Poul Svendsen was a Danish rower who represented the Frederiksværk Roklub. Along with fellow rower Svend Pedersen and cox Jørgen Frantzen, Svendsen was part of the Danish crew that won bronze in the coxed pairs at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. The team finished second in their heat to advance to the semi-finals. They then faced stiff competition from the German and French teams, resulting in Denmark finishing in third place, but having a second chance in the repêchage round. After beating Poland in their heat they advanced to the final where they once again came up against France and Germany, who won gold and silver, respectively. On their return home to the town of Frederiksværk the crew were met by a crowd of more than 2,000 people to celebrate their success. Svendsen was 96-years-old when he died in January 2024 and was the oldest living Olympic rowing medallist at the time of his death.
Denmark