At a team meeting in Sydney, the 18 members of the U.S.A.'s 2000 Olympic Team - Yachting elected Liljedahl, crew for Mark Reynolds in the Star class, as Captain of the sailing team. The 46-year old Liljedahl grew up in Sweden and was educated as a construction engineer. Competing in the Finn in his homeland, he placed second in the Swedish Nationals and sixth in the Europeans in 1979. The following year he moved to Florida, and has been a resident there ever since.

Nicknamed 'the Viking' the hearty Liljedahl says he is best-known for his fighting spirit -- something he has recently had to put to the test. He has sailed with Reynolds since 1997, and together they were the top-ranked U.S. team in the Star for two years. Going into '99 they were the top-ranked team in the World. Then tragedy struck in June of '99 when Liljedahl's wife of 22 years, Agneta, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. With Liljedahl at her side, she fought a hard but brief battle with the illness, succumbing in October of that year. Since returning to competition with Reynolds in December of '99, the pair have won the Olympic Team Trials, the prestigious Star World Championship and Kiel Week in their preparations for the Olympic Regatta.

While in training for the Olympics, Liljedahl has found the fortitude to establish a scholarship in memory of his beloved wife, The Agneta Liljedahl Ballet Scholarship, which in less than a year has raised over $20,000 to promote the education of young ballet dancers who otherwise could not afford to take classes.