Gunnar Tjörnebo

Who was Gunnar Tjörnebo?

Karl Gunnar Alfred Karlsson-Tjörnebo, Gunnar Tjörnebo for short was a Swedish long-distance runner who specialized in the 3000 metres steeplechase.

He was born in Tjörnarp, and belonged to the sports clubs IFK Växjö and IFK Helsingborg. He competed at the Olympic Games three times, with a twelfth place in 1952, a fifth place in 1960 and a failure to reach the final round in 1956. At home, he won six national championships between 1951 and 1961, and set four Swedish records in his main event. His personal best time was 8:41.2 minutes, achieved in 1961.

He died in March 2009, shortly before his 82nd birthday.