With Icelandic blood in her veins and a Norwegian upbringing in her background, Dana Björg Guðmundsdóttir (23) has just returned from a whirlwind Euro adventure.
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There,she contributed to securing Iceland’s very first victory in the championship when they defeated Ukraine – an achievement that would make even the toughest vikings cheer.
– Being part of writing history is absolutely fantastic, Guðmundsdóttir describes to Dagbladet.
Thorir Hergeirsson’s homeland sent shockwaves through the handball world when they nearly took points from medal outsider the Netherlands in their Euro debut in the group stage. Then they beat Ukraine.The 23-year-old describes the atmosphere in the team as electric.
In the last group match,hope for a handball shock still lingered,but Germany won that match.
– We were aware of our role as underdogs, especially against the Netherlands and Germany. Thus, we threw worries overboard and decided to enjoy every moment on the court, Guðmundsdóttir shares, who played in all three matches.
While the Norwegian handball girls play Champions league for European top clubs, Guðmundsdóttir fights for Volda in the 1st division. In the small village, she also sits bent over her school books for teacher education.
And we can reveal this much: the Euro tournament and exam period do not take each other into account. When Dagbladet got in touch with the 23-year-old,Euro play was exchanged for exam writing.
– Usually, it effectively works well to alternate between lectures and training, but during the Euro, it truly became a balancing act. it sort of worked, but I felt my brain really got a challenge, she says about combining Euro play and exam studying.
Guðmundsdóttir took her first breaths in Iceland, but when she was just a baby, the family moved to Norway. At home, they spoke Icelandic, at school Norwegian.
– I was originally Icelandic on paper, but switched to a Norwegian passport in 2019. When the national team came into play, I quickly regained my Icelandic citizenship, she shares about how she ultimately ended up at the Euro for Iceland.
The Icelandic national team has participated in the Euro twice before on the women’s side but lost all matches both in 2010 and 2012.On the men’s side, they have competed with the absolute world elite. In 2008, they took Olympic silver, while in 2010 they earned Euro silver.