Mauritz Eriksson

With three individual World Championship golds Mauritz Eriksson must be counted among the major Swedish riflemen. Eriksson, whose weakest position was kneeling, won six World Championship gold medals, winning two in 1913, one in 1928, and three team golds in 1927-29. But the urbanite (born in Stockholm, died in Enskede) never got to crown his career with an individual Olympic gold, and ironically it was a compatriot and teammate that stood between Eriksson and the great triumph.

In the 1920 army rifle prone 600 meter event at Camp Beverlo, no less than four archers shot 59 points out of 60 possible, including Eriksson and his teammate Hugo Johansson. Johansson won the shoot-out with 58 as Eriksson and American Lloyd Spooner shot 56. In their shoot-out, Eriksson defeated Spooner on the first shot to win silver. In team military rifle events Eriksson won three bronze medals, one in 1912 and two in 1920, although he won a gold in team free rifle in 1912.