Johannes Josefsson
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Icelandic |
Born | Akureyri, Iceland | 27 July 1883
Died | 5 October 1968 Reykjavík, Iceland | (aged 85)
Sport | |
Sport | Wrestling |
Johannes Josefsson (28 July 1883 – 4 October 1968) was an Icelandic Glima champion from 1907 to 1908. He was known for travelling around the world and challenging fighters from different martial arts backgrounds. He wrote an English book about Glima in 1908 titled "Icelandic Wrestling".[1]
Jósefsson was born in the north of Iceland in 1883 and became a champion of Icelandic wrestling at an early age. He competed in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1908 London Olympics, at the age of 25, and came in fourth.[2] He then traveled the world, ending up in America with Barnum & Baileys Greatest Show on Earth, where he performed as an unarmed contender fighting opponents even armed with knives. Josefsson became a wealthy man from his circus activities and returned to Iceland unscathed in 1927. After his return, he invested more than 1 million Krona in the Hotel Borg, for many years Iceland's classiest hotel. Josefsson ran the Borg until 1960, when he retired.
References
- ^ "Johannes Josefsson". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jóhannes Jósefsson Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
Bibliography
Jóhannes á Borg: Minningar glímukappans. [Josefsson's memoirs, as told to Stefán Jónsson.] Reykjavik. 1964.
- 20th-century Icelandic people
- Olympic wrestlers for Iceland
- Icelandic artists
- Icelandic investors
- 1883 births
- 1968 deaths
- Danish male sport wrestlers
- Icelandic male sport wrestlers
- Olympic wrestlers for Denmark
- Wrestlers at the 1908 Summer Olympics
- People from Akureyri
- Danish sport wrestler stubs
- Icelandic sportspeople stubs
- European sport wrestler stubs