Hans von Blixen-Finecke Jr.

Baron Nils Gustaf Fredrik Bror "Hans" von Blixen-Finecke, Jr. (20 July 1916 – 16 February 2005) was a Swedish Army officer and horse rider. He competed in the three-day eventing at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics and won individual and team gold medals in 1952.[2][3]

Hans von Blixen-Finecke Jr.
Birth nameNils Gustaf Fredrik Bror von Blixen-Finecke
Born(1916-07-20)20 July 1916
Linköping, Sweden
Died16 February 2005(2005-02-16) (aged 88)
Penzance, United Kingdom
Service/branchSwedish Army
Years of service1937–1964
RankLieutenant colonel[1]
Commands heldSwedish Army Riding and Horse-Driving School (1959–64)
RelationsHans von Blixen-Finecke (father)
Bror von Blixen-Finecke (uncle)
Olympic medal record
Equestrian
Representing  Sweden
1952 Helsinki Individual eventing
1952 Helsinki Team eventing

Career

von Blixen-Finecke was born in Linköping, Sweden, the son of Baron Hans von Blixen-Finecke, who won an Olympic bronze in dressage in 1912, and his wife Baroness Brita Trolle.[4] He was the nephew of Bror von Blixen-Finecke and writer Karen Blixen. He was born as Nils Gustaf Fredrik Bror, but since the age of one was called Hans after his father, who died in an airplane crash.[2]

He passed studentexamen at Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket in 1934. He was commissioned as an officer in 1937, serving in the Life Regiment of Horse (Livregementet till häst, K 1). In 1950, he was promoted to ryttmästare (cavalry captain) in the Life Regiment Hussars (K 3) and to major in North Scanian Infantry Regiment (I 6) in 1957.[4] von Blixen-Finecke served as commanding officer of the Swedish Army Riding and Horse-Driving School from 1959 to 1964. In 1964 he left the Swedish Army and moved to England, where he established his own equestrian centre in Surrey before moving in the early 1970s to Cornwall.[1]

Personal life

In 1941, he married Baroness Anna Beck-Friis (born 1921), the daughter of Baron Jochum Beck-Friis and Signe Grenander, with whom he had two children, Hans (born 1942) and Gustaf (born 1945). In 1959, he married Anne Hetherington (born 1923), the daughter of Harry Hetherington and Merriell MacMahon.[4]

Awards and decorations

von Blixen-Finecke's awards:[4]

  • Knight of the Order of the Sword
  • Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
  • Ryttarolympisk förtjänstguldmedalj ("Olympic Equestrian Medal of Merit in Gold")
  • Svensk ridsports guldmedalj ("Swedish Equestrian Sport Gold Medal")
  • Svensk ridsports hederstecken ("Swedish Equestrian Sport Badge of Honor")

References
  1. "WHO'S WHO VON BLIXEN-FINECKE, HANS". www.horsemagazine.com. The Horse Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  2. "Hans von Blixen-Finecke, Jr". www.sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  3. "Hans von Blixen-Finecke jr" (in Swedish). Swedish Olympic Committee. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1964). Vem är vem?. 2, Svealand utom Stor-Stockholm [Who's Who?. 2, Svealand excluding Greater Stockholm] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Bokförlaget Vem är vem. p. 96. SELIBR 53510.
Military offices
Preceded by
Gustaf Nyblæus		 Swedish Army Riding and Horse-Driving School
1959–1964		 Succeeded by
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