Jef Mewis

Jef Mewis attended his first Belgian national wrestling championship in 1949, which was the only year through 1966 that he came home without a gold medal as a featherweight wrestler. During that time, he represented Belgium at the Olympics in the freestyle event in 1952, 1956, and 1960, and in Greco-Roman in 1964, winning silver in Melbourne. By career he worked as a clerk, but later coached and trained wrestlers. His brother Maurice competed as a flyweight, Greco-Roman wrestler in the same four editions, and in the freestyle category in 1952 as well, but did not reach the podium. Maurice’s son and Jef’s nephew Julien was a two-time Olympic wrestler (1976 and 1980).