Iceland review - 2016, Qupperneq 18

16 ICELAND REVIEW
10Q
three years old, and I started training
when I was around five. My sisters were
also swimmers and my parents worked
a lot with swimmers [Eygló’s father was
the chairman of the Icelandic Swimming
Association and her mother also worked
there for many years]. At the age of eight,
my coaches saw that I had potential. I
think I made the final decision when I
was nine years old as I was watching the
2004 Olympics. I told my parents that I
wanted to go and was going to go, and
sure enough, eight years later I went to
the 2012 Olympics in London!
Who do you look up to as a profes-
sional role model?
I look up to the American swimmer
Missy Franklin. She’s the same age as
me and currently holds the world record
for the 200-meter backstroke. I had a
chance to meet her in 2011 at the World
Championships, after she won her first
gold medal. She’s a really nice person
and has been my idol for the past six
years or so.
Tell us something about yourself
that people might be surprised to
know.
I think the thing that surprises people the
most when they get to know me is that
I’m kind of a goofball. I’m really hyper
and an active person. Thankfully, my
coaches—Jacky Pellerin, Birgir Viktor,
and Kristinn Jaferian—have always been
really patient with me and have been
there to remind me what my goals are.
You recently returned from
Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. Tell
us about what you did and saw while
you were there.
I was practicing in some of the swim-
ming pools there, but it wasn’t a rigorous
training camp or anything. I was just
finding my rhythm again after taking a
week off before Christmas, which is a
long time out of the pool for professional
swimmers. It was one of the funnest trips
I’ve ever been on. The atmosphere, the
people and the weather were great. It
was sunny every day, so I visited all four
corners of the island, saw rainforests,
and stopped by, I think, seven different
beaches. Whenever I got a day off from
training, I took full advantage of it and
did a lot of touristy stuff.
What are you most looking forward
to about competing at the Olympics
this summer?
I’m looking forward to racing, doing
a good job, having a good time and
remembering to enjoy it. The last time
I went to the Olympics it was really
nerve-wracking. I wasn’t doing my best
in my category, because it was such a
big event and I was focusing on every-
one else instead of myself. I think it was
important to go through that, though,
just so that I could be more prepared
for this summer. I know how everything
goes now, so it won’t faze me as much.
I just want to do the best I can to be a
good representative for Iceland while
I’m there. *
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