Anders Olsson (swimmer)
Encyclopedia
Anders Olsson (born September 15, 1965 in Hagfors
) is a Swedish
swimmer
and triathlete.
Olsson is paralysed from the waist down and has barely 50 per cent lung capacity left after the injury.
operation. Due to an accident in the home he fell so bad that he tore up several muscles in his back. This led to other complications. He had to undergo a stomach surgery and because of a failure during the spinal anaesthesia
he had to be treated in a medical ventilator
and this finally led to him being paralysed from the waist down.
For several years Olsson was apathetic and even got addicted to drugs, such as morphine
, and other painkillers. But, in 2002, when a close friend made a bet with him that he would swim the vansbrosimmet an annual 3 kilometer event in a river, his life took a turn to the better. He started to train and when he crossed the finish line he was in the top 100's out of over 3000 competitors. This is a result he has later improved as he in 2007 came ninth.
In 2004 he competed in the Paralympics
in Athens
where he won one gold medal and two bronze medals. His favorite event is the 400 m freestyle, a distance he is undefeated at and where he is the current world record holder.
In 2005 he took on another challenge and managed to complete the 90 km long Vasaloppet
a crosscountry skiing competition, using a sled
.
In 2008 he competed in the Paralympics
in Beijing
where he won another two gold medal (100 m & 400 m freestyle).
He won the annual swim competition at Alcatraz 2011, where he swam from the island to shore http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/simning/article13576087.ab.
Hagfors
Hagfors is a locality and the seat of Hagfors Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 5,403 inhabitants in 2005.Its history is traced to 1873, when it was decided to build two blast furnaces at the location....
) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and triathlete.
Olsson is paralysed from the waist down and has barely 50 per cent lung capacity left after the injury.
Career
Anders Olsson began to swim at an early age and he was very promising. But in his early teens Olsson started to have problems with his back, he had been in a weightlifting accident as a child. It was a faulty vertebra that caused him pain. For a long time he was able to keep up with his athletic life but after a couple of years he had to undergo an arthrodesisArthrodesis
Arthrodesis, also known as artificial ankylosis or syndesis, is the artificial induction of joint ossification between two bones via surgery. This is done to relieve intractable pain in a joint which cannot be managed by pain medication, splints, or other normally-indicated treatments. The typical...
operation. Due to an accident in the home he fell so bad that he tore up several muscles in his back. This led to other complications. He had to undergo a stomach surgery and because of a failure during the spinal anaesthesia
Spinal anaesthesia
Spinal anaesthesia , also called spinal analgesia or sub-arachnoid block , is a form of regional anaesthesia involving injection of a local anaesthetic into the subarachnoid space, generally through a fine needle, usually 9 cm long...
he had to be treated in a medical ventilator
Medical ventilator
A medical ventilator can be defined as any machine designed to mechanically move breatheable air into and out of the lungs, to provide the mechanism of breathing for a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently....
and this finally led to him being paralysed from the waist down.
For several years Olsson was apathetic and even got addicted to drugs, such as morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
, and other painkillers. But, in 2002, when a close friend made a bet with him that he would swim the vansbrosimmet an annual 3 kilometer event in a river, his life took a turn to the better. He started to train and when he crossed the finish line he was in the top 100's out of over 3000 competitors. This is a result he has later improved as he in 2007 came ninth.
In 2004 he competed in the Paralympics
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, in the Olympic Aquatic Centre was competed in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly , the breaststroke and individual medley ....
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
where he won one gold medal and two bronze medals. His favorite event is the 400 m freestyle, a distance he is undefeated at and where he is the current world record holder.
In 2005 he took on another challenge and managed to complete the 90 km long Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March in northwestern Dalarna, Sweden between the village of Sälen and town of Mora. It is the oldest, one of the longest, and in popular consideration the biggest cross-country ski race in the world...
a crosscountry skiing competition, using a sled
Sled
A sled, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle with a smooth underside or possessing a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners that travels by sliding across a surface. Most sleds are used on surfaces with low friction, such as snow or ice. In some cases,...
.
In 2008 he competed in the Paralympics
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
The swimming events of the 2008 Summer Paralympics were held in the Beijing National Aquatics Center between September 7 and September 15, 2008. A total of 140 gold medals were expected to be distributed.-Classifications:...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
where he won another two gold medal (100 m & 400 m freestyle).
He won the annual swim competition at Alcatraz 2011, where he swam from the island to shore http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/simning/article13576087.ab.