Arna Sigríður Albertsdóttir

Arna Sigríður Albertsdóttir (born 8 June 1990) is an Icelandic handcyclist.[1] Formerly a multi-sport athlete, she took up handcycling after being paralyzed in a skiing accident in 2006.[2] In 2015, she became the first Icelandic athlete to compete in the UCI World Championships[3] and in 2021, she became the first Icelander to participate in handcycling at the Paralympics.[4]

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Arna Sigríður.
Arna Sigríður Albertsdóttir
Arna at the German championships and Europe Cup in 2016
Personal information
NationalityIcelandic
Born (1990-06-08) 8 June 1990
Ísafjörður, Iceland
Years active2014–present
Sport
CountryIceland
SportHandcyling

Biography

Early life

Arna was born and raised in Ísafjörður, Iceland. In her youth, she trained football, swimming and skiing.[5] During the summer of 2006, she played for BÍ/Bolungarvík's senior football team in the second-tier 1. deild kvenna.

Skiing accident

On 30 December 2006, while in a skiing training camp in Geilo, Norway, Arna landed off the track and crashed into a tree, fracturing her spine and paralyzing her below the waist.[6][7][8]

Handcycling

A few years after the accident she moved to Reykjavík and started training under the guidelines of trainer Fannar Karvel.[9] Arna first competed in handcycling in the autumn of 2014.[9] In 2015 she became the first cyclist to represent Iceland at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.[3] On 20 March 2016, she finished first in road race event at a European Handcycling Federation's competition in Abu Dhabi while coming in second in the time trial event.[10]

In August and September 2021, she competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, becoming the first Icelander to compete in handcycling at the Paralympics.[11][12][13] In the time trial event on 31 August, she finished 11th.[14] In the road race event on 1 September, Arna finished 15th.[15]

Photos

References
  1. Orri Freyr Rúnarsson (8 November 2020). "Heldur að maður sé ósigrandi þegar maður er 16 ára". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  2. Ásta Eir Árnadóttir (29 June 2019). "Vill verða ein af þeim bestu". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  3. "Arna Albertsdottir - Focused on 2020 for Iceland". Union Cycliste Internationale. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  4. Orri Freyr Rúnarsson (26 August 2021). "Ég ætla ekki að láta neinn ná mér". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  5. Kristjana Björg Guðbrandsdóttir (7 April 2018). "Ótrúlegt hvað lífið býður upp á". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  6. "Arna Sigríður valin Vestfirðingur ársins". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). 10 January 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  7. Signý Gunnarsdóttir (30 December 2012). "Hef það fínt en þetta er samt hellings vesen". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). pp. 22–23. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  8. Berglind Häsler (25 November 2007). "Margir í verr sporum en ég". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). pp. 28, 37. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  9. "Tekur tíma, þolinmæði og þrjósku". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 29 July 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  10. Gunnþóra Gunnarsdóttir (24 March 2016). "Vann Evrópukeppni í handahjólreiðum". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  11. Hjörtur Leó Guðjónsson (8 July 2021). "Arna Sigríður sjötti keppandi Íslands í Tókýó". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  12. Helga Margrét Höskuldsdóttir (8 July 2021). "Arna Sigríður verður sjötti keppandi Íslands í Tókýó". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  13. Gunnar Egill Daníelsson (21 August 2021). "Sú elsta en efnilegasta í hópnum". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  14. Kristjana Arnarsdóttir (31 August 2021). "Arna Sigríður ellefta í tímatökunni". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  15. Kristjana Arnarsdóttir (1 September 2021). "Mér var sagt að ég ætti ekki að vera lifandi". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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