Born: 25 April 1961, Karlskoga
Death: October 8, 2023
One of Sweden’s greatest Olympians of all time. Agneta Andersson won three Olympic golds, two in Los Angeles in 1984 and one in Atlanta in 1996.
She also won four more Olympic medals and several WC medals, including a gold in Copenhagen in 1993.
For the Olympic gold in Atlanta that Andersson won together with Susanne Gunnarsson, the duo was awarded the Bragdguldet despite an infected relationship between them.
– It’s so childish and ridiculous really. It was just a lot of fighting and a lot of such things that happen in a team when there is a lot at stake, Agneta Andersson later summed up the conflict.
Björn “Böna” Johansson, ice hockey
Born: 23 February 1950, Nybro
Death: May 30, 2023
A Tre Kronor legend who played five World Cups and a Canada Cup for Tre Kronor in the 70s. In a back pair with, among others, Börje Salming, Björn “Böna” Johansson dominated on the Swedish blue line.
As a club team player, he wrote himself into the history books in Nybro, where he was one of the team’s best players during his ten seasons. After his playing career, “Böna” was also the head coach of the club and his shirt number six is retired by Nybro.
He is also considered an icon in SSK. There were six seasons in the top flight with Södertälje.
Bobby Charlton, football
Born: 11 Oct 1937, Ashington, UK
Death: 21 October 2023
Sir Bobby Charlton is one of English football’s great icons. For 17 years, between 1956 to 1973, he played for Manchester United and is the top scorer for the team.
In the national team, Charlton won the World Cup gold with England in 1966 and in the same year received the Ballon d’Or, the award for the world’s best footballer.
After his playing career, he sat on Manchester United’s board and in 1986 was involved in the decision to choose Sir Alex Ferguson as the club’s new coach.
In 1994, Bobby Charlton was knighted by the Queen of England.
Bobby Hull
Born: 3 Jan 1939, Belleville, Canada
Death: 30 January 2023
It was above all in Chicago that the Canadian Bobby Hull made the biggest impression. In total, Hull spent 16 seasons in the NHL, 15 of which were in Chicago.
To this day, he is the Blackhawks’ all-time leading scorer. A total of 1,170 points in 1,063 games in the NHL. In 1966, Hull became the first player in NHL history to score more than 50 goals, after scoring 54 goals that season.
In the Winnipeg Jets, Bobby Hull formed the chain “The Hot Line” together with Swedes Anders Hedberg and Ulf “Lill-Pröjsarn” Nilsson.
Bo “Bosse” Larsson, football
Born: 5 May 1944, Malmö
Death: December 19, 2023
One of Malmö FF’s greatest profiles of all time. From 1957 until 1979, with the exception of professional games in Stuttgart in 1966-69, Bosse Larsson was faithful to the sky blue club.
He debuted in MFF’s A team in a friendly match against Brazilian Flamengo in 1962 at Malmö stadium and scored after twenty seconds.
In total, Bosse Larsson won six SM golds and four cup titles with Malmö. He became Allsvenskan top scorer on three occasions and was the first player to be awarded the Golden Ball twice.
At national team level, the midfielder was noted for 70 A national team matches and represented Sweden in three World Cup finals: 1970, 1974 and 1978.
Many will surely remember Larsson’s penalty kick against Austria in a snowy Gelsenkirchen in November 1973, which meant that Sweden was ready for the World Cup play-offs in West Germany in 1974.
Carl-Erik “The Giant” Eriksson, bob
Born: 20 May 1930, Stockholm
Death: 31 July 2023
During his active career, Eriksson participated in six Winter Olympics – more than any other Swede has done.
He competed for Sweden in bobsleigh at the Winter Games in Innsbruck 1964, Grenoble 1968, Sapporo 1972, Innsbruck 1976, Lake Placid 1980 and Sarajevo 1984.
In Innsbruck in 1976, Eriksson carried the Swedish flag during the inauguration. His best result was a sixth place in the four-man bobsled in Sapporo in 1972.
Dick Fosbury
Born: March 6, 1947, Portland, USA
Death: March 12, 2023
Richard “Dick” Fosbury won Olympic gold in Mexico City in 1968 and will forever be remembered as the high jumper who founded the “flop style”, getting over the bar with his back first instead of his stomach, which revolutionized the event.
– He changed an entire sport. It’s that simple. It was a huge impact when he won the Olympics in Mexico. It is probably only Janne Boklöv (former ski jumper) who has changed a sport as much as Fosbury did, Stefan Holm told Expressen in connection with Fosbury’s passing.
Jane Cederqvist, swimming
Born: 1 July 1945, Stockholm
Death: 15 January 2023
Jane Cederqvist was only 15 years old when she took Olympic silver in the 400 meter freestyle in Rome in 1960 and became “silver Jane” with the entire Swedish people.
She became the first Swedish female swimmer to win an individual Olympic medal. When she was awarded the Bragdguldet for her performance, she also became the first female Bragdguldet winner.
Later that year, Cederqvist broke world records in both the 800 and 1,500 meter freestyle.
– It is incredibly important to have role models and that people pave the way and she really did that, she was definitely a role model for me, former swimming star Therese Alshammar told TT in connection with Jane Cederqvist’s passing.
