Elín Klara and Daníel Ingi are the Athletes of Hafnarfjörður 2024 

Athletes honoured and achievements of the year celebrated

The election for Hafnarfjörður's Sportswoman, Sportsman and Sports Team took place at the Strandgata sports hall today. FH men's handball first team is the 2024 Hafnarfjörður team of the year, Elín Klara Þorkelsdóttir from Haukar is the 2024 Hafnarfjörður female athlete of the year, and Daníel Ingi Egilsson from FH is the 2024 Hafnarfjörður male athlete of the year.  

• FH men's handball first team is the 2024 Hafnarfjörður elite team  
• Elín Klara Þorkelsdóttir From Haukar is the 2024 Hafnarfjörður Sportswoman.  
• Daniel Ingi Egilsson From FH is Hafnarfjörður's Sportsman of the Year 2024

Every year, the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður organises an awards ceremony for sportspeople who compete for teams from Hafnarfjörður, The ceremony honoured Icelandic champions, cup winners, Nordic champions, world champions and special achievements, as well as the selection of Hafnarfjörður's sportswoman, sportsman and sports team. The event took place at the sports hall on Strandgata today. Nearly 400 individuals have won Icelandic championship titles with teams from Hafnarfjörður this year. They are especially congratulated on their achievement. At the ceremony, 10.4 million was allocated from a fund established by Rio Tinto in Iceland, ÍBH and the City of Hafnarfjörður, which is intended to support sports activities for under-18s.  

Both league champions and Icelandic champions in the year  

FH's men's first team became both league and Icelandic champions this year. The team played exceptionally well in the league last season, securing the league title in the final matchday. This was FH's first league title since 2017. In the play-offs themselves, the team also emerged victorious after knocking out KA in the quarter-finals, ÍBV in the semi-finals, and later Afturelding in the final. FH thus became Icelandic champions for the first time since 2011 and for the 16th time indoors. The FH team also participated in the European Cup last season, achieving excellent results. The team knocked out Argos from Greece, Bocholt from Belgium and Partizan Belgrade from Serbia before being knocked out against the formidable Tatran Prešov from Slovakia. 

Elín Klara is Hafnarfjörður's sportswoman for the second year running.  

Elín Klara Þorkelsdóttir is Hafnarfjörður's Sportswoman of the Year for 2024, just as she was last year. Despite her young age, Elín Klara has become one of the country's best handball players. She has made a name for herself both at home and abroad.  During the 2023-2024 season, she led the Haukar senior team to the final of the Icelandic Championship, where the team lost to Valur. At the end of the season, Elín Klara was named the league's best player for the second season in a row, and she was also the league's top scorer. At the end of the year, Elín and her teammates at Haukar are in 3rd place in the Olís Women's League, and Elín Klara is currently the league's top scorer, as well as being second for most assists. 

Elín Klara was a regular in the women's national team this year, securing qualification for the European Championship finals for the first time in 12 years, which took place earlier in December. Elín Klara played a major role, directing the team's play with composure and being one of the team's top scorers. During the year, Elín Klara also played for the Iceland U20 women's national team, with whom they competed in the World Championship finals. Elín was at the forefront of the team's achievement, as they secured the best result ever for an Icelandic women's national team, finishing in 7th place. At the end of the tournament, Elín Klara was selected for the All-Star Team as the best playmaker of the tournament. 

Daniel Ingi is the Hafnarfjörður Sportsman of the Year 2024 

Daníel Ingi Egilsson, now 24, started training athletics again in the autumn of 2021 after a break of several years. Since then, he has made great progress in the long jump and the triple jump. That year, he joined the world's elite in the long jump when he became the Nordic Champion. He jumped 8.21 m, thereby breaking Jón Arnar Magnússon's 28-year-old Icelandic record (8.00 m). 

Daniel Ingi became the Nordic champion in the triple jump in 2023 with a leap of 15.98 m, and his longest jump that year was 7.92 m in the long jump. He then competed at the European Championships, which took place in Rome at the beginning of June, where he also jumped 7.92 m and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final. This year, Daniel is ranked 17th in the world among the best long jumpers. He was only 9 cm short of 9th place, so narrow is the margin. Daniel Ingi's achievement is the best ever by an FH athlete in athletics and the fifth best ever by an Icelandic athlete in athletics, according to the IAAF's performance points system.  

Elín Klara and Daníel Ingi are Hafnarfjörður's Athletes of 2024. Daníel Ingi's mother accepted the award on his behalf, here with Mayor Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir.

Anton Sveinn McKee honoured in a special way 

During the year, Anton Sveinn McKee, a swimmer from Hafnarfjörður Swimming Club, Hafnarfjörður's Sportsman of the Year in 2022 and 2023, and a member of the Icelandic national swimming team, announced his decision to hang up his racing costume after a successful career as one of the country's best swimmers, past and present. At the awards ceremony, Anton Sveinn was specially honoured for his achievements and success. Anton Sveinn began his career with the Hafnarfjörður Swimming Club at the age of seven. At the age of twelve, he began to reap the rewards, launching a long career that has yielded numerous Icelandic championship titles in the 200m to 1500m freestyle, 400m individual medley, and 50m-200m breaststroke. Today, he holds 13 Icelandic records and 8 junior Icelandic records. He competed in 8 European Championships and 8 World Championships with great success, qualifying for four Olympic Games. With a special recognition at the ceremony, the health town of Hafnarfjörður and the Sports and Leisure Committee would like to thank Anton Sveinn in particular for his contribution as a high-performance athlete, for being a role model for young athletes, and for his exceptional achievements and career.   

Hafnarfjörður warmly congratulates all of Hafnarfjörður's athletes on their achievement of the year 2024!