Josef Petersen

Josef Petersen is the only Olympic Games art competitor who won a medal at three consecutive Games. He was a Danish writer who often used antique or medieval motifs between 1910 and 1949. He was the son of a vicar and a maternal grandson of the Norwegian poet Johann Sebastian Welhaven. In his lifetime Petersen was better known for his work as a journalist and foreign correspondent. Although he has never been fully recognized by Danish literary historians, his work was respected by contemporary critics for its knowledge of and identification with Antique cultures. Therefore it is quite amazing that he won his Olympic Medals using antique Greek athlete motifs. He was always interested in sports and athletics and took part in the last Danish duel in 1913.