Mar Gunnarsson

Started: He began swimming at age 13 in Keflavik, Iceland. (Athlete, 14 Aug 2018) Reason: "When we moved home from Lux­em­bourg [where his family lived for six years], I went straight to practising swimming and immediately found that it suited my character and body well. Swimming requires a lot of concentration and I have it. I felt that being able to aim for something was great." (mbl.is, 25 Aug 2018) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Sundrad IRB Facebook page, 02 Aug 2023) Awards: He and fellow swimmer Sonja Sigurdardottir were Iceland's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024) He was named Para Swimmer of the Year for 2023 in Reykjanesbaer, Iceland. (vf.is, 24 Jan 2024) He was named Sportsman of the Year in 2019, 2021, and 2023 by the Icelandic Sports Association for the Disabled [IF]. (hvatisport.is, 19 Dec 2023; ifsport.is, 12 Dec 2019) He was named the 2014 Para Athlete of the Year in Reykjanesbaer, Iceland. (ifsport.is, 02 Jan 2015) Additional Info: POST-TOKYO CHANGES After the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo he decided to step away from Para swimming, but later returned to competition with what he said was a different approach to the sport. While he competed in four events at Tokyo 2020, he is participating in only the S11 100m backstroke at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. "After Tokyo, I'd had enough and decided to quit. I was working as a presenter for Icelandic national TV and touring around the country, doing talks in schools. Later though, I discovered that I missed swimming so I returned to the sport. This time, I'm doing it differently. When something like swimming has been such a big part of your life, it's really hard to let go of it. But I don't do as many sessions as I used to. Now I focus more on strengthening work and technique, trying to get more efficient." (outsports.com, 20 Aug 2024) MUSICIAN He sings, plays the piano and works in music production. He began studying at the Royal Northern College of Music in England in 2023. "I moved to Luxembourg with my family when I was six years old to get a good education, and there I was offered the chance to study piano in classic studies. When I returned home to Iceland at 12-13 years old I started swimming because I wanted to do some sport." (visir.is, 01 Dec 2023; Facebook profile, 29 Oct 2023; mbl.is, 16 Feb 2021; k100.mbl.is, 30 Mar 2019; dv.is, 01 Sep 2017)