Arne Andersson

Arne Andersson (27 October 1917 – 1 April 2009) was a Swedish middle-distance runner who became famous for his rivalry with his compatriot Gunder Hägg in the 1940s. Andersson set a 1500 metres world record in Gothenburg in August 1943 with a time of 3:45.0 minutes. He was born in Trollhättan, Sweden. Andersson set three world records in the mile: the first in Stockholm in July 1942 (4:06.2); this record was broken in the same year by Hägg (4:04.6). Andersson recaptured the world record in Gothenburg in July 1943 (4:02.6), and improved it further in Malmö in July 1944 (4:01.6). However, Hägg had the last word when he ran (4:01.4) in Malmö in 1945 (Hägg's record was not broken until Roger Bannister ran the first sub-4 mile in Oxford in 1954). Andersson won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1943. Andersson won seven national titles: two individual (1500 m, 1943–44) and five in relays (1940–42). In 1946 he was disqualified for violating amateur rules, together with Gunder Hägg and Henry Jonsson.