Edda Hannesdóttir
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 December 1994 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Education | University of Iceland |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Iceland |
| Sport | Triathlon |
| Club | Breiðablik |
Guðlaug Edda Hannesdóttir (born 8 December 1994) is an Icelandic triathlete. She competed in the women's triathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[1] She was also selected as Iceland's flag bearer.
Biography
[edit]Edda was born in 1994 in Reykjavík, Iceland.[2] She grew up in Iceland and attended the University of Iceland, graduating with a degree in political science.[3][4] She worked for a time as a journalist before competing full-time in the sport of triathlon, consisting of running, swimming and cycling events.[3]
Little public funding is available for Icelandic sports, and as such, Edda often paid the costs herself to travel and attend international triathlon competitions.[3] She trained with the Danish national triathlon team and in 2018, Edda won the women's championship at the World Triathlon Aquathlon Championships.[5][6] The following year, she joined the Icelandic athletic club Breiðablik.[6] In 2020, she won the Icelandic national championship in the 10K run with the all-time second-best mark at the competition.[7]
In 2021, Edda suffered a major injury that required surgery and caused her to miss significant time.[8] She rebounded in 2022, but then suffered a hip injury in early 2023 requiring another surgery, and again resulting in her missing significant time.[8][9] She had hoped to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics, but her injury put it in doubt, with her telling World Athletics that she remembered "sitting in a hotel bed and I thought 'there's no chance it's going to happen'".[8] However, she performed well at the Africa Cup in early 2024 and subsequently had a string of successes at competitions: in a five-week span, she won medals at three separate competitions in Asia.[8][10] Her performances significantly improved her worldwide ranking, putting her in the top 180 and in contention for a potential Olympics spot.[8][11] Through applications by the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland (ISI), she was ultimately chosen to compete at the 2024 Olympics by the Tripartite Commission, becoming the first Olympic triathlete from Iceland.[3][12][13] Along with Hákon Þór Svavarsson, she was named the Iceland flag bearer at the Olympic opening ceremony.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Women's Triathlon Results" (PDF). 2024 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Edda Hannesdottir". World Triathlon.
- ^ a b c d "Edda Hannesdóttir set to make history as first triathlete from Iceland to compete at Olympic Games". Olympics.com. 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Edda Hannesdottir".
- ^ Akrigg, Courtney (12 July 2018). "Lejeune and Hannesdottir crowned Aquathlon World Champions in Denmark". World Triathlon.
- ^ a b "Guðlaug Edda Hannesdóttir til liðs við Breiðablik" [Guðlaug Edda Hannesdóttir joins Breiðablik] (in Icelandic). Breiðablik. 10 April 2019.
- ^ "Guðlaug Edda og Sigurður Íslandsmeistarar í 10 km hlaupi" [Guðlaug Edda and Sigurður Icelandic champions in the 10 km race]. UFA.is (in Icelandic). 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Eastman, Ben (29 June 2024). "World Triathlon Paths to Paris: Edda Hannesdottir". World Triathlon.
- ^ Hróðmarsson, Haraldur Árni (28 May 2024). ""Erfitt og langt ferðalag"" ["Difficult and long journey"]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic).
- ^ Tómas, Ragnar (28 May 2024). "First Icelander to Compete in the Triathlon at the Olympics". Iceland Review.
- ^ "Guðlaug Edda færist nær ÓL" [Guðlaug Edda moves closer to ÓL]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 6 May 2024.
- ^ Ástvaldsson, Jóhann Páll (27 May 2024). "Guðlaug Edda tekur þátt í Ólympíuleikunum" [Guðlaug Edda takes part in the Olympic Games] (in Icelandic). RÚV.
- ^ Jónsson, Einar Örn (28 May 2024). ""Þetta er algjör draumur, ég eiginlega trúi ekki að þetta sé að gerast"" ["It's a dream come true, I really can't believe it's happening"] (in Icelandic). RÚV.
- ^ "Guðlaug Edda og Hákon fánaberar í París" [Guðlaug Edda and Hákon are flag bearers in Paris]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 12 July 2024.
