The multitalented Mar Gunnarsson won’t just be chasing a medal at the Paralympics in Paris — he’ll also be celebrating the Games through music.
The 24-year-old from Iceland will swim in the 100-meter backstroke S11 event, hoping to improve on his fifth-place finish in Tokyo.
Since then, he has moved to Manchester, U.K., to study at a leading conservatoire and has been successful in pursuing both his musical and athletic ambitions.
Now Gunnarsson is releasing a new track about sportsmanship titled “Spirit in Motion” to coincide with the Games.
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“My hope is that it will resonate with athletes all around the world,” he tells Outsports.
He’s already made his mark in swimming, as a world-record holder.
A few months before the last Paralympics, he set a best time for the 200-meter backstroke in the S11 classification, which is for swimmers with very low or no vision. Gunnarsson was born with a genetic sight disorder called Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA).
The 200-meter event isn’t held at the Paralympics, so the Icelander competes in the 100 meters instead.
He has a bronze medal from the World Para Swimming Championships in London in 2019 and has set national records in various disciplines.
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Three years ago, Gunnarsson also raced in freestyle, butterfly and the individual medley. It felt like too much. “After Tokyo, I’d had enough and decided to quit,” he explains. “I was working as a presenter for Icelandic national TV and touring around the country, doing talks in schools.
“Later though, I discovered that I missed swimming so I returned to the sport. This time, I’m doing it differently.” He could have chosen to race in more events in Paris, but is sticking to just the 100-meter backstroke.
The other difference is that he is now an athlete who is out and proud. He mentioned being gay in an interview after the Tokyo Games. “The news went viral here and the amount of support I felt from the Icelandic nation was amazing.
“I think it reflected how unique we are as a country. I’d say that we’re one of the best for people to live in if they want equal opportunity.
“For example, last week I was at the Reykjavik Pride festival and nearly 100,000 people came together to celebrate — that’s about a quarter of our total population.
“I just wish that more countries had the same attitude.”
Gunnarsson continued to feel the love from the public in early 2022 when he teamed up with his sister Isolde to compete in “Söngvakeppnin”, Iceland’s search for a national entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The siblings performed “Don’t You Know” which proved popular with viewers. Gunnarsson’s reputation was growing fast and later that year, he took up an offer to study music at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester.
Directly across the road from the college is the Manchester Aquatics Centre, which was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. It soon lured Gunnarsson in.
“When something like swimming has been such a big part of your life, it’s really hard to let go of it,” he explains.
“But I don’t do as many sessions as I used to. Now I focus more on strengthening work and technique, trying to get more efficient.
“I’ve succeeded because they’ve raised the bar a lot for us to qualify and I managed to make it to Paris.
“I’m very excited to be going again and competing at the Paralympics. I’m sure it will be a very different atmosphere than Tokyo, when there was so much uncertainty and of course, no spectators.”
Authentic in and out of the water
The standard is higher now but Gunnarsson believes he can be in the mix for a medal. His competition takes place at La Defense Arena on Sunday, Sept. 1, with heats in the morning and the final in the evening.
He’s also looking forward to his first visit to Paris. “The famous city of love and romance! Who knows what will happen?” he says, with a smile.
Helping him get around will be guide dog Max, an invaluable assistant who makes friends easily. However, when it comes to matters of the heart, Max is not as helpful.
“The gay world is a funny world to navigate,” said Gunnarsson. “When I lived in Iceland, I was a bit lonely. I felt like the only gay in the village.
“People looking for serious relationships there have few options. If you’re just looking for casual things, it’s the tourists and there are enough of them.
“When I moved to Manchester, I thought there would be so many guys to choose from! But in a way, it’s worse than Iceland — people are always on the search, always looking, and not willing to invest the time to get to know someone properly.
“I felt like I needed a secretary to control all the messages and notifications.
“Both places have their good and bad points. The important thing is just to understand what your intentions are, and to be clear on that when communicating with people.”
At each of the last two Paralympic Games, in Rio and Tokyo, there was only one publicly out gay man competing — the British equestrian rider Lee Pearson.
Even though Pearson has now retired, there will be greater representation at the Games this time around. Gunnarsson is proud to be part of that. “Sadly in sports, there tends to be all kinds of stereotypes and then of course there are those countries that still don’t accept LGBTQ people.
“So I think it’s crucial that people come as they are, whether it’s to the Olympics, the Paralympics or just going to the shop.
“Hopefully by representing as yourself at an international meet like this in Paris, it’s contributing to a better world for everyone to live in.”
He also wants to send out a message of unity and inclusion through his music. “Spirit in Motion” is the first song of an album he is recording with a symphony orchestra.
“There is this gap that exists between the Olympics and the Paralympics, which I find very sad,” he adds.
“All of us are top athletes going through the same things, but there’s no engagement between the two of us. We could learn so much from each other and we’d be so much stronger for it.
“So I’m hoping that the song will help with bridging that gap, or just open up the dialogue.”
Later in the year, he will promote the album in his homeland on a concert tour accompanied by an RNCM session orchestra. By that time, he’s also hoping to have had some constructive dialogue regarding Max.
That’s because Gunnarsson and his guide dog have been hit by a red-tape regulation that is currently preventing them from flying in and out of the UK together. It’s all to do with animal health certificates in post-Brexit Britain. “Everyone is pointing at each other and blaming each other, and no one is really taking on the responsibility.”
It’s been an immensely frustrating situation but Gunnarsson is optimistic that he’ll get the right result soon.
For now, however, it’s time to focus on the Paralympics. “I’m ready to go and experience new things, widen my horizons and meet some old friends of mine,” he says.
You can follow Mar Gunnarsson on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
