By Laura Peers
Dual citizenship is not the only thing that Leif Arrhenius inherited from his parents.
Born to Anders and Kristina Arrhenius, Leif is a citizen of the United States and his father?s native Sweden. But perhaps more importantly he, like his father and his brothers before him, is a talented track and field athlete.
Arrhenius excels in the weight throw, hammer throw, shot put and discus. While he always wanted to be a historian when he was young, Arrhenius has grown up to be a strong athlete who hopes to one day become a coach or teacher.
?I wanted to be a historian as a little kid,? Arrhenius said. ?I used to watch PBS and the History Channel. I love history. Now, I would love to go into coaching or teaching.?
Arrhenius prepped at Mountain View High School in Orem and began his amazing track career by becoming a three-time Utah state champion and regional champion in shot put and discus. Arrhenius was ranked No. 1 nationally in discus in 2003 and he was ranked No. 2 in shot put while ranking No. 3 in discus and hammer in 2004.
?I started getting pretty serious about throwing in junior high,? Arrhenius said. ?Both my brothers threw and my dad threw, so I started getting out there and messing around when I was probably 10 years old.?
With two older brothers to pave the way, Arrhenius made the decision to throw at BYU. He constantly lives with the track family tradition, as his father and brother are two of his coaches.?
?It?s how it?s always been,? Arrhenius said. ?Just throwing with the family. I?m used to it. It?s good. It?s nice. I?ve never had it any other way. I?ve always had my brothers and my dad to be there.?
Arrhenius started strong his freshman year at BYU, finishing fifth in the shot put and weight throw at the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships. Arrhenius continued the season by taking second in the discus and sixth in the hammer throw at the MWC Outdoor Championships.
?It started out with me just wanting to follow my brothers,? Arrhenius said. ?I played all types of sports as a kid, but track?s just always been what I?ve been the best at.?
Arrhenius took a two-year break from the BYU after his freshman year to serve an LDS mission to Taiwan.
Arrhenius came back to BYU the same athlete he was when he left, or maybe even better. In his sophomore year, he received All-American honors for the outdoor season.
Arrhenius is now a junior focusing on another successful athletic year at BYU. He currently ranks No. 1 in the MWC for the shot put with 60 feet 2 inches, a strong provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA championships. Arrhenius has held this rank since the first meet of the season at the BYU Cougar Invitational.
?I had a good opening meet,? Arrhenius said. ?The first home meet here, I did really well. It?s important to throw far early and just keep on throwing. It?s good that no one has passed me since that first meet, because I don?t have to worry about it and once you have the marks, you?re in.?
On Feb. 26, Arrhenius had his best weight throw competition of the year throwing 68-3 at the MWC Indoor Championships in Colorado Springs.
Arrhenius trains about 20 hours per week in order to fulfill his set goals for the rest of the season.
?I?d like to be All-American in both the shot put and weight throw for the indoor NCAA nationals,? Arrhenius said. ?For the outdoor season, I would like to win the nationals in the discus. That?s a big goal of mine. I?m just going to keep practicing hard and trying to stay healthy. That?s the biggest thing right now.?
While Arrhenius works hard as an athlete, he has to balance his time between having a strong academic and social life as well.
?It?s hard sometimes to balance everything, but for the most part, it?s not too bad,? Arrhenius said. ?Just get your homework done and do what you need to do.?
Despite being an exceptional athlete, Arrhenius is an average guy who enjoys listening to rap, R&B, and classic rock. When Arrhenius is not working out or training, he enjoys a good war movie or fast food.
?I really like McDonald?s,? he said. ?I love a Big Mac. I also like Italian and pizza. I don?t have one favorite movie but I?m a big war movie fan. I love ?Braveheart? and ?Gladiator.? Although I grew up watching ?Space Balls? and ?The Goonies.??
Arrhenius likes things simple, as he lives a carefree life in which nothing brings him down.
?I like to laugh, and I hate drama,? Arrhenius said. ?Not a lot of things tick me off. I?m an easy-going guy. That?s about it.? ?
