Gustaf Wersäll

Gustaf Wersäll finished ninth in the first edition of modern pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. He missed out on a better final placing due to poor results in fencing and riding. Gustaf Wersäll’s father was a Swedish governor and minister of finance and his mother was Countess Lewenhaupt. In addition to Gustaf, his brother Claës-Axel also competed in the 1912 Olympic Games, one brother was an official, and three were volunteers. His older brother Ture won an Olympic gold medal at the Intercalated Games in 1906 in tug-of-war. Gustaf was awarded the state shooting badge in gold.

Gustaf Wersäll began his military career in 1905 as an officer volunteer at the Svea artillery regiment. After taking his officer’s exam in 1907 he became a second lieutenant at his regiment. Three years later he graduated from the Artillery and Engineering College. In 1915, he joined the Intendants’ Corps as lieutenant and acting adjutant to the Army’s quartermaster in Stockholm and was promoted to captain in 1916. Wersäll was then head of the intendants’ company and the supply magazine in Sollefteå until 1919. For the next seven years, he was chief of the Uppland artillery regiment. After retiring from the military, Wersäll worked as a consultant for buildings and equipment for kitchen facilities. In 1927-28 he travelled to the USA and Canada to study economic organization at healthcare facilities. He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Sword in 1916.

In 1915, Gustaf Wersäll married Kerstin Maria Sahlin, the daughter of a physician. They had three daughters and one son. In 1928, the family settled in Uppsala.