Atlantica - 01.03.2002, Side 60

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How does it feel to spend most
of your life in the water?
I don’t know any other sort of
life! I’ve always spent all my
time in the water, ever since I
was a kid.
Is it true that swimmers can’t
compete in Icelandic pools
because the temperature is too
high?
Yes, Icelandic pools are usually
a few degrees warmer than
competition pools are supposed
to be. We are constantly strug-
gling with the public for lower
temperatures, but it does no
harm really to practice in
warmer water. It’s just a bit
more uncomfortable.
When you’re competing, are
you aware of the position of
the other swimmers, or do you
just concentrate on yourself?
I obviously can’t see anything in
front of me, especially during
the backstroke, but through
experience I can now sense the
position of the other swimmers.
What do you think about in the
second before diving in at a
competition?
I try to think about as little as
possible; to empty my mind and
just concentrate.
What’s your favourite swim-
ming pool and your favourite
place in Iceland?
My favourite swimming pools
in Iceland are the ones where I
practice: in Hafnarfjördur and
the swimming pool in the
Westman Islands. My favourite
place, where I would love to
have a summer house, is near
the town of Akureyri in north
Iceland. I really like Akureyri.
I’ve gone there for the last cou-
ple of summers. It’s the perfect-
sized place, not too big and not
too small, and it’s not too far
away from the capital.
Of all the cities and countries
that you have travelled to,
which ones have you liked the
most?
Two cities have really amazed
me recently. The first was
Fukuoka, in Japan, where the
World Championships were
held. Japan is really interesting,
the culture there is so different
than ours. The second city is
Sidney, where I went
for the Olympics. It’s
a beautiful city in
beautiful sur-
roundings.
What’s the best
thing about
being an
Icelander?
I suppose it’s
nice that we
have such a
small communi-
ty; it makes life
easier in
a lot of ways. Of course that has
its negative points too, because
everyone knows everything
about you, especially if you’ve
been in the media. I get people
coming up to me all the time in
pubs to chat with me, but this
has been mostly positive.
What’s your favourite bar/café
in Reykjavík?
My favourite restaurant is defi-
nitely Argentína, because they
have the best steaks in town.
My favourite bars are Sportkaffi,
because they have great music
and TV screens broadcasting
sporting events, and Gaukur á
Stöng, which often features
great live music.
If you wanted to give a foreign-
er a general idea of what
Iceland was about by making
them eat one
meal, lis-
ten to
one
CD, watch one film and read
one book, what would these be
and why?
I would definitely make him
some boiled haddock and pota-
toes with butter, or give him a
taste of thorramatur [traditional
Viking fare – mostly putrefied
and pickled]. I don’t really listen
to ‘typical’ Icelandic music
myself, but I would recommend
an old CD, perhaps something
with Studmenn. I would tell him
to watch 101 Reykjavík to give
him a sense of the nightlife in
the capital and I would get him
to read anything by Laxness or
one of the sagas, like Egil’s
Saga.
Did you make any New Year
resolutions?
I never make New Year resolu-
tions, plus I will definitely be
very busy this year. I’m going to
Stockholm and Berlin in a
week’s time to compete, and in
April and July I’m competing
again at the World
Championships...My life basical-
ly revolves around swimming
and I don’t do much else!
And the ultimate goal?
My ultimate goal is winning the
gold medal at the Athens
Olympics in two years. After
that I can start relaxing and liv-
ing life again!!
58 A T L A N T I C A
The Atlantica
INQUISITION
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Twenty-year-old Örn Arnarsson was recently voted Icelandic sportsperson of the year for his outstanding
swimming achievements, which include a bronze and a silver medal at the World Championships in
Fukuoka. The star of several recent advertising campaigns, Örn has already become quite a teenage heart
throb. Anna Margrét Björnsson sat down with this modest, modern-day Viking in a Reykjavík café.
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