Klas Ivar Vilhelm Lestander (18 April 1931 – 13 January 2023) was a Swedish biathlete who won a gold medal at the

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Valley ...

in Squaw Valley.Klas Lestander
sports-reference.com Lestander started as a cross-country skier, but he was also an experienced hunter, and thus ended up with biathlon. At the 1960 Olympics he placed 15th out of 30 in skiing, but became the first international competitor to ever hit all 20 targets, and hence won the gold medal. His rival

Aleksandr Privalov Aleksandr Vasilyevich Privalov (; 6 August 1933 – 19 May 2021) was a Soviet biathlete. He received a bronze medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. He received a silver medal at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. Biathlon res ...

needed to clear three targets out of five at the last post to win the event, but managed only two, and ended up with a bronze medal. Meanwhile, the fastest skier Victor Arbez hit only 2 targets out of 20, and placed 25th overall.Klas Lestander
Swedish Olympic Committee Next year Lestander finished ninth individually at the World Championships in

Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest Urban areas in Sweden, locality in Norrland and the t ...

and third with the Swedish team. He retired the same year, never winning a Swedish Championship. Lestander lived all his life in Arjeplog, where a square is named after him. He was a cousin of the forest worker and Left Party Member of Parliament Paul Lestander. His son, Dan Lestander, was an artist and won the snow sculpture contest at the Olympic Arts Festival in Albertville, France, in 1992. Lestander died at his home in Arjeplog on 13 January 2023, at the age of 91.Klas Lestander död - blev 91 år gammal

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lestander, Klas 1931 births 2023 deaths People from Arjeplog Municipality Swedish male biathletes Biathletes at the 1960 Winter Olympics Olympic biathletes for Sweden Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics Olympic medalists in biathlon Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Biathlon World Championships medalists 20th-century Swedish sportsmen