Verner Weckman

Who was Verner Weckman?

Johan Verner Weckman was a Finnish sport wrestler who competed in the 1906 Summer Olympics and in the 1908 Summer Olympics.

He was born in Loviisa in a family of farmer. He took Abitur in Helsinki 1902. Inspired by circus wrestlers Weckman started to practice Greco-Roman wrestling and won his first Finnish championship in 1904 against Verner Järvinen. In 1905 Weckman went to Germany University of Karlsruhe and won the unofficial World championship in Duisburg in the same year.

In 1906 he became the first Finnish Olympics winner against Austrian Rudolf Lindmayer, as he won the gold medal in the Greco-Roman middleweight class as well as the silver medal in the overall competition.

Two years later he won the gold medal in the Greco-Roman light heavyweight event in London Olympics.

Weckman worked as engineer in Russia 1909–1921 and later in Suomen Kaapelitehdas Oy or Finnish Cable Works, where he served as longtime executive director until 1955. Weckman was awarded the prestigious Vuorineuvos title for his long career in 1953. He died in Helsinki in 1968.