Johannes Villemson

Johannes Villemson
Personal information
Born25 March 1893
Tallinn, Russian Empire
Died22 March 1971 (aged 77)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight71 kg (157 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event100–1500 m
ClubEstonian Sports Association Kalev
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)60 m – 7.1 (1917)
100 m – 11.0 (1917)
200 m – 23.4 (1917)
400 m – 52.3 (1917)
800 m – 1:59.3 (1922)
1500 m – 4:11.0 (1917)[1][2][3]

Johannes Leopold Villemson (25 March 1893 – 22 March 1971) was an Estonian runner who competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics.[4] He was eliminated in the first round of the 800 m and 1500 m events.[2]

At school, Villemson focused on accounting and foreign languages. He started as a speed skater in 1909 but later changed to running and won three consecutive Russian 1500 m titles in 1914–16, placing second-third over 400 m and 800 m and setting multiple Russian records in 800–1500 m events. Later, between 1917 and 1930, he won more than 20 Estonian titles over 100–1500 m distances. He was representative for the 1924, 1928 and 1936 Estonian Olympic teams and served as a wrestling judge at these games. Between 1920 and 1940, he also took various administrative posts in Estonian athletics and wrestling bodies. In 1944, following the Soviet occupation of Estonia, he fled to Germany and then to the United States, arriving there in 1949. He worked in Chicago as a controller at an electrical appliances factory and for many years headed the Estonian Society.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference esbl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference sr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference tf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Johannes Villemson". Olympedia. Retrieved 8 July 2021.