Åsarna IK
Åsarna IK, founded in 1924, is a Swedish sports club in Åsarna, Jämtland. The club has had many prominent competitors in cross-country skiing, which is evident in the nickname of the village Åsarna, Guldbyn (Gold Village), which was coined after the 1988 Winter Olympics when three out of the four competitors in the men's relay competition came from the club. Åsarna IK has also spawned prominent track and field athletes. Anton Bolinder (b. 1915), who started jumping in a gravel pit in Åsarna, became the European champion in high jump in 1946 (jumping 1,99 m), and runner John Isberg broke the junior world record for 1500 m five times in the 1940s. By the time of their international breakthroughs, both Bolinder and Isberg hade changed clubs to IFK Östersund. Bolinder became Swedish champion twice in high jump. In 2015 a book about Åsarna IK will appear.
Notable skiers from Åsarna IK
Winners of Vasaloppet
- Sofia Lind – 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004 and 2005
- Hans Persson – 1984
- Peter Göransson – 1998
- Jan Ottosson – 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994