Nikolajs Švedrēvics

Nikolajs Švedrēvics was born into a blacksmith’s family. In 1911, he set his first Russian record with the javelin and claimed his first national championship in this event one year later. But at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912 he only placed 20th. In 1914 he won three more Russian titles, again in the javelin and additionally in the standing long jump and the 4x100 metres relay and in 1915 one title in the standing high jump. Švedrēvics added two runner-up finishes, in 1913 in the javelin and in 1914 in the standing long jump. In the years 1912-14, he bettered the Russian record in the javelin three more times and was the first Latvian athlete to exceed the 50-metres limit.

During World War I, he was evacuated to Rostov and won the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic’s (RSFSR) championship with the javelin in 1920. After returning to a now independent Latvia in 1921 he set two Latvian records with the javelin in 1922 as well one record in the standing high jump. Švedrēvics added three Latvian championships in 1922 (javelin throw and standing high jump) and 1923 (4x100 metres relay). In 1921, he was one of the founders of the Latvian Athletics Union and became its first chairman.

In the last years of his life, he suffered from tuberculosis and underwent treatment in the Tērvete sanatorium in 1932. He eventually died in 1937 at age 47.

Personal Best: JT – 52.98 (1914).