View source for Helmer Pedersen

{{short description|New Zealand sailor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name             = Helmer Pedersen
| image            = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| birth_name       = Helmer Orlaf Leif Pedersen<ref name="SR Pedersen" />
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1930|03|28|df=y}}
| birth_place      = Copenhagen, Denmark
| death_date       = {{death-date and age|24 August 1987|28 March 1930}}
| death_place      = 
| education        = 
| alma_mater       = 
| occupation       = 
| years_active     = 
| spouse           = 
| height           = {{convert|180|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="SR Pedersen" />
| weight           = {{convert|80|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="SR Pedersen" />
| sport            = Sailing
| club             = Otahuhu Sailing Club
| medaltemplates   =
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Sailing at the Summer Olympics|Sailing]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{NZL}}}}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold | [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]] | [[Sailing at the 1964 Summer Olympics|Flying Dutchman class]]}}
}}

'''Helmer Orlaf Leif Pedersen''' (28 March 1930 in Copenhagen, Denmark – 24 August 1987) was an Olympic gold medallist for New Zealand in [[Yacht racing|yachting]].<ref name="SR Pedersen">{{Cite sports-reference |title=Helmer Pedersen |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/helmer-pedersen-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418122210/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pe/helmer-pedersen-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref> With [[Earle Wells]], Pedersen won the [[Flying Dutchman (dinghy)|Flying Dutchman]] [[One-Design|class]] at the [[1964 Summer Olympics]] in Tokyo. Pedersen had previously been the reserve for the same class at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in Rome.

In his home country of Denmark he had been mainly a [[Finn (dinghy)|Finn class]] yachtsman. He did not make any Danish Olympic team due to the presence of the great [[Paul Elvstrøm]], although he was a reserve for Denmark at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]] in Finland.

He died in 1987 from lung cancer after having been a heavy smoker.<ref name="NZOC Pedersen">{{cite web |title=Helmer Pedersen |url=https://olympic.org.nz/athletes/helmer-pedersen |website=Olympic.org.nz |publisher=[[New Zealand Olympic Committee]] |access-date=24 August 2017}}</ref> He was retrospectively inducted into the [[New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1990.<ref name="NZOC Pedersen" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Sailing|id=NZLHP5|www=helmer-orlaf-l-pedersen|name=Helmer Orlaf L. Pedersen}}
* {{Olympics.com|helmer-orlaf-l-pedersen|Helmer Orlaf L. Pedersen}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{New Zealand Olympic Committee|}}
* {{New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame|P/Helmer-Pedersen-and-Earle-Wells|Helmer Pedersen and Earle Wells}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Flying Dutchman}}
{{1964 New Zealand Olympic team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Helmer}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Danish male sailors (sport)]]
[[Category:New Zealand male sailors (sport)]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in sailing]]
[[Category:Sailors at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Flying Dutchman]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Sailors (sport) from Copenhagen]]
[[Category:20th-century Danish sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen]]


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