Swimmingly good: The national swimming team have for the second successive year finished second in the medal table at the European Short-Course Championship – not bad for a group who learnt just ten days ago that their coach, Paulus Wildeboer, is quitting the set-up in January to take up a similar position in Australia. Their medal haul of six golds, four silvers and two bronzes was bettered only by the hosts, France. Jeanette Ottesen matched her performance of 2012 with three golds (two relays and the 50m butterfly) but was outshone by Rikke Møller Pedersen, who won one relay and two individual events: the 100m and 200m breaststroke. Lotte Friis won the 800m freestyle, meaning that once again, there were no golds for the men. Indeed, Viktor Bromer, second in the 200m butterfly, was the only man to medal.
FCK’s bid still alive: A winner 14 minutes from time against Norwegian outfit Molde last week on Thursday ensured FC Copenhagen remain in contention to qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League. The Lions will now need to beat group leaders Steaua Bucharest, who lost 1-5 to Stuttgart, at Parken on December 6 by a better result than the 1-0 loss they suffered in Romania.
Under-19s impress: The under-19 men’s national football side will await the draw for the elite round, the final round of qualifying for the 2013 European Championship, with confidence after ensuring they enter it as one of the top seeds. A 3-0 win on Monday against Finland was enough to top their group with maximum points. Lithuania will host the finals between July 20 and August 1.
Shakhtar cheat banned: UEFA has banned Shakhtar Donetsk striker Luiz Adriano for one game after finding him guilty of a “violation of the principles of conduct” when he scored a goal from an uncontested drop-ball against FC Nordsjaelland last week on Tuesday in the Champions League. Rinat Akhmetov, the owner of Donetsk, had earlier called the action “unacceptable” and said he was “deeply disappointed”.
Trio on top: Following on from the recent exploits of footballer Viktor Fischer, 18, for Ajax, two other young Danes are also excelling. Golfer Thorbjørn Olesen, 22, has broken into the world’s top 50 for the first time – an achievement that will see him invited to all the majors should he remain there. While Olympic gold medallist Lasse Norman Hansen, 20, has been named the Danish cyclist of the year. “It’s f**king great,” he told media.
