Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu netted from seven meters, and over 5,000 fans from the 17 islands were completely over the moon and celebrated peacefully all night long. The European Championship debutant had defied the co-favorites - and made his way into the history books of handball. When the 5,000 fans sang their anthem “Tú alfagra land mítt” (“Oh, my beautiful country”) at the top of their lungs, a chill ran down the spines of the remaining 8,000 spectators in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. The island handball players were definitely a huge addition to European handball, even if they had to leave after the preliminary round and two defeats against Slovenia and Poland. “We’ll be back,” says Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu, whom everyone in Kiel just calls “Skippy,” with certainty.  

And the THW player still gets very emotional when looking back on the tournament: “When you know that ten percent of the entire population of your country came to cheer for you, that makes you very, very proud. And we owe the fans a huge thank you. This was a really big deal for our people and for us. Those were great moments in Berlin when everyone sang the national anthem - and in the end even people from other countries cheered us on because we were likeable outsiders. We now have arrived on the handball map – thanks to our achievements, but also thanks to our great fans.”  

The 21-year-old has now returned to everyday life at THW - after 23 goals and 24 assists in three EHF EURO matches. Last the summer, the talent moved from the Swedish club Sävehof to Kiel and is one of two Faroe Islands imports in the LIQUI MOLY HBL alongside Hakun West av Teigum from Füchse Berlin. Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu is already the fourth best scorer at THW Kiel with 50 HBL goals - and was quickly integrated.  

In his first game with Kiel after the historic and exhilarating EHF EURO with the Faroe Islands, everything is at stake: On Wednesday evening (20:30 CET, live on Dyn), the THW hosts table leaders SC Magdeburg, who are already six points ahead of Kieler– and are unbeaten since the defeat against the Füchse at the beginning of September. After a period of weakness and a cup elimination, THW started to catch up with seven wins in a row. “We have to win against Magdeburg if we want to attack the top, this game is perhaps the most important in the next few weeks. With a win we still have a chance for the title,” says Ellefsen á Skipagøtu.  

But SCM continues to fly on cloud nine - with the 34:24 victory in the cup quarter-finals on Sunday against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the new edition of the 2023 final, Bennet Wiegert's team continued its endless success story in all competitions, qualified again for the REWE Final4 on 13/14. April in Cologne and travels to Kiel with a huge confidence.  

Therefore, Ellefsen á Skipagøtu hopes that the “white wall” of fans in the Wunderino Arena will become a decisive factor again - like the white wall of the Faroe Islands fans in Berlin: “My 'wow experience' in Kiel was my first home game. It was really extreme to be cheered on by 10,000 fans in the home arena. It still sends shivers down my spine when we play in the Wunderino Arena. Before my home debut in Kiel, I had never played in front of such a large audience and never experienced such an atmosphere, simply great.”  

The backcourt player, who was top scorer and all-star team member at the U21 World Championship 2023 in Germany, also feels well received in terms of sport: “I was quickly integrated, but I wouldn't describe myself as a regular player yet. We have so many top players, so we can rotate a lot. Everyone plays his role. My role varies from game to game, from opponent to opponent: sometimes I'm more of a scorer, sometimes I'm there for assists. In general, I’m always there to help the team, whether I score a goal or give a pass.”  

But it wasn't just when it came to training and games that Ellefsen á Skipagøtu had to adapt in Kiel: “In my first six months at THW, in addition to playing at the highest level, I learned one thing above all: traveling. I have never traveled so much in my entire handball career, neither to Bundesliga nor Champions League games. Of course I've played on international ground with Sävehof before, but we never traveled that much - and sometimes, you can even see something of the cities beside hotels and arenas.”  

Ellefsen á Skipagøtu still has a dream destination for this first season with THW Kiel – the LANXESS arena in Cologne. After THW missed the REWE Final4 in the DHB Cup early on due to the defeat against Wetzlar, the Kiel team still have it in their own hands to qualify for the final tournament of the EHF Champions League. Kiel are currently top of the group and will re-start against Kielce next week. “After playing with the Faroe Islands in Berlin in front of more than 13,000 fans, it is of course my dream to play in front of 20,000 fans in Cologne. I heard that even some fans from the Faroe Islands have already bought tickets – I hope to see them there.”

Ellefsen á Skipagøtu is also sure that he is not the last of his people to play handball in Germany: “I think that many more players from the Faroe Islands will try it. We have a lot of talented guys in our national team who are getting better and better. And by taking part in events like the EHF EURO, they have the chance to present themselves on a big stage.” 

Photo: Klahn