Finnbjörn Þorvaldsson | |
Birth Place: | Hnífsdalur, Kingdom of Iceland |
Spouse: | Theodóra Steffensen |
Height: | 180 cm |
Weight: | 71 kg |
Sport: | Track and field, basketball, handball |
Club: | Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur |
Show-Medals: | yes |
Finnbjörn Þorvaldsson (25 May 1924 – 9 July 2018) was an Icelandic multi-sport athlete who competed in sprinting in the 1948 Summer Olympics.[1] [2] [3] He also won national championships in both handball and basketball with Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur.[4]
Finnbjörn was born in Hnífsdalur, Westfjords. At a young age he moved to Ísafjörður an later to Reykjavík with his parents.[5]
Finnbjörn was best known for his achievements in track and field, especially in sprinting where won several national and nordic championships.[6] [7] He was the flag bearer for Iceland at the 1948 Summer Olympics where he competed in sprinting. He also competed in handball and basketball. He won the Icelandic national championship in handball in 1946 with Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur after scoring the winning goal in ÍR's 20–19 victory against Haukar.[8] In 1954, Finnbjörn won the national championship in basketball with ÍR's basketball team.[9]
Finnbjörn died on 9 July 2018 at the age of 94.[10]