Machine-translated from Faroese and not yet reviewed. Read the original.
It is now already two days since the FÍF team arrived at Cedarbridge Academy in Hamilton, Bermuda. So far the time has been spent eating, sleeping, resting and doing light training. Last night we were at the opening ceremony, and today we have once again taken it easy. The Games began today, and we have been out watching other sports. Some have watched cycling, some volleyball, and a few also went to watch the gymnastics.
This morning the Faroese team gathered at the National Sportscenter for a photo. Standing: Rógvi, Øssur, Trygvi, Heri, Marnar and Rói. Kneeling: Rúni, Rebekka and Valborg.
But now it gets serious! Our competitions start on Monday morning, and no fewer than six of our athletes compete tomorrow: four in the morning and two on Monday evening. Both the high jump and the 100 metres heats start at 10:05. In the high jump we have as many as two participants, which is very rare. This has only happened once before, and that was when the Games were held in the Faroe Islands. The starting height has been set at 165 cm, and neither of our participants should have any trouble with that height. Trygvi Laksafoss has jumped 185 cm, which is also the qualifying standard for the Island Games. The medals usually go to clearances of 195–205 cm, so Øssur Debes Eiriksfoss, who won bronze two years ago with exactly 195 cm, will no doubt be in the competition right up to the end, when the medals are decided. Øssur set the Faroese record of 200 cm at a competition on the Tórsbreyt track last year.
Trygvi Laksafoss is competing at the Island Games for the first time. An injury may force him to take off from his wrong leg, and then it is doubtful whether he can match the 185 cm jump that qualified him for the Island Games. Øssur competed at the Island Games for the first time two years ago, when he won bronze with 195 cm. We hope history repeats itself tomorrow, or gets even better.
Rói Holgarsson, who has been our best sprinter for a good three years, is the only Faroese short sprinter at the Games and will represent us in the 100 metres tomorrow. The 17 sprinters have been put into three heats, and Rói is in the third and last heat. The top two in each heat, plus the two fastest times among the rest, go through to the final on Monday evening. The opposition is very tough, and it looks set to be a very even heat for Rói, who will have to run at his very best if he is to hope to reach the final. Rói’s hopes of a good time are good, because at VU-Spelen the weekend before last he ran 11.43 in very poor conditions. Rói’s best time is 11.35, which is just 8/100 of a second off Heini Hátún’s Faroese record. So as well as chasing a place in the final, the Faroese record is also a target for Rói. Hopefully he achieves both.
Faroese sprint king for three years, but his first Island Games. We are keeping our fingers crossed that Rói Holgarsson gets a place in the final and a Faroese record.
At 11:10 Rúni Seloy runs the heats of the 800 metres. The 800 metres also has three heats, with the top two going through to the final, followed by the two fastest times among the rest. It almost looks as though Rúni has been lucky in the draw, as none of the big guns have ended up in his heat. There is, however, one runner we don’t know much about. So the hopes of getting Rúni into the final are good. The final will be run on Tuesday evening.
Rúni Seloy is competing at his third Island Games. Hopes are good for a place in the 800 metres final
On Monday evening both 10,000 metres finals take place, and we have Faroese representation in both. First is Valborg Heinesen, who will be in her first ever Island Games race. Yet she is the one of ours who on paper has the best chance of reaching the podium. Valborg recently ran a 10,000 m race in Poland in 37:25. That is a quality time which at any other Island Games would have guaranteed a medal. But there are many strong women at the Island Games this year, and it is likely to be four women who, towards the end, will be fighting for the three medals.
Valborg Heinesen is competing at her first Games, but is nevertheless our biggest medal hope.
The last of our events on Monday evening is the men’s 10,000 metres final, where we have Marnar Djurhuus taking part. Marnar also competed at the last Island Games, when he won bronze in the 5,000 metres and finished fifth in the 10,000 metres. Marnar’s time on that occasion was 32:56, and it is still his personal best. Tomorrow evening we can expect some 4–5 men to come in under 33 minutes, so if Marnar can run at his very best and a little more, he too will be part of the battle for the medals.
Marnar Djurhuus is competing for the second time, and hopes to come home with a medal again this time.
Finally, we wish everyone the best of luck in the competitions tomorrow. We will of course report on all the competitions here on the site. Stay tuned!
