John Adolf Fredrik Zander (31 January 1890 – 9 June 1967) was a Swedish middle-distance runner who competed at the

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

and

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...

in the 1500 m and 3000 m events.

Career

Zander represented Sweden at the 1912 Olympic Games in his home country of Sweden. He finished seventh and tenth, respectively. Although his 3,000 m team placed second, he did not receive a medal because only three of the best runners from the team were counted, while he was fourth. The 1916 Olympics were cancelled due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. At the 1920 Games, Zander failed to finish his 1500 m race. He helped Sweden to qualify for the final in the 3000 metre team race, but he did not run in the final, in which Sweden won the bronze medal. Nationally, Zander won ten Swedish titles in the 800 m (1912–13), 1,500 m (1913, 1915–18), steeplechase (1915) and 5,000 m (1917–18). He also won the British

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

title in the 1 mile event at the

1913 AAA Championships The 1913 AAA Championships was the 1913 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held on Saturday 5 July 1913 at the Stamford Bridge (stadium) in London, England. The ...

, the 3,000 and 5,000 m events at the 1914 Baltic Games, and four events at the 1916 Swedish Games. He semi-retired in 1918 and had a rib injury while preparing for the 1920 Olympics. During his career, he set Swedish records in the 1,500 and 5,000 m and world records over 1,500, 2,000 and 3,000 metres. In retirement he worked as an

actuary An actuary is a professional with advanced mathematical skills who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require investment management, asset management, ...

for the Pension Board in Stockholm.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zander, John 1890 births 1967 deaths Swedish male long-distance runners Swedish male middle-distance runners Swedish male steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Sweden Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1920 Summer Olympics World record setters in athletics (track and field) Athletes from Stockholm