Oskar Wetzell
Oskar Wilhelm Wetzell (5 December 1888 – 28 November 1928) was a Finnish diver, who competed at the 1908 and the 1912 Summer Olympics. Diving Olympics Wetzell was the first deaf person ever to compete at the Olympics twice. He is also the only deaf Finnish Olympian. National He won eight Finnish national championships in diving: springboard diving: 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, 1921 platform diving: 1909, 1911, 1913 He represented the clubs Helsingfors Simsällskap and Helsingin Uimarit. Biography Oskar Wetzell became deaf after being confronted with influenza when he was just two years old. He was sent to the Porvoo Deaf School at the age of seven. His father worked initially at the Sinebrychoff Brewery in Helsinki and later went onto become a merchant. He became interested in stage magic at the age of 20. In the 1920s he performed in clubs and major charity events. He modeled his show after Tobias Bamberg. He married Selma Maria Forsström in 1916. They had four children. He was an inaugural board member of the Nordic Balticum Deaf Sport Federation. He was a founding member of the Finnish Deaf Sports Federation, and was its secretary in 1921–1922. He died of stomach cancer. References 1888 births 1928 deaths Finnish male divers Olympic divers for Finland Divers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Divers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Deaf divers Finnish deaf people Divers from Helsinki People from Uusimaa Deaths from stomach cancer