THOR CUP 2007 Report 

THOR CUP ICELAND 2007: Report and pictures

The Thor Cup was organized for the second time in Reykjavik by Mita Overvliet .

This competition setup is a special formula to promote the sport in the Nordic countries.
Te concept came from Eurosports reporter David Goldstrom and the organisation is done by Mita Overvliet.
Five teams from Norway,Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland have to fight for the title by making the highest total.
 Each teams consists of three lifters with a maximum total bodyweight of 280 kilo (a "lightweight", "middleweight" and a "heavyweight" lifter). In this way the public can easily see which team is on the winning hand. The competition itself is organised in a large shopping mall and is broadcasted life on the Icelandic television. The best team receives 3000 Euro and all the other teams also receive money prices.

This year the tournament awas also put on the IWF calendar so it counts for the world ranking list.

I was invited to come and help a bit in the organization.
As the competition is professionally organised with a standard from World and European Championships, there was a lot of work to do.
Usually I only stand on the platform so it was quite interesting to help building up the stage.
Wednesday evening they brought the material to build up the stage.
Many people where helping, ofcourse I couldn't put all the names and pictures of everybody who helped so I hope nobody feels offended.

Thursday we started to build up the stage.  Here Hans from Iceland and Hans from Norway putting the wooden plates...

	Then we put the carpet on the wood and a wrap around the platform...
	International referee, Per Mattingsdal from Norway also helped a lot...

	And this is how the stage finally looked like...
	Even if I helped myself, I have to say that this really equalled the level of the biggest international events.
	The warm up had three platforms. The whole competition was broadcasted life.
	Another great move to attract the attention to this competition, was to involve former "world strongest man" Magnus ver Magnussen. Here Magnus commentating during the competition with Hans Hagenes doing the computer.

I wasn't planning to compete but standing on the stage I helped building myself, I started to think how it would be to lift on it.
In an interview with Icelandic TV, I found myself saying that I was going to lift and before I knew there was no way back :-))

Icelandic national TV broadcasted the whole competion live. 
The competition can also be seen on internet: http://dagskra.ruv.is/streaming/sjonvarpid/?file=4349262

I competed outside the real team cup and weighed in at 62.67 kg. As I had been training with high repetitions and lower weights I started rather low with an easy opener of 108kg snatch. Also the second lift with 113 kg was successful. My last attempt with 117 kg was quite high but it was a little in front and I dropped it.    
I made aperfect row in the clean and jerk, with 132 kg, 137 kg and 142kg. 
My total of 255 kg gave me 364.6 Sinclair points, which was also the best individual result of the competition.

 Like last year Finland won the team competition  clearly with 897 kg  total before Sweden (875) and Norway (861):

	All the teams for the price  ceremony.
	Elmo Oksman (standing), Miika Antii-Roiko (left), Iiro Hartikainen  (right) with the Ceremony ladies...

		Mita even provided free massage for the athletes after competition!.
		The banquet was also very nice with delecious food and drinks . and also all the trophees and money for best lifters, helpers,coaches, referees... were given.
		Here all the coaches together. From left to right: Icelandic coach and world champion masters Gudmunder Sigurdsson, Juhamatti Eskelinen from Finland, Swedisch coach, organiser Mita Overvliet, Norvegian coach Gunar, Danish coach Peter Banke.

Some action pictures:

 

		Best lifter with 351,4 sinclair Elmo OSKMAN and second best with 348,0 sinclair Iiro HARTIKAINEN. (I made 364,6  sinclair but outside competition)
		John Söderholm from Sweden and discusthrower Asgeir Bjarnason from Iceland.

The Blue Lagoon, was created by run-off from the Svartsengi power plant, which pumps up the geothermally heated water from a full mile below the surface. After being used to generate both heat and electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal hot water heating system. Then the water is fed into the lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe in.

The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland. It is situated approximately 13 km from the Keflavík International Airport and 39 km from the capital city of Reykjavík. The temperature in the swimmable area averages about 40C (104F), and the soothing, mineral-rich water is rumored to have curative powers.

 Together with the waterfall Gullfoss and the geysirs of Haukadalur, Þingvellir is part of the most famous sights of Iceland, the Golden Circle.

The English word geyser to describe a spouting hot spring derives from Geysir.
Geysir, is the oldest known geyser and one of the world's most impressive examples of the phenomenon.
Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 60 metres in the air. However, eruptions are infrequent, and have in the past stopped altogether for years at a time.

	Strokkur is only a few metres away from Geysir. However, unlike Geysir which erupts infrequently and may be dormant for years at a time, Strokkur erupts very reliably every 5-10 minutes, hurling boiling water to heights of up to 20 metres towards the sky. After a few seconds, the fountain subsides and the waters around it calms down.
	The geothermically heated water rises up to 100°C

	Gullfoss is a waterfall located in the canyon of the White River (Hvítá) in south central Iceland, and its name means the Golden Falls. With a 32m double-cascade, and about 20m large, Gullfoss is one of  Europe’s most powerful waterfalls.
	On a sunlit day, the mist clouds surrounding the hammering falls are filled with dozens of rainbows, providing an unparalleled spectacle of color and motion. Unfortunately I experienced Icelands unpredictable weather with snowfall when I visited.

	The Thingvellir National Park is not only beautiful to see. It is also a place of geographical and historical importance. Thingvellir was home to the first parliament in the world. Icelandic Vikings began meeting here annually in the 10th century, gathering around a giant rock formation to create new laws and amend previous ones.
	Thingvellir is an enormous geologic rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. It is one of the few spots in the world where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge comes above water,
	The rift has created spectacular scenery, including Iceland's biggest lake and dramatic cliffs.  The biggest one, Almannagjá, is a veritable canyon.

 

To conclude, as impressive as the nature scene is in Iceland, as impressive was the organisation of the tournament.

Hope this initiative will be followed by others to promote our beloved sport.