View source for Gunnar Huseby

{{short description|Icelandic track and field athlete}}
{{Icelandic name|Gunnar|surname}}

{{MedalTableTop|sport= Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]|country_code=ISL|medals=
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Athletics Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1946 European Athletics Championships|1946 Oslo]]|[[1946 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1950 European Athletics Championships|1950 Brussels]]|[[1950 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put|Shot put]]}}
}}
'''Gunnar Alexander Huseby''' (4 November 1923 – 28 May 1995) was an [[Iceland]]ic [[track and field]] athlete who competed in the [[shot put]] and [[discus throw]] events. He won consecutive [[gold medal]]s at the [[European Athletics Championships]] in 1946 and 1950, becoming Iceland's first European champion in [[athletics (sport)|athletics]]. This placed him among the country's first top international sportsmen, following its independence in 1944. He remains the only Icelandic athlete to win two European athletics titles.<ref name=EC/>

He won eighteen Icelandic national titles in total: ten in shot put, six in discus throw and two in [[hammer throw]]. His personal best marks of {{T&Fcalc|16.74}} for the shot put and {{T&Fcalc|50.13}} for the discus were [[Icelandic records in athletics|Icelandic records]].

Despite his national success, he also caused controversy in Iceland due to his alcoholism and a physical assault, for which he served a jail sentence. As a result, he was banned from competition for a period by the national governing body.

==Career==
===Early life===
Born in [[Reykjavík]],<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1831309 Gunnar Alexander Huseby] {{in lang|is}}. ''Morgunblaðið'' (1995-06-07). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref> he competed in various [[athletics (sport)|athletics]] events as a youth.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=999415 Drengjamót Í.S.Í.] {{in lang|is}}. ''Tíminn'' (1940-08-16). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref> Gradually he began to focus on throwing events as he grew older. He reached the top levels of shot putting in 1944, throwing a mark of {{T&Fcalc|15.50}}, which ranked him fourth in the world that season (in the inter-war period).<ref name=TFB>[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=2868&Gender=M Gunnar Huseby]. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref>

===European gold medals===
Huseby's first international medal came at the [[1946 European Athletics Championships]] – the first after the end of [[World War II]]. Having already set an [[Icelandic records in athletics|Icelandic record]] of {{T&Fcalc|15.69}} and with international athletic competition regaining momentum,<ref name=TFB/> he took the gold medal with a throw of {{T&Fcalc|15.56}}, beating Soviet athlete [[Dmitriy Goryainov]] by a comfortable margin.<ref name=EC>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/ec.htm European Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref> This made him Iceland's first ever European champion in athletics.<ref name=EC/> His win at the championships was significant for the country as it was Iceland's first top level international sporting success since its [[Founding of the Republic of Iceland|independence in 1944]].<ref name=MBL1>[http://www.mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/450033/  Afrek Huseby fylltu unga þjóð stolti] {{in lang|is}}. MBL (1999-02-16). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref> He also competed in the discus, finishing 14th in qualifying with {{T&Fcalc|41.74}}.<ref name=Tilas>[http://www.tilastopaja.org/db/atm.php?ID=77649&Season=1946&Odd=0 Gunnar Huseby]. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref>

He missed the 1948 season, meaning he did not compete [[1948 London Olympics|London Olympics]], but returned in strong form in 1949. That year he set a new Icelandic and Nordic record of {{T&Fcalc|16.41}} in [[Haugesund]], bettering the previous mark by [[Roland Nilsson (shot putter)|Roland Nilsson]] of Sweden. He also set a new Nordic record for the [[two-handed shot put]] at the same competition; he achieved a distance of {{T&Fcalc|11.88}} throwing with his left arm, meaning a record total of {{T&Fcalc|28.29}}.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1008724 Gunnar Huseby varpaði kúlunni 16,41 m. í Haugasundi] {{in lang|is}}. ''Tíminn'' (1949-07-20). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref>

He returned to defend his shot put title at the [[1950 European Athletics Championships]] and was easily the best in the field, setting a [[List of European Athletics Championships records|championship record]] of {{T&Fcalc|16.29}} to top qualifying before going further in the final with a national record and lifetime best of {{T&Fcalc|16.74}}. Huseby was a large distance ahead of runner-up [[Angiolo Profeti]], who managed a little over fifteen metres.<ref name=EC/>

[[Torfi Bryngeirsson]] won the men's [[long jump]] at the same tournament, making this Iceland's best ever European performance in the sport. Huseby's shot put title defence made him the most successful international Icelandic ever – no other athlete from the nation has won a European title since.<ref name=EC/> He also managed to place eleventh in the discus qualifying.<ref name=Tilas/> Huseby set a lifetime best for the discus that year, throwing the implement {{T&Fcalc|50.13}} to rank within the world's top twenty for that event.<ref name=TFB/>

He remained in good form in 1951, having season's best of {{T&Fcalc|16.69}} and {{T&Fcalc|49.35}} for the shot put and discus, respectively.<ref name=TFB/> He was invited to the [[AAA Championships]] in England and was victorious with a throw of {{T&Fcalc|15.87}} – the furthest distance ever thrown at the competition at that point.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/bc3.htm AAA Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref>

===Later career===
He developed [[alcoholism]] during this period and his approach to training and competition earned him a warning from ''[[Frjálsíþróttasamband Íslands]]'' (the national body for athletics) and an order that further bad conduct would warrant an international ban.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1087571 Keppir Gunnar í Austur-Berlín með aðvörunarbréf í vasanum?] {{in lang|is}}. ''Alþýðublaðið'' (1951-07-28). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref> In 1952 he confessed to assault and robbery of a man in Reykjavík and was sentenced to twelve months in prison. This meant he missed his second opportunity to compete at the Olympics, which was [[1952 Summer Olympics|held in Helsinki]] that year.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1173935 Huseby dæmdur í 12 mánaða fangelsi] {{in lang|is}}. ''Vísir'' (1952-03-04). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref>

Upon his release, he set an Icelandic indoor record, but the governing body had disagreements with him returning to the national championships – a fact which attracted criticism in the press, given Huseby's standing as one of the nation's top sportsmen.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1095684 Var Gunnari Huseby neitað um að keppa til að hefnast á KR?] {{in lang|is}}. ''Alþýðublaðið'' (1953-07-30). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref> Eventually he was given his competition license and went on to represent Iceland at the [[1958 European Athletics Championships]]. His form was not sufficient to win a third straight title, however, and his best toss of {{T&Fcalc|15.62}} in the final placed the 35-year-old in 17th overall.<ref name=Tilas/>

Huseby took his final Icelandic national title in 1962. This brought him to career totals of ten shot put titles, six discus throw titles and two [[hammer throw]] titles at the national championships.<ref name=MBL1/> He reconciled with the governors of ''Frjálsíþróttasamband Íslands'' and an honorary retirement meeting was held in recognition of Huseby's 25-year athletics career.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=2253464 Heiðraður fyrir 25 ára keppnistíma] {{in lang|is}}. ''Alþýðublaðið'' (1962-08-29). Retrieved on 2014-10-19.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of European Athletics Championships medalists (men)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Footer European Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer British NC Shot Put Men}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huseby, Gunnar}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:Icelandic male shot putters|Gunnar Huseby]]
[[Category:Icelandic male discus throwers|Gunnar Huseby]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Athletes from Reykjavík|Gunnar Huseby]]
[[Category:Icelandic prisoners and detainees|Gunnar Huseby]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Iceland|Gunnar Huseby]]
[[Category:Icelandic people with family names|Gunnar Huseby]]