Machine-translated from Faroese and not yet reviewed. Read the original.
There are now only just over three months left until the Island Games in Jersey open on 27 June 2015. But it is even less time until our athletics squad is finally announced. This year the selection will be a little different, because the clubs themselves have now put forward their suggestions for who should be among the Island Games candidates. The vast majority of these have been in either the talent group or the elite group. But other athletes who have made great progress over the past year are also in the preliminary squad, which looks like this:
Sprinters:
Rúni Jacobsen, Hvirlan, 100 m and 200 m
Tummas Napoleon Arge, Hvirlan, 200 m
Magnus Dahl-Christiansen, Hvirlan, 100 m
Hildur Poulsen, Bragdið, 100 m
Margit Weihe Fríðmundsdóttir, Bragdið, 100 m, 200 m and 400 m
Sára Debesardóttir, Bragdið, 200 m and 400 m
Alda Sigurdsdóttir Lamhauge, Hvirlan, 100 m and 200 m
Jumpers:
Trygvi Laksafoss, Hvirlan, high jump, long jump and triple jump
Øssur Debes Eiriksfoss, Hvirlan, high jump, long jump and triple jump
Bogi Berg, Hvirlan, long jump
Tórur Mortensen, Hvirlan, long jump and triple jump
Edna Maria Debes, Hvirlan, triple jump
Throwers
Hallur Simonsen, Hvirlan, discus
Heri Ziska, Hvirlan, discus
Hanus Bergsson, Hvirlan, javelin
Marita Káradóttir Petersen, Hvirlan, javelin
Middle-distance runners:
Rúni Seloy, Bragdið, 800 m
Teitur Bjarnastein, Bragdið, 800 m
Steingrímur Hallsson, Bragdið, 800 m
Eingar Gregersen, Treysti, 800 m and 1,500 m
Julian Gregersen, Treysti, 800 m and 1,500 m
Katarina Høj, Bragdið, 800 m and 1,500 m
Rebekka Fuglø, Treysti, 800 m and 1,500 m
Long-distance runners:
Sam Vang, Bragdið, ½ marathon
Jan Elmar Sørensen, Treysti, 3,000 m steeplechase
Bjørk Herup Olsen, Bragdið, 3,000 m steeplechase, and 5,000 m
Valborg Heinesen, Bragdið, 5,000 m, 10,000 m and ½ marathon
Marna Egholm, Bragdið, 5,000 m, 10,000 m and ½ marathon
FÍF’s highest number of participants at the Island Games has been around 10, so things look very exciting now that as many as 25 have a chance of making the national team. So far eight have achieved the qualification standards needed to go. They are Katarina Høj, Rebekka Fuglø, Bjørk Herup Olsen, Valborg Heinesen, Marna Egholm, Rúni Seloy, Øssur Debes Eiriksfoss and Hanus Bergsson. Simply achieving a qualification standard is not enough to make the national team, however. It is important that you are part of the national team set-up and regularly take part in the relevant competitions, such as Faroese Championships meets.
From the Island Games in Bermuda. Valborg and Rebekka are still among the strong Faroese contenders.
For the past two years the national team has gone to VU Spelen in Gothenburg. That will not be possible this year, because the Island Games end at the same time as VU Spelen begins. The board has therefore decided that the national team will go to the Icelandic Championships, which take place the weekend before Ólavsøka. This is being done in consultation with the Icelandic athletics federation, which is kindly welcoming us as guest participants. This will in turn be an opportunity for those who perhaps just fell short of the Island Games to compete internationally nonetheless.
Training and information day
Very soon we will hold an event for the preliminary squad, where we will first have a joint training session. After that there will be information about the national team’s plans for the summer. We will probably get a good bite to eat that day as well. More about this very soon.
