John Ljunggren, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJohn Ljunggren
athletics competitor
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Värnamo, Jönköping County, Sweden
About John Ljunggren
- John Arthur Ljunggren (9 September 1919 – 13 January 2000) was a Swedish race walker.
- He competed in the 50 kilometer event at the 1948, 1956 and 1960 Olympics and finished in first, third and second place, respectively.
- At the European Championships he won a gold medal in 1946, a silver medal in 1950, and finished fourth in 1954 and fifth in 1962.Ljunggren got used to long walks as a child, along with his brothers Verner and Gunnar, as they did not have bicycles.
- He was known for his walking technique, and was never disqualified during his 499 races.
- He also competed nationally in cycling, orienteering, running and cross-country skiing.
- Ljunggren was used to hot, but not cold weather; so he got cramps in the cold Helsinki at the 1952 Olympics and finished ninth.
- At the 1960 Games in Rome, a friendly race official poured a bucket of ice water close to the finish; Ljunggren cramped again and finished second.
- At the 1956 Olympics he got a bad infection in a toe before the final race, yet managed to finish third.Ljunggren continued race walking until 1984, and won the 20 km event at the 1977 World Championships in the masters category.
- An accountant by trade, he was deeply religious.
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