Assar Rönnlund (3 September 1935, Sävar

Sävar

Sävar is a locality situated in Umeå Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden with 2,672 inhabitants in 2005.It is located by E4 about 15 km north of Umeå, Sweden. Sävar is mostly known for being the last battlefield of the Finnish War....

, Västerbotten

Västerbotten

', English exonym: West Bothnia, is a province or landskap in the north of Sweden. It borders Ångermanland, Lapland, Norrbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is famous for the cheese with the same name as the province.- Administration :...

 – 5 January 2011) was a Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 cross-country skier

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

. Rönnlund's biggest success was at the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1962 took place February 18-27, 1962 in Zakopane, Poland. Zakopane became the second city to host the world championships three times , joining Lahti, Finland...

 in Zakopane

Zakopane

Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...

 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

Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal

The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning paper Svenska Dagbladet since 1925. According to its statutes the Medal may be awarded in November or December to either...

 that year for his championship successes. Rönnlund was the anchorman of the Swedish 4 × 10 km relay team at the 1964 Winter Olympics

1964 Winter Olympics

The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...

 in Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

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

Vasaloppet

Vasaloppet is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March in northwestern Dalarna, Sweden between the village of Sälen and town of Mora. It is the oldest, one of the longest, and in popular consideration the biggest cross-country ski race in the world...

 in 1967 and the 50 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival

Holmenkollen ski festival

The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...

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

Holmenkollen medal

The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events....

 in 1968 (shared with King Olav V

Olav V of Norway

Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...

, Gjermund Eggen

Gjermund Eggen

Gjermund Eggen was a Norwegian cross country skier who won three golds at the 1966 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo...

 and Bjørn Wirkola

Bjørn Wirkola

Bjørn Wirkola is former ski jumper and footballer from Norway.He became World Champion in Oslo in 1966, winning both the large and normal hill competitions...

).

Rönnlund was born in Sävar

Sävar

Sävar is a locality situated in Umeå Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden with 2,672 inhabitants in 2005.It is located by E4 about 15 km north of Umeå, Sweden. Sävar is mostly known for being the last battlefield of the Finnish War....

, Umeå

Umeå Municipality

Umeå Municipality is a municipality in Västerbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Umeå, which is also the county seat of Västerbotten County.-Administration:...

, in northern Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

He was married to fellow Swedish cross-country skier Toini Gustafsson

Toini Gustafsson

Toini Gustafsson-Rönnlund is a former Swedish cross country skier who competed during the 1960s. She competed in two Winter Olympics, earning a total of four medals. Gustafsson also competed several times at the Holmenkollen ski festival, winning three times at 10 km...

, a 1967 Holmenkollen medalist. They are 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.

External links

• Holmenkollen medalists – click on "Holmenkollmedaljen" for downloadable pdf file
• Holmenkollen winners since 1892 – click on "Vinnere" for downloadable pdf file