PROVO -- Former BYU track & field star Niklas Arrhenius has been selected to represent Sweden in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China later this summer. Arrhenius, who threw a season-high 63.74 meters on June 8 in Kaunas, Lithuania, is the top-ranked discus thrower in Sweden.
Arrhenius competed at BYU from 2004 through 2007, winning the NCAA National Title in the discus in 2007. No stranger to international competition, Arrhenius has represented Sweden at the 2006 European Championships and has competed in a number of meets throughout the world.
At BYU
SENIOR - (2007): Won the shot put and the weight throw at the Cougar Indoor Invitational ... placed fifth in the shot put at the New Balance meet in New York ... threw his best shot put of the season (63 feet 0.5 inches) at the Wildcat Indoor Open at Weber State University ... took fifth in the weight throw with a season-best throw of 58 feet 6 inches and placed second in the shot put at the MWC Indoor Championships ... named to the All-MWC Indoor Team... competed in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor National meet ... won the discus (194 feet 3 inches) at the UCLA Rafer Johnson meet ... threw a season-best throw in the discus (207 feet 3.5 inches) at Antelope Valley Community College ... took second in the discus at the Robison Invitational ... set a new MWC Championship meet record in the discus at 203 feet 2 inches and took second in the shot put (56 feet 9,25 inches) ... named to the All-MWC Team ... won the discus with a throw of 206 feet 3 inches at the West Region meet ... won the national title in the discus with a throw of 206 feet 2 inches at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
JUNIOR - (2006): placed first in the discus at the Williams Classic with a throw of 207-10.75 ... took first in the discus (203-4) and third place in the shot put (56-0) at the ASU invitational ... won first in the discus (208-2.75) at the Cougar Invitational ... placed fourth in the shot put (58-04) at the UCLA invite ... placed second in the discus (202-01) and fifth in the hammer throw (163-08) ... conference champion in the discus (189-07) placed third in the shot put (57-11) and placed fifth in the hammer throw (173-07.5) at the MWC championships ... won second at the West Regional meet with a throw of (195-10.5) ... competed in the discus at the NCAA national meet with a throw of (180-04) ... won first in the discus and second in the shot put at the Swedish Championships ... represented Sweden at the European Championships ... competed in Prague, Czech Republic
REDSHIRT - (2006): redshirted indoor season
SOPHOMORE - (2005): Placed first in the shot put (56-08.25) and second in the weight throw (59-03.75) at the Mountain State Games ... finished second in the shot put at the MWC Indoor Championships with a throw of 58-11.25 ... won the discus at the BYU Robison Invitational (175-07) ... took first in the shot put (56-04.50) and the discus (188-06) at the MWC Outdoor Championships ... placed second in the discus at the NCAA West Regional Championships with a throw of 190-02 ... obtained All-American status with a seventh-place finish in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships ... named Academic All-MWC.
FRESHMAN - (2004): Finished first in both the shot put (58-09.25) and the 35-pound weight throw (61-05.5) at the Olympic Oval ... placed first in the shot put at the MWC Indoor Championships with a throw of 65-04.00 ... finished fifth at the NCAA Indoor Nationals in the shot put (63-06.25) ... took seventh in the shot put with a throw of 58-01.25 at the Texas Relays ... won the discus at the Mesa Track and Field Classic with a throw of 196-03 ... placed first in the discus at the Robison Invitational ... swept first in the shot put and discus at the BYU Wells Fargo Invitational ... captured the gold in the discus (61-11.25) and shot put (188-02) at the MWC Outdoor Championships and was named Male Freshman of the Year ... took second in the discus (184-05) and 23rd in the shot put at the NCAA West Regional Championships ... finished seventh in the discus with a throw of 188-02 and threw 58-3 in the shot put at Outdoor Nationals with a broken wrist.
Before BYU
Ranked number one in the discus among U.S. high school boys his junior and senior years ... placed second in the discus at the Junior World Championships in 2000 ... set a national record in the discus at 234-3.
Personal
Born September 1982 in Provo, Utah ... parents are Anders and Kristine Arrhenius ... Eagle Scout ... served a mission in the Sweden, Stockholm mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ... married to javelin thrower Tiffany Arrhenius.