Nils Granfelt

Nils Granfelt received his university entrance qualification in Stockholm in 1908. One year later, he became a reserve officer and started his training at the Central Gymnastics Institute, which he completed in 1911. He joined an official trip of the institute to Russia in 1909. In 1912, he was a member of the Swedish team that won gold in the Swedish system team event at the Stockholm Olympics.

In 1914, Granfelt founded the gymnastics club “Gymnos” in Stockholm and became its first president and later honorary president. As an active member of the Swedish Life Saving Association he wrote a handbook about swimming and lifesaving. His brother Erik Granfelt became an Olympic champion in gymnastics in 1908, and his brother Hans Granfelt won Olympic silver in fencing in 1936. His nephew Nils Rydström also competed in Olympic fencing events.

In the Göta Life Guard regiment Nils Granfelt was later promoted to lieutenant and captain. In 1939 he was transferred to the reserve of the Skaraborg regiment.

Although he completed training as a gymnastics teacher, Granfelt worked as a clerk and chief of office for two banks in Stockholm from 1911-20. In 1922, he started teaching gymnastics at a school in Stockholm’s Östermalm district. From 1928-35, Granfelt lived in the USA teaching gymnastics and fencing at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. After his return to Sweden Granfelt became a landowner of the Kronogården farm south of Hjo in Västergötland. In 1927, Granfelt married Edla Gustafsson, with whom he had one son.