Bernt Assar Rönnlund (3 September 1935 – 5 January 2011) was a Swedish cross-country skier. Rönnlund's biggest success was at the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in

Zakopane Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been p ...

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 The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal ( sv, Svenska Dagbladets guldmedalj, but usually simply called ''Bragdguldet'', "The Feat Gold") is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury le ...

that year for his championship successes. Rönnlund was the anchorman of the Swedish 4 × 10 km relay team at the

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

in Innsbruck, bringing the team from fourth place to victory. Rönnlund also won the

Vasaloppet (Swedish for 'the Vasa-race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in the ...

in 1967 and the 50 km event at the

Holmenkollen ski festival The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( no, Holmenkollen skifestival or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. History It takes place in Marc ...

twice (1962 and 1968). For his cross-country skiing successes, Rönnlund was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal in 1968 (shared with

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, Gjermund Eggen and

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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 Åke Per-Erik Strömmer (10 June 1936 – 22 February 2005) was a Swedish sports journalist, radio presenter and television host. Early life Strömmer was born on 10 June 1936 in Härnösand, Sweden, the son of Erik Strömmer, an accountant, a ...

. Rönnlund retired from broadcasting after the 2003 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Rönnlund was married to Inga-Britt Rönnlund and they had three sons, Michael, Lars and Tommy Rönnlund. Later he married

Toini Gustafsson Toini Gustafsson Rönnlund (born Toini Karvonen; 17 January 1938) is a Swedish former cross-country skier. She competed in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics and won four medals. Gustafsson also won the 10 km race at the Holmenkollen ski fest ...

, a 1967 Holmenkollen medalist; they had two children together, plus one from the previous marriage of Gustafsson. 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.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

* 3 medals – (1 gold, 2 silver)

World Championships

* 3 medals – (2 gold, 1 silver)

References

External links

* * – click on "Holmenkollmedaljen" for downloadable pdf file * – click on "Vinnere" for downloadable pdf file {{DEFAULTSORT:Ronnlund, Assar 1935 births 2011 deaths People from Umeå Municipality Cross-country skiers from Västerbotten County Cross-country skiers at the 1960 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics Holmenkollen medalists Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners Olympic cross-country skiers of Sweden Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Swedish male cross-country skiers Vasaloppet winners Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics IFK Umeå skiers Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Sweden