Vilhjálmur Einarsson (born June 5, 1934) is a former Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

ic athlete, and triple-jump silver medalist at the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

 in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Vilhjálmur grew up in the East-Icelandic fishing village of Reyðarfjörður

Reyðarfjörður

Reyðarfjörður is a town in Iceland. It has a population of 1,102 and is one of the most populated villages that constitute the municipality of Fjarðabyggð.-History:...

 and is the son of Einar Stefánsson and Sigríður Vilhjálmsdóttir.

In 1956 Vilhjálmur set a new Olympic Record by jumping 16.26 m in the triple jump, only to be surpassed by Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

's Adhemar da Silva

Adhemar da Silva

Adhemar Ferreira da Silva is a former Brazilian athlete who competed in the triple jump. He won two Olympic gold medals and set four world records in athletics, the last being 16.56 metres in 1955 Pan American Games.He was born in São Paulo, in a poor family, and began competing in the triple jump...

. This was the most unexpected result of the Olympics that year, and his silver medal was Iceland's first ever Olympic medal. His personal best was 16.70 m set in 1960 in Laugardalsvöllur

Laugardalsvöllur

Laugardalsvöllur is the national stadium of Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík, and seats 9,800 individuals, another 5,627 people can be seated on concrete benches, but due to FIFA restrictions they are rarely used.-Overview:...

, Iceland. He has been declared Icelandic Sportsman of the Year 5 times, more than anyone else.

Vilhjálmur has also been headmaster of three schools: Héraðsskólinn in Laugarvatn

Laugarvatn

Laugarvatn is a lake and small town in the south of Iceland. It is a bit smaller than the neighbouring Apavatn.It is situated at a popular touristical round-trip, the Golden Circle and acts as a popular staging post in the area. There is a small but popular hostel situated in the town...

, Reykholtsskóli in Reykholt

Reykholt

There are two villages with this name in Iceland:-Reykholt :The village is situated in the valley of the river Reykjadalsá, called Reykholtsdalur....

, and Menntaskólinn

Menntaskólinn á Egilsstöðum

Menntaskólinn á Egilsstöðum is a gymnasium in the Eastfjords, Iceland...

 in Egilsstaðir

Egilsstaðir

Egilsstaðir is a town in east Iceland on the banks of Lagarfljót river.It is part of the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað, the county seat of Norður-Múlasýsla and the largest settlement of the Austurland region with, as of 2011, a population of 2,257 inhabitants.-Overview:Egilsstadir is located at...

, where he currently works as a part-time mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 teacher. He is also an accomplished painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

, specializing in landscape painting.

He attended Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...

. His son Einar Vilhjálmsson

Einar Vilhjálmsson

Einar Vilhjálmsson is a retired male javelin thrower from Iceland, who represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984. He set his personal best on August 30, 1992 in his native town Reykjavík...

 later represented Iceland in the men's javelin throw

Javelin throw

The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...

 at the Summer Olympics (1984, 1988 and 1992).