In December, Elín Klara Þorkelsdóttir represented Iceland at the Women’s World Championship. Now, just weeks later, her older brother Orri Freyr Þorkelsson is doing the same at the European Championship.
“It’s a big thing to see my sister represent our country,” Orri says to GoHandball.
For Orri Freyr Þorkelsson, international championships have recently become a family affair. While he is now competing with Iceland’s men’s national team at the Euros, his sister Elín Klara experienced her own breakthrough on the world stage only weeks earlier, playing the World Championship with the women’s national team.
Watching her from the stands and from afar has been a source of both pride and perspective.
“Of course I’m very proud of her,” Orri says.
“I really enjoy watching when the women’s team plays, and my girlfriend was also part of the team at the last World Championship.”
Handball, in other words, runs deep in his personal life.
“It’s a big moment every time. Seeing my sister and my girlfriend represent our country is something special.”
The little sister followed in her big brother’s steps
Elín Klara has often spoken about Orri as a role model, something he became aware of long before either of them wore the Icelandic national jersey.
“It means a lot to me. She has already been very successful, even though she’s still young.”
Growing up, he could see how closely she followed his path, sometimes even pushing herself further.
“When I was still in Iceland, I knew she was copying things I was doing. And often she actually did more than me. She trained a lot.”
Her journey into elite handball was anything but straightforward.
“She has a really interesting story,” Orri says.
“She changed from football to handball, played one summer in the second-highest division in Iceland, and after that decided to fully commit to handball.”
“It means a lot”
From that moment on, everything revolved around development.
“She put everything into it: strength training, all parts of the game, reading the game, shooting. And now she’s here, playing at this level.”
Knowing that his example helped shape that path is deeply meaningful to him.
“It means a lot that she looks up to me and copies what I do. Because I can see that it’s taking her places.”
Like many young Icelandic players, Elín Klara also had to leave home early to pursue her career, something Orri knows well from his own experience.
“Moving abroad for the first time is a challenge. Being away from family, learning everything – cooking, cleaning, washing clothes.”
The admiration between the siblings goes both ways. Asked what he himself has learned from his younger sister, Orri doesn’t hesitate.
“Her work ethic. How hard she works, how much effort she puts into everything.”
It’s something he actively draws inspiration from.
“She’s in incredible shape. She’s the kind of athlete you want to be. So I can look up to her as well.”
Always in contact with each other
More than anything, their relationship is built on constant support and honest communication.
“We support each other, that’s very important. We talk after games, whether they were good, bad, or just okay. It doesn’t matter.”
The connection doesn’t pause during championships, even when schedules are packed.
“Of course we stay in contact. At the beginning of the World Championship, when she was playing, we didn’t talk that much, I was mostly just watching and sending messages.”
As the tournaments went on, the conversations grew longer.
“Later we had phone calls,” Orri adds.
“And she came to watch our game against Poland with my parents and little brother.”
And sometimes, the calls stretch on.
“Yesterday we talked on the phone for 40 minutes. We’re always in contact. It’s always been like that.”
A lot of travel for the parents
Behind both careers stand two parents who have quietly carried much of the load.
“It’s a lot of traveling for them,” Orri says.
“Now we both live abroad, and championships mean flights, hotels – it can be expensive.”
Still, he knows exactly how much that support means.
“They enjoy it, and we get unbelievable support from our parents. They’ve helped us with so many things. They are like a rock behind our backs.”
As Orri continues to develop on the court, now as an established player for Sporting and Iceland, that foundation remains central.
“I hope we’re making them proud. And I hope they have great experiences watching us,” he says.
Two championships. Two siblings. One country.
And a shared journey that continues to shape them both, on and off the court.