Vilhjálmur Einarsson

Vilhjálmur Einarsson (born June 4, 1934 in Hafranes in Reyðarfjörður ; † December 28, 2019 in Landspítali in Reykjavík ) was a teacher, track and field athlete and in 1956 the first Icelandic winner of an Olympic medal .

Vilhjálmur was the son of Einar Stefánsson and Sigríður Vilhjálmsdóttir and grew up in the small fishing village Reyðarfjörður in eastern Iceland . Nothing more is known about his early years.

He came to international fame at the XVI. 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne , when he won the silver medal in the triple jump with 16.26 meters, behind the Brazilian Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (gold) and ahead of Witold Kreyer (bronze), who competed for the Soviet Union . At the European Championships in 1958 , Einarsson won the bronze medal with 16.00 meters.

He set his personal best in 1960 in Laugardalsvöllur with 16.70 meters.

After his sporting career, he became director of three schools: the Héraðsskóli in Laugarvatn , the Reykholtsskóli in Reykholt , and the Menntaskóli in Egilsstaðir , where he worked as a part-time teacher of mathematics until his death in 2019 . Einarsson is also known as a landscape painter in Iceland.

Until the Icelandic handball team reached the Olympic final in 2008, Vilhjálmur Einarsson's silver medal was the greatest success in Icelandic sports history.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Andlát: Vilhjálmur Einarsson. Retrieved January 8, 2020 (Icelandic). 

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .