Gillis Grafström (born June 7, 1893 in Stockholm, Sweden; died April 14, 1938 in Potsdam, Germany) was a Swedish figure skater.

Biography

---

Gillis Grafström won the Olympic gold medal three times (1920, 1924, and 1928) and the silver medal at the 1932 Winter Olympics (behind Karl Schäfer).

At his first Olympics in Antwerp one of his skates broke and he had to go to town to buy a new pair. Unfortunately only curly-toed skates were available. Despite this, he was still able to win.

At his last Olympics in 1932 in Lake Placid he collided with a photographer on the ice and still managed to place second.

Grafström was one of the best skaters ever in compulsory figures. He also invented the Grafström-pirouette (on the back outside edge of the blade) and the flying sit spin. He skated very elegantly and was famous for his interpretation of music. Grafström also coached Sonja Henie.

From 1925 to his death he lived in Potsdam, Germany. He trained on the Bornstedter See (Bornstedt Lake) when it was frozen or in Berlin on the artificial ice rink at the Volkspark Friedrichshain.

Grafström studied architecture at the Technical University of Berlin (Technische Hochschule Berlin) and worked later as an architect.

Grafström collected graphics, paintings and sculptures about skating. This collection was continued by his wife Cecilie Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1898-1995). Today this collection belongs to the World Figure Skating Museum in Colorado Springs in the United States. Grafström was also a writer and an etcher.

Grafström died in 1938 in Potsdam at the age of 44 due to blood poisoning.

Today there is a street in Potsdam named after him. In 1976 he was admitted to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Results

---

Olympic Games

• 1920 - 1st place
• 1924 - 1st place
• 1928 - 1st place
• 1932 – 2nd place

World Championships

• 1914 – 7th place
• 1922 - 1st place
• 1924 - 1st place
• 1929 - 1st place

European Championships

• did not participate

See also

---

• Olympic medalists in figure skating
• World Figure Skating Championships

Navigation

---

1893 births | 1938 deaths | Swedish figure skaters | Figure skaters at the 1920 Summer Olympics | Figure skaters at the 1924 Winter Olympics | Figure skaters at the 1928 Winter Olympics | Figure skaters at the 1932 Winter Olympics | Multiple Olympic gold medalists

Gillis Grafström | Gillis Grafström | Gillis Grafström | Gillis Grafström | Gillis Grafström