Niklas Bo Arrhenius (born September 10, 1982) is an American-Swedish

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who competes and coaches in the

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

and

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

. He represented Sweden in the discus at

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, was a four-time competitor at the

World Athletics Championships The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics until 2019, are a biennial sport of athletics, athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federations ...

(2007, 2011, 2013, and 2017), and competed at five consecutive editions of the

European Athletics Championships The European Athletics Championships is a biennial (from 2010) athletics event organised by the European Athletic Association and is recognised as the elite continental outdoor athletics championships for Europe. Editions First held, for me ...

from 2006 to 2016. At the Swedish Athletics Championships he won seven national titles in discus, and was an eight-time champion in the shot put (combined indoors and outdoors).

Early years / dual citizenship

In 1982, Arrhenius was born in Provo,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, U.S.A., but has dual citizenship. He is the son of Anders Arrhenius, who was born in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and competed internationally in the

for Team Sweden. Having competed for Sweden internationally for most of his career, Nik applied to transfer his eligibility to the United States on August 25, 2019. The decision was made on March 24, 2020, that starting August 26, 2022, he would be eligible to represent the United States instead of Sweden.

High school years

In 2001, while competing for Mountain View High School Bruins in

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Utah, Provo, Lindon, Utah, Lindon, and Vineyard, Utah, Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the pri ...

, Nik was the national high school record holder for the discus for eight years (record holder until 2009), with a throw of 234 feet and 3 inches (breaking the previous record by nearly nine feet). Earlier that season, in 2001, he had broken the

state record with a throw of 218 feet, 2 inches. Arrhenius also played for the Bruins'

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team, until he suffered a knee injury, after which his father would not sign the parental permission forms for him nor his younger brother to play football.

Junior Championships

In 2000, Arrhenius earned a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. In August 2001, he then won first place at the Swedish Junior (U20) Championships, and he finished second place in the discus event at the Swedish Open Championships.

University years

In 2007, while attending BYU, Arrhenius earned the national championship in the discus throw. On his fifth throw of the day, he launched the disc 206 feet, 2 inches to pass Stanford University Cardinal's Michael Robertson. Six years after becoming the national high school championship (in 2001), he went on to win the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

national championship in 2007.

European Athletics Championships

In 2008, Arrhenius was the top-ranked

er in European meets; while on Team Sweden. He got 4th place in the 2001 European Junior Championships, has competed in at least five

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

and two European Indoor Championships, for results see the Competition record below.

Olympics

In 2008, Arrhenius came in 32nd place (out of 37 contestants) at the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, in the Men's discus throw with his best throw in the Olympics at 58.22 meters. ''If'' he had thrown his personal best record in the Olympics, he would have gone to the finals, but he would have placed no better than sixth. History almost repeated itself, like father, like son, or

déjà vu ''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is the phenomenon of feeling like one has lived through the present situation in the past.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford University Press. pp. 167–1 ...

, as both had qualified for the

for Team Sweden and both suffered injuries just before the Games started. Nik's blister injury was not severe enough to keep him from participating like his father's injury; However, Nik's blister did hinder him in that his best throw in the 2008 Beijing Olympics was about five meters below his season best and seven meters below his personal best. Most of all, his three throws were all short of the distance needed to move Nik into the finals, his best throw of the day was 4.26 meters short of qualifying for the finals.

World Athletic Championships

On June 28, 2013, Arrhenius qualified for the World Championships this was his fourth appearance at the World Championships having also participated in

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. Since then, he has participated in one more, a fifth, World Championship, in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. To see his results, go to the Competition record section below.

