Gert Fridolf Fredriksson (21 November 1919 – 5 July 2006) was a Swedish sprint canoeist. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won eight medals including six golds (1948: K-1 1000 m, K-1 10000 m; 1952: K-1 1000 m, 1956: K-1 1000 m, K-1 10000 m; 1960: K-2 1000 m), one silver (1952: K-1 10000 m), and one bronze (K-1 1000 m). At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Fredriksson was head coach of the Swedish team.
He was the most successful male canoeist ever, having gained medals in a succession of Swedish, Nordic, World and Olympic championships from 1942 to 1960. With six gold medals Fredriksson remains the most successful Swede at the Olympics.Swedish canoeist Gert Fredriksson, 6-time Olympic gold medallist, dies at 86. slam.canoe.ca. 6 July 2006
He also won seven gold medals at the World Championships and 71 medals in the Swedish championships.
Fredriksson was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1949. In 1956 he was awarded the Mohammad Taher trophy by the International Olympic Committee as the number one sportsman in the world, the only canoeist to be presented with this trophy.
Nordic Championships Year Event Gold Silver Bronze 1946–1955 K-1 500 m 2 K-1 1000 m 5 K-1 10000 m 5 K-1 4×500 m relay 5 Total 17
Swedish Championships Year Event Gold Silver Bronze 1942–1960 K-1 500 m 1 1 K-1 1000 m 16 1 1 K-1 10000 m 15 1 Total 32 2 2
See also List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
References
International Olympic Committee biography Slam sports "Swedish canoeist Gert Fredriksson, 6-time Olympic gold medallist, dies at 86" July 6 2006 Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Canoeing: Kayak Pairs 1000 Meters". In The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 475.
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