Gehnäll Persson


Gehnäll Persson was a Swedish Army fanjunkare and equestrian.

Career

Persson was born on 21 August 1910 in Steneby, Sweden, the son of Sven Persson and Bertha Andersson.
He competed in dressage at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won team gold medals in 1952 and 1956; he finished fourth individually in 1956.
At the 1948 Olympics the Swedish team won with a wide margin and received gold medals. The team was disqualified in 1949 after it was found that Persson was only a fanjunkare, temporarily promoted to the rank of lieutenant specifically to circumvent the "Officers and Gentlemen only" eligibility rule at the time. Later that year the International Federation for Equestrian Sports relaxed its eligibility rule to allow non-commissioned ranks to compete.

Personal life

In 1938, he married Ruth Jansson, the daughter of Richard Jansson and Elin Larsson. He was the father of Lars Ove and Anders.

Awards and decorations