Coaching career

Nik Arrhenius has again followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a throws coach (more generically, assistant track coach) for the

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the Big 12 C ...

men's and women's

teams (his father, Anders Arrhenius, has been a volunteer throws coach at BYU). Nik has coached Ashton Riner to the 2022

track & field championships in Eugene,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Family of athletes and missionaries

Great-grandfather

The great-grandfather of Nik Arrhenius, Bror Aron Axel Arrhenius, started this Legacy, when he took the family name Arrhenius on December 5, 1901. He was conducting the Olympic

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and he participated on the Swedish

tug of war Tug of war (also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport in which two teams compete by pulling on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal of bringing the rope a certain distance in one direction against ...

team that won gold medal. It was an exhibition sport for all of the musicians that participated from different countries. In another account, Borr Arrhenius, was the anchor of Team Sweden’s tug-of-war team at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Here is an external link to a 43-second video of the 1912 Tug of War competition: *

Father, Anders Hilding Arrhenius

Anders Arrhenius, was born in

in 1947. Then, in 1975, he threw for BYU and received

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. Anders also went on to qualify for

in the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

, but injury prevented him from participating in those Olympics. Because Anders did qualify for the Olympics, he is considered "An Olympian".

Mother, Kristine (née Fowler) Arrhenius

In the early 1970s, Kristine Fowler, who is from Rose Park, Salt Lake City, went to

, on a church mission, where she first met Anders Arrhenius.

Older brother, Dr. Daniel Anders Arrhenius, PDM

Like Nik, Dan Arrhenuis was born in Provo, but in 1978, and went to Mountain View High School, where he earned all kinds of awards, honors and championships in the discus and shot put, just like Nik. Dan also did very well at BYU adding the

hammer throw The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools a ...

to the list of events, just like Nik. Dan also went on a church mission to

, just like his mother and younger brothers, Nik and Leif. Dan met and married Amanda at BYU. What the main difference is between these two brothers (Dan and Nik) is that when Dan graduated with his degree in Exercise Science, he continued with schooling to eventually be a

Doctor of Podiatric Medicine A podiatrist ( ) is a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. The term originated in North America but has now become the accepted term in the English-speaking world for ...

(DPM), instead of continuing to compete internationally and in the Olympics.

Younger brother, Leif Hilding Arrhenius

Like Nik,

Leif Arrhenius Leif Hilding Arrhenius (born 15 July 1986) is a professional American-Swedish athlete competing in the shot put and discus throw. He represented Team Sweden at two World and three European Championships. In addition, he is the 2011 U.S. Colle ...

was born in Provo, Utah, but in 1986, and went to Mountain View High School, where he earned all kinds of awards, honors and championships in the discus and shot put, just like Nik and Dan. Leif also did very well at BYU adding the

to the list of events, just like Nik and Dan. Leif also went on a church mission just like his mother and older brothers, Kristine, Dan and Nik; however, Leif went to the

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Mission, unlike the rest of his family that went to the

Mission. Leif graduated from BYU in 2010. Leif has even gone into coaching, like his father, Anders and brother, Nik.

Wife, Tiffany (née Rasmussen) Arrhenius

In 2004, Nik married Tiffany Rasmussen, from

, who was also an athlete at BYU. She threw the

Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

and graduated in 2007.

Personal life

Arrhenius is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

. He served as a church missionary in the Sweden Stockholm Mission.''Mormon Times'', June 2nd, 2008
/ref> Nik achieved the rank of Eagle Scout when he was in the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

as a teenager.

Competition record

National titles

* Swedish Athletics Championships **Shot put: 2009, 2010, 2011 **Discus throw: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 * Swedish Indoor Athletics Championships **Shot put: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 * NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships *

Discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

Personal bests

* Discus throw: 66.46 m (2020) * Shot put: 19.75 m (2010) * Shot put indoor: 19.91 m (2004)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arrhenius, Niklas 1982 births Living people People from Provo, Utah Sportspeople from Provo, Utah Track and field athletes from Utah Swedish male shot putters Swedish male discus throwers American male shot putters American male discus throwers Olympic athletes for Sweden Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes BYU Cougars athletes Brigham Young University alumni Mormon missionaries in Sweden American Mormon missionaries in Sweden Swedish Mormon missionaries Latter Day Saints from Utah Swedish Latter Day Saints American Latter Day Saints 21st-century Mormon missionaries American people of Swedish descent Swedish people of American descent Spårvägens FK athletes NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Swedish sportsmen