Although a 1931 Norwegian magazine, Sportsmanden, named Henie and Sanstol the top two Norwegian athletes of the time, the two had complicated feelings about their status as athletes caught between two countries in an age in which nationalistic allegiance was emphasized.. This was especially apparent in the wake of two world wars. Pete Sanstol wrote an article for a later, undated edition of Sportsmanden that sheds light on the tensions between the expatriate athletes and their native countries. Sanstol wrote the article after attending one of Henie’s ice shows in the United States following the end of World War II. It was during this meeting of old friends that Sonja Henie fully described the disconnect she felt with Norway. Henie had become a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1941 and used her wealth to support American causes rather than Norwegian resistance during the war, much to the dismay of Norwegian citizens. She visited Norway soon after the war, and described what she felt was a cold reception. This visit damaged her relationship with Norway, but she continued to visit for the remainder of her life. Despite the costs of her accomplishments, Sonja Henie was an instrumental figure in creating a legacy both for Norwegian-American athletes and female athletes in general. A lesser known but no less accomplished female Norwegian-American athlete is Molla Bjurstedt Mallory, a giant in early twentieth-century women’s tennis. Mallory was born Anna Margarethe Bjurstedt in Norway on March 6, 1884. Although she may have lived elsewhere in Norway as a
Molla Mallory.
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-115952].
One of Molla Mallory’s tennis awards. Her awards were often engraved objects rather than traditional trophies. Clock with enameled decoration. Height, 3 inches. Inscription: "Third Annual United North and South tennis tournament Womens Singles Pinehurst, N. C. April 11-16:21 won by Molla Burstedt." Vesterheim 1985.116.004—Gift of Olea Aanrud.
Vol. 9, No. 1 2011
child, she lived in Kristiana (Oslo) at the time she emigrated in 1914. As a tennis player in Norway, Molla earned a bronze medal in women’s singles tennis at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Despite her talent, this was to be her only Olympic medal. Although she petitioned the International Olympic Committee to allow her to compete as an American in the 1924 Games, the committee declared that she could not compete for the United States after having competed for Norway and could “lend to the American team only her sideline support.” Likewise, the Norwegian committee declared her ineligible to compete as a Norwegian, citing her marriage to Franklin I. Mallory—an American—as the reason. The 1924 Olympics were the first Games in which athletes from five continents were represented in the competition. Despite being barred from the Olympics, Mallory still became a dominant figure in women’s tennis on both the national and international stages. After she arrived in the United States, Molla settled in New York City and wasted no time in establishing herself as an elite tennis player by winning her first United States National Outdoor Tennis Championship in 1915. She would go on to 9
