Jane Cederqvist
- January 15, 2023
- 77 years
About Jane Cederqvist
Jane Cederqvist, 77, Swedish swimmer, Olympic silver medallist (1960), complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Full Biography
|Jane Barbro Iréne Cederqvist (1 July 1945 – 15 January 2023) was a Swedish freestyle swimmer. In 1960, she set two world records, won a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics, and became the youngest person and the first woman to receive the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. The following year she retired from swimming and later became a government official.
Biography
Cederqvist grew up in the suburbs of Stockholm. She learned to swim at age 6, and at age 12 started training in a club. Within a few years she became a world top freestyle swimmer, and won a bronze medal at the 1958 Swedish Junior Swimming Championships. She finished second in the 400 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and a few days later set a new world record in the 1500 m freestyle in Sweden. Just before the games she broke another world record, in the 800 m freestyle. Cederqvist represented SK Neptun.
In 1961 she quit swimming to focus on her studies. In 1970 she received her BA and in 1980 a PhD in history with a thesis titled Arbetare i strejk: studier rörande arbetarnas politiska mobilisering under industrialismens genombrott: Stockholm 1850–1909 (Workers on Strike: The Political Mobilisation of the Working Class in Stockholm 1850–1909). She then took various jobs for central and local governments, such as department director at the Swedish National Audit Office for six years and then director of the Association of Local Authorities. From 1994, she worked at the Ministry of Industry, and in 1998 became director of the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities. Cederqvist had long wanted to become directly involved with history and was first excited with this job, but later became frustrated with the lack of funds and moved to the Ministry of Finance, where between 1999 and 2002 she acted as director-general of the Swedish Fortifications Agency and then worked as a tax analyst.
Cederqvist died after suffering from motor neurone disease on 15 January 2023, at the age of 77.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Cederqvist
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Jane Cederqvist's archived record and the sources above.
1.What is the full birth name of Jane Cederqvist?
- A.Jane Barbro Iréne Cederqvistcorrect
- B.Jane Birgitta Inger Cederqvist
- C.Jane Barbro Ingrid Cederqvist
- D.Jane Beatrice Irene Cederqvist
The text explicitly states that Jane Barbro Iréne Cederqvist was a Swedish freestyle swimmer.
Source: biography header
2.In which city did Jane Cederqvist grow up?
- A.Stockholmcorrect
- B.Gothenburg
- C.Uppsala
- D.Malmö
Jane Cederqvist grew up in the suburbs of Stockholm.
Source: Biography section
3.At what age did Jane Cederqvist learn to swim?
- A.10
- B.8
- C.6correct
- D.4
Jane Cederqvist learned to swim at the age of 6.
Source: Biography section
4.What sport did Jane Cederqvist compete in at the 1960 Summer Olympics?
- A.Track and field
- B.Freestyle swimmingcorrect
- C.Gymnastics
- D.Rowing
Jane Cederqvist was a Swedish freestyle swimmer who won a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Source: biography header
5.Which swimming club did Jane Cederqvist represent during her career?
- A.SK Neptuncorrect
- B.Göteborg Sim
- C.Stockholm Sim
- D.Malmö SS
The text states that Jane Cederqvist represented the club SK Neptun.
Source: Biography section
6.What historic achievement did Jane Cederqvist attain with the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal?
- A.She was the youngest person and first woman to receive itcorrect
- B.She received it for her PhD thesis
- C.She was the first international athlete to receive it
- D.She was the first non-athlete to receive it
In 1960, Jane Cederqvist became the youngest person and the first woman to receive the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.
Source: biography header
7.In which event did Jane Cederqvist win a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics?
- A.1500 m freestyle
- B.800 m freestyle
- C.200 m freestyle
- D.400 m freestylecorrect
Jane Cederqvist finished second in the 400 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Source: Biography section
8.What academic degree did Jane Cederqvist receive in 1980?
- A.PhD in Economics
- B.MA in Swedish Literature
- C.BA in Political Science
- D.PhD in Historycorrect
Jane Cederqvist received a PhD in history in 1980.
Source: Biography section
9.What was the subject of Jane Cederqvist's PhD thesis?
- A.Industrial reform in 20th century Sweden
- B.The political mobilisation of workers in Stockholmcorrect
- C.The development of Swedish national museums
- D.The history of Swedish swimming records
Her thesis was titled Arbetare i strejk: studier rörande arbetarnas politiska mobilisering under industrialismens genombrott: Stockholm 1850–1909.
Source: Biography section
10.Jane Cederqvist served as director of which institution starting in 1998?
- A.Ministry of Industry
- B.Swedish Museum of National Antiquitiescorrect
- C.Swedish Fortifications Agency
- D.Swedish National Audit Office
Jane Cederqvist became director of the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in 1998.
Source: Biography section
11.Between 1999 and 2002, what role did Jane Cederqvist hold?
- A.Director-general of the Swedish Fortifications Agencycorrect
- B.Department director at the National Audit Office
- C.Director of the Association of Local Authorities
- D.Tax analyst at the Ministry of Industry
Between 1999 and 2002, Jane Cederqvist acted as director-general of the Swedish Fortifications Agency.
Source: Biography section
12.Why did Jane Cederqvist leave her position at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities?
- A.She was offered a position at the Ministry of Finance
- B.She wanted to pursue a career in teaching
- C.She became frustrated with the lack of fundscorrect
- D.She retired due to health issues
Jane Cederqvist was initially excited by the job but later became frustrated with the lack of funds.
Source: Biography section
13.In what year did Jane Cederqvist retire from competitive swimming?
- A.1961correct
- B.1960
- C.1958
- D.1970
The biography notes that in 1961, Jane Cederqvist quit swimming to focus on her studies.
Source: Biography section
14.What health condition contributed to Jane Cederqvist's death?
- A.Cancer
- B.Heart disease
- C.Amyotrophic lateral sclerosiscorrect
- D.Stroke
Jane Cederqvist passed away due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Source: biography header
15.At what age did Jane Cederqvist pass away?
- A.75
- B.77correct
- C.76
- D.78
Jane Cederqvist died on 15 January 2023, at the age of 77.
Source: Biography section
16.Which world record did Jane Cederqvist set in Sweden shortly after the 1960 Olympics?
- A.1500 m freestylecorrect
- B.200 m backstroke
- C.800 m freestyle
- D.400 m freestyle
A few days after the 1960 Summer Olympics, Jane Cederqvist set a new world record in the 1500 m freestyle in Sweden.
Source: Biography section
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