Oscar Olsen

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameOscar Gustave (Oskar Gustav-)•Olsen
Used nameOscar•Olsen
Born15 December 1875 in Oslo, Oslo (NOR)
Died5 December 1962 in Chicago, Illinois (USA)
Measurements175 cm
AffiliationsMilwaukee AC, Milwaukee (USA)
NOC United States
Nationality Norway
Medals OG
Gold 1
Silver 0
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Oscar Olsen represented the Milwaukee AC on the winning tug-of-war team in 1904. Like all the members of that team, he was actually from Chicago. There was a team event in the 1904 Olympic athletics (track & field) competition, with the Milwaukee AC, a contender for the team title. The club convinced several Chicago athletes, including Olsen, to compete for them in tug-of-war, which was considered an event in track & field in that era. Olsen also placed fourth in the two-handed weightlifting event at the 1904 Olympics.

Born in Oslo, Norway, Olsen came to the United States as a youth in the early 1880s. He was a longtime member of the Sleipner Athletic Club in Chicago, also known as the Norwegian-American Athletic Association. Alongside fellow 1904 competitor Conrad Magnusson, he was a member of the highly successful Sleipner AC the tug-of-war team which won multiple state and national championship titles in the 1900s. By profession, Olsen was a machinist for a printing press company. He was naturalized as an American citizen in 1942, and remained in Chicago until his death in 1962 at the age of 86.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal Nationality As
1904 Summer Olympics Tug-Of-War USA NOR Oscar Olsen
Tug-Of-War, Men (Olympic) Milwaukee Athletic Club 1 Gold
Weightlifting USA NOR Oscar Olsen
Unlimited, Two Hands, Men (Olympic) 4