{{Short description|Norwegian wrestler}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox sportsperson |name = Bernhoff Hansen |full_name = Bernhoff Otelius Hansen |birth_date = {{birth date|1877|08|17}} |birth_place = Rognan, Norway |death_date = {{death date and age|1950|12|22|1877|08|17}} |death_place = New York, New York, U.S. |medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's freestyle wrestling}} {{MedalCountry| {{NOR}}}} {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalGold|1904 St. Louis | Heavyweight}} |show-medals = yes }} '''Bernhoff Otelius Hansen''' (August 17, 1877 &ndash; December 22, 1950) was a Norwegian-American wrestler who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/60651 |title=Bernhoff Hansen |work=Olympedia |access-date=February 25, 2021}}</ref>

He was born in Rognan in Saltdal Municipality, Norway. Originally, he was a wrestler in Nordland, but one and a half years before the 1904 Olympic Games, he left Norway for the United States. He was affiliated with the Brooklyn-based 'Norwegian Turnverein' gymnastic society in New York. Hansen was sponsored by the 'Norwegian Turnverein' at the Olympics in 1904. He won three matches, all by falls, at the 1904 Olympics and the gold medal in the freestyle heavyweight category.<ref>[http://www.olympic.org/en/content/All-Olympic-results-since-1896/?AthleteName=Bernhuff%20HANSEN&Category=&Games=&Sport=&Event=&MenGender=true&WomenGender=false&MixedGender=false&TeamClassification=false&IndividualClassification=false&Continent=&Country=&GoldMedal=false&SilverMedal=false&BronzeMedal=false&TargetResults=true ''Bernhuff Hansen'' (Official website of the Olympic Movement)]</ref> The Olympic tournament doubled as the AAU tournament. In 1905, he defended his AAU title for his only other U.S. championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/60651|title=Bernhoff Hansen|work=Olympedia}}</ref>

His first name was spelled "Bernhoff" by FILA and in an article by ''The New York Times'' from January 16, 1918. By the time of the article, he was referred to as a "Norwegian light-heavyweight wrestler". Hansen died in New York City at the age of 73.

In 2012, Norwegian historians found documentation showing that Hansen was registered as an "alien" (foreigner) as late as 1925 and questioning whether he ever received American citizenship. The historians thus petitioned to have Hansen's gold registered as Norwegian.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nrk.no/ol2012/nyheter/her-er-norges-ukjente-ol-gullvinner-1.8281024|work=NRK|title=Her er beviset som endrer norsk idrettshistorie|date=14 August 2012}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/bernhoff-hansen-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417111816/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/bernhoff-hansen-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Bernhoff Hansen}} *{{sports links}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions freestyle wrestling heavyweight}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Bernhoff}} Category:1877 births Category:1950 deaths Category:People from Saltdal Municipality Category:Norwegian emigrants to the United States Category:Wrestlers at the 1904 Summer Olympics Category:American male sport wrestlers Category:Olympic gold medalists for Norway Category:Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:20th-century Norwegian sportsmen