2020 Reykjavík International Games
At the 2020 Reykjavík International Games, Patrik Viggo Vilbergsson topped the individual medal table with 4 golds and 1 silver. He topped the podium in the men’s 1500 free, 400 free (Open and 15&O), and 200 free, and he also secured silver in the 200 back. Vilbergsson helped his team, the Sunddeild Breidabliks to a fourth place finish in the team standings in the with 5 golds, 3 silvers and 2 bronzes total.
Swimming at home, Icelandic Olympian and multiple national record holder Anton McKee had a successful run at the meet, picking up gold in his signature events, the 100 and 200 breaststroke. McKee’s gold medal times were 1:01.18 in the 100 and a 2:11.96 in the 200. He was joined on the podium by teammate Aron Jonsson (2:22.01) and Ellas Kristensen (2:25.48) in the 200 and Roland Toftum (1:05.92) and August Eriksson (1:07.21).
Swimming the same two events at the 2016 Olympics, McKee finished 35th in the 200 and and 18th in the 100. This past summer, McKee raced to a 16th place finish in heats (2:10.32) and semi finals (2:10.68) of the 200 breast. He finished 20th in the 50 breast with a 27.46 and 24th in the 100 breast with a 1:00.32. McKee tied this weekend with Dado Fenrir Jasminuson (ISL) and Mikkel Solhoey (NOR) for a fourth place finish on the individual medal table.
Topping the team medal table was the contingent of Danish athletes representing Aalborg Swimming. 2016 Olympic medalist Mie Nielson led the charge, collecting gold medals in the 50 back, 50 free, 100 back and 100 free. In those events, she hit times of 28.79, 25.83, 1:01.27, and 25.15, respectively. Nielsen currently holds the Danish national records in the long course 50 back as well as both the long course and short course 100 back. Line Joergensen Bruun also picked up multiple medals for Aalborg, winning gold in the 200 IM and 400 free , silver in the 400 IM, 200 free and bronze in the 100 free.
On the men’s side Aalborg had two swimmers pick up multiple medals; Viktor Bromer and Nicolas Blanch. A 2016 Olympian for Denmark, Bromer topped the podium in the 400 IM (4:38.01), 50 fly (25.01), 200 fly (1:59.32), with Blanch taking gold in the 200 IM (2:12.41), silver in the 400 free (4:13.80), 100 free (53.92) and 100 fly (57.28), and bronze in the 400 IM (4:47.84). Bromer was second to Patrik Viggo Vilbergsson on the individual medal table, with Blanch tying Iceland’s Kristinn Thorarinsson for 7th.
The 2020 Reykjavík International Games marked the first of three Olympic qualification events that Iceland will host in the lead up to the Games. Icelandic swimmers will also have the chance to qualify at the SH Asvallamot meet on March 14th and 15th, along with at Icelandic Championships on April 3-5. In 2016, Iceland sent three swimmers to Rio; Anton McKee, Eygló Ósk Gústafsdóttir who finished 8th in the 200 back and Hfafnhildur Lúthersdóttir who finished 6th in the 100 breast.
