On Sunday 11 October, the Faroe Islands got their own European rowing champion, when Sverri Sandberg Nielsen won the final in men’s single sculls at the 2020 European Rowing Championships.
Sverri Sandberg Nielsen is from Miðvágur but he has won several competitions while rowing under the Danish flag. He qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, which were supposed to take place this summer but ended up being postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19.
The 2020 European Rowing Championships took place in Poznan, Poland last weekend. Sverri Sandberg Nielsen won with the time 6.50.220, about a second ahead of the runner up from Poland.
On Wednesday 14 October, which also happened to be the Euopean Rowing Champion’s 27th birthday, Sverri Sandberg Nielsen was celebrated in his home village of Miðvágur and met Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen in Tórshavn.
– Rowing is out national sport. A sport, which shapes our location as a North Atlantic island nation and our strong connections to the sea. With this fantastic result, Sverri sets a great example for us and our children, because he shows us that with training and guidance we can reach our big goals. I hope this will strengthen Faroese rowing, which is an important part of our identity, the Prime Minister said at the reception.
See gallery here.
