The Faroe Islands and Northern Germany may not seem too far apart when looking at the world map, but the small islands that Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu grew up in and the handball heartland in which he has made a name for himself are worlds away.

It has truly been a breakout year for the 21-year old, making him the perfect subject for episode three of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League documentary series, Dare to Rise, which is titled "Far from home" and premiers on Tuesday 23 February at 17:00 CET on the Home of Handball YouTube channel.

The young centre signed for Kiel at the start of the season having had success in Sweden with IK Sävehof. He scored his first EHF Champions League goal in front of the Match of the Week cameras in round 1 and will surely pass the 50-goal mark during the quarter-finals.

But our story goes back much further, beginning in his native Faroe Islands. In the episode, created by Nicklas Vinde and Ed Knowles and featuring the stunning surroundings of the Faroe Islands, we hear from á Skipagøtu's parents on his upbringing and early involvement in handball, and from the man himself, who knew early on that he must leave the islands to pursue his dream of playing professional handball.

In Kiel, we hear from the Zebra's Croatian legend Domagoj Duvnjak, who shares insight on how the youngster dealt with the pressure of walking into the most successful club in German handball, and how he integrated into Filip Jicha's team.

"Of course I want to win!" he says, of his EHF Champions League ambitions. After a bright start to this season's competition, Kiel suffered what á Skipagøtu referred to as inconsistency, but they still finished top of their group and will face Montpellier HB in the quarter-finals.

It remains to be seen if he will reach his ambitions, but it is clear that the man named IHF Young Male Player of the Year 2023, and made such a positive impact at the Men's EHF EURO 2024, has indeed dared to rise, as the breakout star of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League this season.

Watch Dare to Rise episode three, Far from Home, an infront and EHF Marketing production, below and on the Home of Handball YouTube channel from 17:00 CEST on Tuesday 23 April.

Follow us on:
🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehomeofhandball/
🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@homeofhandball
🔹 Facebook: https://facebook.com/homeofhandball/
🔹 Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ehfeuro
🔹 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HomeofHandball
🔹 Twitch: https://twitch.tv/homeofhandball