Paralympic Athlete Már Gunnarsson Embraces His Talents And Identity

The Icelandic swimmer Már Gunnarsson,24, is not just a Paralympic athlete but is also a professional musician, a student, and a dedicated advocate for the rights of visually impaired individuals, all of which he says he could never give up.

 Represents The LGBTQ Community 

“I think to myself, ‘If I would just pick one thing, like just do swimming or just do music,’ I would potentially be better at it than I am. But then again, that wouldn’t be who I am and I think I would just lose my mind,” Gunnarsson, who is blind, told NBC News. 

At the Paris Olympics Gunnarsson competed at his second Paralympic Games, He qualified for the 100-meter backstroke final, finishing in seventh place. He achieved his personal best time and set a new Icelandic record for the event. Additionally, he was one of the few openly LGBTQ swimmers to compete at the Paralympics.

Gunnarson said while representing the LGBTQ community, “I like breaking records,” and added for his performance,  “We always want more” but said he is completely satisfied with his result. 

At the 2021 Tokyo Games, In an interview, Gunnarsson claimed himself as gay, which went viral immediately in his home country. He hadn’t intended it to be a major coming out moment, and although he received “some naughty and boring comments” following the interview.

Gunnarsson said the support he received from the people was huge for him, “The majority of [the comments] was just so much support and so much love, which I really felt, and it kind of just broke the ice for me.”

Not Just A Paralympic Athlete 

Gunnarsson hopes that more athletes will feel empowered to come out. As per LGBTQ sports site OutSports, This year, 43 LGBTQ Paralympians and 199 LGBTQ Olympians competed in Paris. 

Gunnarsson, who is also a singer and pianist, divides his time between Iceland, Luxembourg, and the U.K., where he studies music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. 

He is currently working on an album titled “Orchestral Me,” which he describes as “orchestral pop,” and hopes to release it later this year.

“I find it just so important no matter who we are or in what position we are in … whether we are going to the Olympics or Paralympics, no matter if we’re going to the shops or to school or meeting friends, we should always just come to the door as who we are,” Gunnarsson said, reported by NBC News. 

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