Oskar Wetzell
Finnish diver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oskar Wilhelm Wetzell (5 December 1888 – 28 November 1928) was a Finnish diver, who competed at the 1908 and the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1][2]
| |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Oskar Wilhelm Wetzell |
| Born | 5 December 1888 Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire |
| Died | 28 November 1928 (aged 39) Helsinki, Finland |
| Occupation | Bookbinder |
| Spouse | Selma Maria Forsström |
| Other interests | Stage magic |
| Sport | |
| Country | Finland |
| Sport | Diving |
| Club |
|
Diving
Olympics
Wetzell was the first deaf person ever to compete at the Olympics twice.[3] He is also the only deaf Finnish Olympian.[4]
| Games | Event | Stage | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 Summer Olympics | 3 metre springboard | Round one | 2nd in heat | Advanced to semi-final[5] |
| Semi-final | 6th in heat | Did not advance[5] | ||
| 10 metre platform | Round one | 4th in heat | Did not advance[6] | |
| 1912 Summer Olympics | 3 metre springboard | Round one | 7th in heat | Did not advance |
| 10 metre platform | Round one | 6th in heat | Did not advance | |
| Plain high diving | Round one | 2nd in heat | Did not advance |
National
He won eight Finnish national championships in diving:
He represented the clubs Helsingfors Simsällskap and Helsingin Uimarit.[4]
Biography
Oskar Wetzell became deaf after being confronted with influenza when he was just two years old. He was sent to the Porvoo Deaf School at the age of seven. His father worked initially at the Sinebrychoff Brewery in Helsinki and later went on to become a merchant.[7]
He became interested in stage magic at the age of 20. In the 1920s he performed in clubs and major charity events. He modeled his show after Tobias Bamberg.[8]
He married Selma Maria Forsström in 1916. They had four children.[8]
He was an inaugural board member of the Nordic Balticum Deaf Sport Federation.[9] He was a founding member of the Finnish Deaf Sports Federation,[10] and was its secretary in 1921–1922.[11]
He died of stomach cancer.[8]
