Machine-translated from Faroese and not yet reviewed. Read the original.
Although things went exceptionally well for athletics in Bermuda, “only” two Faroese records came out of it. In both cases it was the multi-talented athlete Øssur Debes Eiriksfoss who did it. The first came when he won silver in the high jump with 2.01 m, improving his own record by one centimetre. The second came on the last evening of the Island Games, when the triple jump was on the programme.
Øssur’s 1st attempt was under control
Seven men had entered, but two of them withdrew, so only five were left. As in all the other competitions with few participants, these were very strong participants. Two of them were the renowned Morgan twins, who won gold and silver in the long jump with 7.46 m and 7.45 m. They are usually very strong in the triple jump as well, so the chances of reaching gold or silver were slim. Then there was a 14-metre-plus man from Bermuda, and the last was, like Øssur, a gymnast, who had also won several gold medals.
Øssur tries to grab every single centimetre he can get hold of.
After a very hard week for Øssur, nobody really expected him to pull off anything spectacular, because a new Faroese record would probably be needed if he was to have the slightest hope of a medal. In the first round Øssur chose to play it safe. With 13.64 m he placed 3rd behind one of the Morgan brothers with 15.37 m and the Bermuda man with 13.89 m. Øssur felt the jump had gone well and decided to go all out on his second attempt. That went no less well. Every phase of the jump came off: the run-up, the take-off, a hop that was not too long, speed into the step and height on the jump. The result was a clear Faroese record and, for the time being, second place in the competition. The jump was measured at 14.34 metres, a full 38 centimetres further than the old record, which Øssur himself held.
Øssur alongside the Morgan twins – but on the results list he is between them!
This was very welcome, because the two Øssur was battling with both edged past 14 metres. But they never got back out to Øssur’s distance, so he had secured an unexpected but very fine silver medal. The winning jump turned out to be the very first of the whole competition, when Morgan jumped 15.37 m.
Jorma Jaaskaelainen, a jumps coach from Åland and triple jump winner at the 1989 Island Games in the Faroe Islands, was completely amazed by Øssur. He knows well that Øssur mainly trains gymnastics and does little triple jump training. He believed that if Øssur concentrated on jumping, he could go very far. It is fair to say that Øssur has already come a long way in athletics. With his 2.01 high jump he is no. 4 on the Danish ranking list, and in the triple jump he is now number 6.
