Tomas Johansson (wrestler)

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Tomas Johansson

| fullname =

| image = Tomas Johansson in Jan 2014.jpg

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| caption = Tomas Johansson at the Swedish Sports Awards inside the Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden in January 2014

| birth_date = {{birth date and age |1962|07|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Haparanda, Sweden

| death_date =

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| residence =

| nationality = Swedish

| height = 193 cm

| weight = 130 kg

| spouse =

| sport = Wrestling

| event =

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| worlds =

| nationals =

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| show-medals =

| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Country | {{SWE}} }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

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Tomas Johansson (born 20 July 1962) is a Swedish wrestler. He was born in Haparanda. He won an Olympic silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1992, and a bronze medal in 1988. He won a gold medal at the 1986 World Wrestling Championships{{cite web|title=Tomas Johansson |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/tomas-johansson-2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417204600/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/tomas-johansson-2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |accessdate=6 April 2012}} In 1986 Johansson won the Jerring Award.{{Cite news |last=Radiosporten |date=19 October 2008 |title=Johanssons Jerringskål står i prisrummet |url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/2456143 |access-date=1 April 2024 |work=Sveriges Radio |language=sv}} Johansson's success is overshadowed in controversy after he was found cheating at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He was disqualified, and stripped of his silver medal and later suspended after testing positive for anabolic steroids. He was also a twenty-time Swedish champion,{{Cite book |last=Кукленко |first=В.В. |title=100 знаменитых спортсменов |last2=Хорошевский |first2=А.Ю. |publisher=Фолио |year=2005 |isbn=966-03-2913-X |pages=167 |language=ru}}{{Cite web |date=19 September 2023 |title=Александр Карелин: непобедимый борец, который своим видом внушал соперникам страх |url=https://sportmail.ru/amp/article/wrestling/57870548/ |access-date=10 August 2024 |website=sportmail.ru |language=ru}} and is considered one of the greatest sportsmen in Swedish history.{{Cite web |last=Leijon |first=Mikael |date=21 April 2017 |title="Brottningen blev min räddning" |url=https://nsd.se/nyheter/haparanda/artikel/brottningen-blev-min-raddning/r1p47qkr |access-date=10 August 2024 |website=nsd.se |language=sv}} He was considered to be the dominating force in wrestling until Aleksandr Karelin's arrival in the sport.{{Cite web |last=Ruissalo |first=Pekka |date=9 February 2021 |title="Toivoi, ettei sen kanssa mene minuuttitolkulla" – Juha Ahokas: Paini muuttui, kun voittamaton Aleksander Karelin tuli lajiin |url=https://www.tamperelainen.fi/paikalliset/3602750 |access-date=11 August 2024 |website=Tamperelainen |language=fi}} He ended up being 0–11 against Karelin, with a combined score of 1–74.{{Cite web |last=Nilsson |first=Stefan |date=21 July 2020 |title=DOKUMENT: Så hamnade "Lyftkranen från Sibirien" i Göteborg • 130 kilo Karelin gjorde volter på uppvärmningen |url=https://www.expressen.se/gt/sport/nar-lyftkranen-fran-sibirien-kom-till-stan/ |access-date=30 October 2024 |website=www.expressen.se |language=sv}}

Olympics

Tomas Johansson made his Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 1984. His aim was a gold medal, stating before the games that wrestling was one of the sports that had been weakened the most by the Olympic boycott. After losing the final to American Jeffrey Blatnick, Johansson claimed a silver medal. That medal was stripped a couple of days later when it was found that he had tested positive for anabolic steroids. The Swede was banned for 18 months.

In 1988, having won medals in two straight world championships, Johansson was unfortunate to be drawn against the eventual gold medal winner Aleksandr Karelin in the opening match of the Olympic games of Seoul. Johansson lost that bout but went on winning the three next to claim a bronze medal.

During the four next years, leading up to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Tomas Johansson won two more World Championship medals. Every international championship during these years was won by Aleksandr Karelin, so Johansson was fortunate when he was drawn at the opposite side of the Olympic tournament. After an initial tie against Hungarian László Klauz, Johansson won three bouts to reach the gold medal match. Karelin, having won three of his first four games by fall, did this once again, after 93 seconds.

After having won his last World championship medal in 1993, Johansson struggled during the years until the 1996 Olympics. There, he won two of his first four bouts, but losing the other two, thereby reaching a match of 7th and 8th places against Japan's Kenichi Suzuki. Tomas Johansson won this, his final Olympic match, by fall.