Denmark eyes speedway gold after 2014 drought

Denmark, a historical powerhouse in speedway with numerous world titles, has not secured a world championship since 2014. The national team now has a strong chance to end this drought at the upcoming team world championship final.

National coach Nicki Pedersen expressed optimism about his squad's potential. The team boasts a formidable lineup including Grand Prix riders Michael Jepsen Jensen, Leon Madsen, and Anders Thomsen, alongside three-time European champion Mikkel Michelsen and reliable reserve Frederik Jakobsen. Pedersen noted a particularly strong team spirit evident during the semi-final in Latvia three weeks prior.

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We started the semi-final with three zeroes in Riga, and then it could be difficult for me to choose who should go out, but Anders Thomsen stepped up and said he would take one for the team and let Frederik Jakobsen have a heat. Later, Thomsen came back and won a heat. That says something about a strong team spirit, that one can and wants to see what is best for the team. We know each other well, and there is a good atmosphere because we all want to give an extra push when we ride with the Danish flag on our chest.

"We started the semi-final with three zeroes in Riga, and then it could be difficult for me to choose who should go out, but Anders Thomsen stepped up and said he would take one for the team and let Frederik Jakobsen have a heat," Pedersen recounted. "Later, Thomsen came back and won a heat. That says something about a strong team spirit, that one can and wants to see what is best for the team. We know each other well, and there is a good atmosphere because we all want to give an extra push when we ride with the Danish flag on our chest."

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It's something special to win with a national team. You really feel that you stand together, even though you might be competitors daily. It lifts you a couple of percent. Me and Hans Andersen weren't the best of friends back then, but we stood together when we rode for Denmark.

Pedersen, a four-time team world champion as a rider himself, emphasized the unique feeling of winning with a national team. "It's something special to win with a national team. You really feel that you stand together, even though you might be competitors daily. It lifts you a couple of percent. Me and Hans Andersen weren't the best of friends back then, but we stood together when we rode for Denmark," he said.

While bookmakers favor Australia, with Poland also seen as slightly stronger than Denmark, Pedersen believes the competition will be very close. He noted that Australia has a good team throughout, but so do Poland and Denmark. The final will be held on a newly laid track at Poland's national stadium, which Pedersen believes negates the home-field advantage for the Polish team. The Danish team tested the track on Friday, with the final scheduled for Saturday evening.

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I think Australia is good too, they have a good team all the way through. But so do Poland, and we certainly do too. It will be very close.