Assar Rönnlund
Bernt Assar Rönnlund (3 September 1935 – 5 January 2011)[1] was a Swedish cross-country skier. Rönnlund's biggest success was at the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Zakopane where he won two gold medals (15 km and 4 × 10 km) and a silver (50 km). As a result, he earned the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal that year for his championship successes. Rönnlund was the anchorman of the Swedish 4 × 10 km relay team at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, bringing the team from fourth place to victory. Rönnlund also won the Vasaloppet in 1967[2] and the 50 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival twice (1962 and 1968). For his cross-country skiing successes, Rönnlund was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal in 1968 (shared with King Olav V, Gjermund Eggen and Bjørn Wirkola).
| Assar Rönnlund | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Rönnlund at the 1961 Swedish National Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Bernt Assar Rönnlund | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 September 1935 Sävar, Västerbotten, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 5 January 2011 (aged 75) Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ski club | IFK Umeå | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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After retiring from active competition he was hired in 1972 by The Swedish Radio Corporation as a cross-country skiing commentator. He gained nationwide popularity working in a duo with Åke Strömmer.[3] Rönnlund retired from broadcasting after the 2003 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.[1]
Rönnlund was married to Inga-Britt Rönnlund and they had three sons, Michael, Lars and Tommy Rönnlund. Later he married Toini Gustafsson, a 1967 Holmenkollen medalist; they had two children together, plus one from the previous marriage of Gustafsson.[4] They became the second husband-wife team to earn this honor. They are also the only husband-wife team to ever win the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal with Gustafsson earning the honor in 1968.
Rönnlund died on 5 January 2011 after a period of illness.[1]
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[5]
Olympic Games
- 3 medals – (1 gold, 2 silver)
| Year | Age | 15 km | 30 km | 50 km | 4 × 10 km relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 24 | — | — | 12 | — |
| 1964 | 28 | 13 | 7 | Silver | Gold |
| 1968 | 32 | 11 | — | 10 | Silver |
World Championships
- 3 medals – (2 gold, 1 silver)
| Year | Age | 15 km | 30 km | 50 km | 4 × 10 km relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 26 | Gold | 6 | Silver | Gold |
References
- Gill, Sophie (5 January 2011). "Assar Rönnlund har avlidit" (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- "Historiska segrare" (PDF) (in Swedish). Vasaloppet. p. 2. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- Assar Rönnlund. Swedish Olympic Committee
- Toini Rönnlund. Swedish Olympic Committee
- "ROENNLUND Assar". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
External links
- Assar Rönnlund at the International Ski Federation
- Holmenkollen medalists at the Wayback Machine (archived February 24, 2007) – click on "Holmenkollmedaljen" for downloadable pdf file (in Norwegian)
- Holmenkollen winners since 1892 at the Wayback Machine (archived February 24, 2007) – click on "Vinnere" for downloadable pdf file (in Norwegian)
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| Preceded by Ove Fundin & Sten Lundin |
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal 1962 |
Succeeded by Jonny Nilsson |