Ásmundur Bjarnason

Ásmundur Bjarnason first drew attention as track and field athlete in 1947 when he won the national pentathlon title in Iceland. He was selected to represent his country at the 1948 London Olympics, where he was eliminated in round one of the 4x100 metres relay with Finnbjörn Þorvaldsson, Trausti Eyjólfsson, and Haukur Clausen. That same year, he was second in the 200 metres at the national championships, while in 1950 he came in fifth at the European Championships. In 1952 he was third nationally in both the 100 and 200 metres events, which led him to be again selected for that year’s Olympic Games. In Helsinki, he was eliminated in the opening round of both events, as well as the 4x100 metres relay, in the latter alongside Ingi Þorsteinsson, Pétur Sigurðsson, and Hörður Haraldsson. He reached his peak in 1954, winning the Icelandic 100 and 200 metres championships, but then retired from active competition after defending his 200 metres title in 1955.

Personal Bests: 100 – 10.5 (1952); 200 – 21.6 (1954).