Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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Born | 21 August 1910 Steneby, Sweden | |||||||||||||||||
Died | 16 July 1976 (aged 65) Köping, Sweden | |||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Horse riding | |||||||||||||||||
Club | K4 IF, Umeå | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Gehnäll Persson (21 August 1910 – 16 July 1976) was a Swedish Army fanjunkare and equestrian.
Persson was born on 21 August 1910 in Steneby, Sweden, the son of Sven Persson and Bertha Andersson. [1]
He competed in dressage at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won team gold medals in 1952 and 1956; he finished fourth individually in 1956. [2] [3]
At the 1948 Olympics the Swedish team won with a wide margin and received gold medals. The team was disqualified in 1949 after it was found that Persson was only a fanjunkare, temporarily promoted to the rank of lieutenant specifically to circumvent the "Officers and Gentlemen only" eligibility rule at the time. [4] Later that year the International Federation for Equestrian Sports relaxed its eligibility rule to allow non-commissioned ranks (and women) to compete. [5] [6]
In 1938, he married Ruth Jansson (born 1914), the daughter of Richard Jansson and Elin Larsson. He was the father of Lars Ove (born 1943) and Anders (born 1951). [1]