Kjell-Rune Milton, ice hockey
Born: 26 May 1948, Umeå
Death: September 6, 2023
Kjell-Rune Milton was one of Swedish hockey’s great defenders during the 70s. He excelled not least for his tackling ability and his hard-hitting shots.
He played 125 international matches for Sweden, including five World Cup tournaments and one Olympic tournament. In total, he took home two WC silver and three WC bronze from the long career that lasted between 1965 and 1987.
The club team career began in the parent club Teg and then went on to play for Modo in Division 1 for three seasons, Västra Frölunda in Division 1 for three seasons and Köln in the German league for three seasons.
As a coach, he managed, among other things, Gothenburg’s TV puck team and the Swedish U18 national team.
Klas Lestander, biathlon
Born: 18 April 1931, Arjeplog
Death: 13 January 2023,
When biathlon entered the Olympic program in Squaw Valley, USA, in 1960, Swedish Klas Lestander made history as the first Olympic champion in the sport.
He had “only” the 15th best time (out of 30) in the 20 kilometer distance race, but won thanks to flawless shooting.
In the place where he grew up, Klas Lestander has had a square named after him: Guld-Klas Torg in Arjeplog.
And the fact is that it took a while before Sweden won Olympic gold in biathlon again. Only in 2006 did Anna Carin Olofsson repeat the feat. Four years later, in 2010, Björn Ferry won an Olympic gold on the men’s side for the first time since 1960.
Krister Kristensson, soccer
Born: 25 July 1942, Malmö
Death: January 28, 2023
With his 626 matches in Malmö FF’s A team, Krister Kristensson is the one who has represented the club the most times.
The defender, known for his hard-nosed style of play, was part of the club’s heyday in the 60s and 70s. Kristensson celebrated great success under coaches Antonio Duran and Bob Houghton.
The merit list also includes 38 A international matches for Sweden.
Lars “Laban” Arnesson, soccer
Born: 20 February 1936, Sandviken
Death: 1 October 2023
Lars “Laban” Arnesson was the Swedish national team captain between 1980 and 1985.
He was close, but failed to take the Swedish men’s national team to any championship during that time. Memorable is Tommy Engstrand’s report from 1985, when it was clear that Portugal defeated West Germany 1-0 and Sweden missed the WC.
– The disappointment that we did not reach a World Cup play-off during my years is still reminded, sometimes. I have to some extent come to terms with my fate. I learned that happiness cannot be ordered, football is as capricious as life itself, said Lars Arnesson in an interview with Aftonbladet in 2011.
As a footballer, on the other hand, “Laban” won SC gold with Djurgården in 1964 and as a coach he became cup champion and Swedish champion with Öster in 1977 and 1978 respectively.
Peter Antoine, football 1944
Born: September 25, 1944, Essen, Germany
Death: 12 October 2023
Peter Antoine was born in Essen, Germany, and is above all known as a coach in Sweden, where he moved early in his adult life.
He is mainly known for his time at Mjällby, which he coached in two different seasons in the 90s and on two occasions raised the team from division 2 to division 1. Later, Antoine, known for his hot temper, became an expert commentator on TV4’s Tips Saturday.
– You had the image of that gaping on the sideline. You thought he was a tough coach who shouted a lot, but he was actually a very modern coach who showed nice sides and cared about the soft values, says SVT Sports football expert Daniel Nannskog, who had Peter Antoine as a coach in Assyriska in 1999.
Reino Börjesson, football 1929
Born: 4 February 1929, Partille
Death: 21 October 2023
Reino Börjesson was part of the Swedish team that took World Cup silver on home soil in 1958. Börjesson started the first two matches on the bench but then started the remaining matches as right half, including the final against Brazil.
In total, he played ten games in the blue-and-yellow national team shirt. In 2004, he was inducted into Swedish football’s “Hall of Fame”.
Börjesson started his career in Jonsereds IF and also represented IFK Gothenburg and Norrby.
Toivo Öhman, swimming jump 1933
Born: 5 February 1933, Boden
Death: September 23, 2023
As a practitioner, Toivo Öhman participated in the Olympics in 1952 and 1960 and, after his active career, was involved in developing swimming jumping throughout the world. He was chairman of the European Swimming Federation’s diving committee and sat on the International Swimming Federation’s diving committee.
In Sweden, he became best known as a commentator on SVT when 17-year-old Ulrika Knape won gold and silver at the Olympics in Munich in 1972.
– Oh what a point and what nerves this wonderful girl has, said Öhman with a tremor in his voice after Knape performed his golden jump.
Tommy “Slim” Borgudd, Formula 1
Born: 25 November 1946, Borgholm
Death: February 23, 2023
During the early 1980s, Tommy “Slim” Borgudd drove two seasons in Formula 1, a total of ten F1 races, for the stables ATS and Tyrrell. His best was sixth in the 1981 British Grand Prix.
Parallel to his career as a racing driver, Bergudd was a musician and one of Abbas’ studio drummers. The Swedish pop group was his main sponsor when he drove for the ATS stable.
“Slim” also competed in truck racing where he won three European Championships.