Harald Andersson

Harald Andersson was born in Stanford, California in 1907 to Swedish immigrants before his family returned to Sweden in 1910. Andersson joined the IFK Falun sports club where he began to excel in the discus throw. Between 1930 and 1935 he set multiple national records in the discipline in addition to becoming the first Swedish athlete to throw more than 50 metres. In August 1934 Andersson broke the world record twice in one day, with his latter distance of 52.42 metres standing until the following year.

At the Swedish athletics championships Andersson won four consecutive discus titles from 1932 to 1935. In 1934 he finished first at the European Athletics Championships before winning the AAA Championship in the event in England a year later. Ahead of the 1936 Berlin Olympics he was the favourite to win gold. Unfortunately he suffered with a hand injury that prevented him from throwing the required distance of 44.00 metres in the qualification round to reach the final. Andersson was also talented in other sports, including becoming a junior lightweight boxing champion, playing bandy for IFK Falun, and equalling a Swedish record in weightlifting.

Personal Best: DT – 53.02 (1935).