Hermann Baumann of Schwarzenburg was one of the top Swiss freestyle wrestlers of the 1940s and the winner of multiple national titles in the lightweight freestyle category, starting in 1945 after he defeated Franz Lustenberger of Emmenhrücke. Selected for the Swiss Olympic wrestling team to compete at the 1948 London Olympic Games, Baumann won the bronze medal in the lightweight freestyle event after defeating Italy’s Garibaldo Nizzola in a tie-break match by unanimous decision. He was one of three Swiss wrestlers to win medals at the 1948 Olympics, in addition to Fritz Stöckli (silver in light-heavyweight freestyle) and Adolf Müller (bronze in featherweight freestyle).
Baumann continued wrestling into the 1950s, successfully defending his championship title until 1954, when he was unable to attend his semi-final match. He later served as the head of wrestling in the Swiss National Gymnastics Association in the late 1950s, and as a referee at wrestling matches throughout the canton of Bern into the 1960s. He was made a member of the veterans’ guild of the Bernese Cantonal Wrestling Association in 1981.
Switzerland