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Hans Gerschwiler

{{Short description|Swiss figure skater (1921–2017)}}

{{Infobox figure skater

| name = Hans Gerschwiler

| image = Scott and Gerschwiler.jpg

| caption = Barbara Ann Scott and Hans Gerschwiler in 1948

| country = {{SUI}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|1920|6|21|df=y}}

| birth_place =Winterthur, Canton of Zürich

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|9|27|1920|6|21|df=yes}}

| death_place =Pinehurst, North Carolina

| residence =

| formercoach =

| formerchoreographer =

| skating club =

| retired =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry| {{SUI}}}}

{{MedalSport | Men's Figure skating}}

{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games}}

{{MedalSilver|1948 St. Moritz|Men's Singles}}

{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}

{{MedalSilver|1948 Davos|Men's singles}}

{{MedalGold|1947 Stockholm|Men's singles}}

{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}

{{MedalSilver|1948 Prague|Men's singles}}

{{MedalGold|1947 Davos|Men's singles}}

}}

Hans Gerschwiler (21 June 1920 – 27 September 2017) was a Swiss figure skater. He was the 1948 Olympic silver medalist

Career

Gerschwiler made his international debut at the 1939 European Championships, where he placed 5th. Between 1939 and 1947, no international skating competitions were held, due to World War II. Gerschwiler had been living in England with his uncle and coach Jacques Gerschwiler when the war broke out. When his uncle was called home to Switzerland, Gerschwiler stayed with Cecilia Colledge's family. He spent the war years working as a factory worker and fire watcher and was able to practice skating only once a week.

Following the War, Gerschwiler emerged as one of the dominant skaters of the time.

Gerschwiler won the 1947 World Figure Skating Championships and European Figure Skating Championships. He also won the silver medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz and came in second at the 1948 European Championships, both time finishing behind Dick Button. He was coached by his uncle Arnold Gerschwiler.

Gerschwiler was considered to be a beautiful free-skater and one of the best school-skaters in the world at the time. He turned professional after the 1948 Winter Olympics.

Until Stéphane Lambiel won his first world title in 2005, Gerschwiler was the only Swiss man ever to have been World Champion. He and Lambiel are the only Swiss figure skaters ever to have won a silver medal at the Olympics. The only other Swiss skater to medal at the Olympics was Georges Gautschi who won bronze in 1924. Following Lambiel's win in 2005, Gerschwiler sent him a congratulatory message.

Results

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Event

! 1938

! 1939

! 1946

! 1947

! 1948

align=left | Winter Olympic Gamesbgcolor=silver | 2nd
align=left | World Championshipsbgcolor=gold | 1stbgcolor=silver | 2nd
align=left | European Championships5thbgcolor=gold | 1stbgcolor=silver | 2nd
align=left | Swiss Championshipsbgcolor=gold | 1stbgcolor=gold | 1stbgcolor=gold | 1stbgcolor=gold | 1stbgcolor=gold | 1st

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite book | title=Dick Button On Skates | first=Dick | last=Button | author-link=Dick Button | year = 1955 | publisher = Prentice-Hall | location = Englewood Cliffs, N.J. | id = Catalog Card No. 55-12069 | pages =40–41 }}

}}

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103309/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/euromen1930.html Skatabase: 1930s Europeans]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103041/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/euromen1947.html Skatabase: 1940s Europeans]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070909140139/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/worldmen1947.html Skatabase: 1940s Worlds]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20081011173859/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/olympicmen1940.html Skatabase: 1948 Olympics]
  • [http://www.thepilot.com/obituaries/hans-gerschwiler/article_f343b46a-a787-11e7-9c3d-67e1fa4f4e2d.html Hans Gerschwiler's obituary]

{{NavigationWorldChampionsFigureSkatingMen}}

{{NavigationEuropeanChampionsFigureSkatingMen}}

{{NavigationSwissChampionsFigureSkatingMen}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerschwiler, Hans}}

Category:1921 births

Category:2017 deaths

Category:Swiss male single skaters

Category:Figure skaters at the 1948 Winter Olympics

Category:Olympic figure skaters for Switzerland

Category:Olympic silver medalists for Switzerland

Category:Olympic medalists in figure skating

Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists

Category:European Figure Skating Championships medalists

Category:Medalists at the 1948 Winter Olympics

Category:Sportspeople from Winterthur

Category:Sportspeople from the canton of Zürich

Category:20th-century Swiss sportsmen