freestyle +87 kg

Antonsson took up wrestling at age 14, began competing aged 17, and retired at 47. Besides Olympic medals he won three world, two European and 24 national titles. At the 1953 World Greco-Roman Championships he dominated the reigning Olympic champion Johannes Kotkas, who was 30 kg heavier than Antonsson; he won the world title and was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal later that year.[2]

In retirement, for many years Antonsson headed his native club Trollhättans and refereed wrestling competitions. His brother Bengt and nephew Hans were also prominent wrestlers.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bertil Antonsson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Bertil Antonsson". Swedish Olympic Committee.
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