University of Toronto Athletics

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues are excited to share the commitment of Leo Rafnsson to the men's swimming program for the 2026-27 season.

“I chose the University of Toronto primarily for its swimming program," said Rafnsson. "Coaches Byron and Linda have consistently developed excellent swimmers in a supportive, high-performance environment, and the opportunity to combine that with U of T’s outstanding engineering program made the decision an easy one.”

A 6-foot-2 backstroke and freestyle specialist from Reykjanesbaer, Iceland, Rafnsson joins the Blues via Sudurnes Comprehensive College and Ithrottabandalag Reykjanesbaer (IRB).

A multiple time Icelandic national champion, he has represented his country on the international stage twice at the Senior World Championships, as well as at the European Championships. Rafnsson has accumulated 25 senior national titles and 17 junior national titles. He holds multiple junior and senior IRB swim club records, three Icelandic junior national records in backstroke, and six Icelandic senior national relay records. In both 2024 and 2025 was named Reykjanesbaer Athlete of the Year.

"Leo is an international caliber backstroker and combined with U of T’s U SPORTS swimmer of the year Andrew Herman, they will be a devastating 1-2 punch for the Blues," said Varsity Blues head coach Byron MacDonald. "There is also a connection to the city for him - while Leo grew up in Iceland, he was actually born in Toronto while his mom, Anna, was doing her PhD at U of T!"

Achieving both Academic Excellence and Academic Achievement awards, Rafnsson is set to enter the computer engineering program at U of T.

Students who sign a letter of intent and/or commit to Varsity Blues intercollegiate teams will be eligible to play at the University of Toronto provided they are academically admissible and have applied through the normal process with the Ontario Universities Application Centre.