They say that in many of the individual sporting events in order to be successful you need to shut out all that is happening around you and focus solely on what you are doing.
For Olympic Diver Oskar Wetzell that may well have been his secret. As he clearly turned what could be perceived as a negative into a positive.
Oskar Wetzell was born on 5th of December 1888, in the city of Helsinki in the Duchy of Finland; which was at the time part of the Russian empire.
At the age of two he suffered influenza and lost his hearing. At the age of seven he was sent to the Porvoo Deaf School. It has been written that he was temperamental, but obedient. He was also said to have been a lively young boy. All of which tends to say that he was a very normal child!
On leaving school he started work as a book binder in a Helsinki-based printing house Helsingfors Centraltryckeri. He would work there for the next 20 years.
In 1903, he started swimming in Helsinki Swimming Club. This was to be a turning point in his life, as he showed a real talent. However it was as a diver that he specialised. This was a very new endeavour in Finland at the time. He specialised on the springboard but also was at ease on the platform and attended competitions for both events.
He first competed at a national level in 1906. He would go on to hold the Finish Springboard title in 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, and 1921. He would also claim the platform title 1909, 1911, and 1913. He was selected to represent his Swimming club in both deaf as well as hearing championships.
In 1908 he was selected to represent his country at the London Olympics. In platform diving due to his inexperience he did not progress beyond the first round. However in the springboard event he made it all the way to the semi-finals. This Olympic appearance made him the first deaf Olympian and thus far the only deaf Olympian from Finland.
He also participated in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. Unfortunately in all three events, the 3m Springboard, 10m Platform and plain high diving he was eliminated in the first round, even after coming 2nd in his heat in the latter event. By attending these Olympic Games he became the first deaf athlete to compete in two Olympic Games. David Smith of the USA being the most recent in 2016 where he won a bronze medal in volleyball. In all there have been 15 deaf athletes attend the Olympic Games since Oskar became the first, and one wonders how much he broke down barriers for all of those who followed.
Oskar has been described as being warm-hearted and honest. Clearly he never let his lack of hearing stand in the way of his pursuing an active life, for he was also interested in wrestling and gymnastics. During his 20-year career in athletics, he won nine Finnish championships and 70 other prizes. He was also a magician and performed magic tricks on stage and at various clubs from the age of 20.
He also used his public profile to good effect and became one of the founding members of the Finnish Athletic Association of the Deaf.
In 1916 he married his wife Selma Maria Forsström and together they had four children. Sadly Oskar would never see his children reach adulthood as in 1928 aged just 39 years old he passed away after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
He may have left the world far too young but his impact in those 39 years was felt in a positive way by many. He broke down many barriers for deaf people not just in the Olympics but also in Finland. His story is still told today and inspires the modern generation. What greater legacy could he have left?
