 Gösta Holmér | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gustaf Richard Mikael Holmér | |||||||||||
Nickname(s) | Gösse, Gösta | |||||||||||
| Born | 23 September 1891 Djursdala,Vimmerby, Sweden | |||||||||||
| Died | 22 April 1983 (aged 91) Stockholm, Sweden | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||
Event | Decathlon | |||||||||||
| Club | Upsala Studenters IF | |||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
| Personalbest(s) | 110 mH – 15.8 (1914) HJ – 1.85 m (1917) Decathlon – 5889 (1919)[1][2] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Gustaf "Gösta" Richard Mikael Holmér (23 September 1891 – 22 April 1983) was aSwedish athlete who competed in the 1912 and 1920 Olympics.[3] In 1912 he won a bronze medal in the decathlon and placed eighth in the pentathlon, despite not running the 1500 m stage. In 1920, he placed fourth in the decathlon and was eliminated in the first round of the 110 m hurdles event.[1] Nationally, Holmér won Swedish titles in the pentathlon (1912–13, 1915, 1917 and 1920), decathlon (1913 and 1917–19) and 110 m hurdles (1913).[4][5]
In the 1912 Olympic decathlon, Holmér finished fourth but was awarded a bronze medal after the winnerJim Thorpe was disqualified for having played semi-professional baseball.[6] Thorpe was reinstated as a winner in 1982, and Holmér was moved down to the fourth place, yet he retained a bronze medal.[5][7]
In the 1930s, while coaching the downtrodden Swedish cross-country team, Holmér developed thefartlekinterval training technique.[8][9][10] His concept was faster-than-race-pace and concentrated on simultaneousspeed/endurance training.[9] The technique proved successful and has been adopted by manyphysiologists since then.
Holmér was the father ofHans Holmér, who headed the special unit investigating the assassination of the Swedish Prime MinisterOlof Palme in 1986.[5]
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