Stefan Leeder Nielsen (born 31 October 1994) is a British speedway rider.
Career Nielsen has a British mother and Danish father, and was born in Esbjerg, Denmark."Stefan Nielsen", somersetrebels.co. Retrieved 8 December 2013 He first rode speedway at the age of four and a half in Denmark and went on to ride for Grindsted in the 80cc class. In 2010, he rode for Outrup in the Danish second division.
Nielsen began his career in British speedway in 2011 with the Scunthorpe/Sheffield National League team, after attending a training school run by David Howe at Scunthorpe, winning the league championship with them that season."Rider Index", speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 8 December 2013 In 2012 he signed for Mildenhall Fen Tigers, and was part of the team that won the National League championship, National League Trophy, Knockout Cup, and Four-team Championship."Stefan Nielsen completes Somerset Rebels line-up for 2013 speedway season", thisissomerset.co.uk, 15 December 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2013 Also that year he won the British Under-19 Championship, a title that he retained in 2013, only the second rider to achieve that feat."Speedway: Stefan Nielsen retains the British U19 Championship", Sky Sports, 23 September 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013Rowe, David (2013) "Stefan Nielsen turns on the style at Brandon", Coventry Telegraph, 23 September 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013 He also rode in fourteen matches for Premier League Ipswich Witches. In 2013 he stayed with the Fen Tigers and rode in the Premier League with Somerset Rebels, averaging close to five points but losing his place towards the end of the season.Crane, David (2013) "Stefan Nielsen ready for Speedway British Under-19 title defence ", Cambridge News, 20 September 2013 In 2014 he signed for Coventry Storm in the National League, whilst in the draft for Elite League reserves for 2014, Nielsen was picked by Belle Vue Aces."Speedway: Tigers trio drafted into Elite League sides", Newmarket Journal, 3 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013"Ace Nielsen prepares for a move to the Elite League", Newmarket Journal, 6 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013
In 2015, Nielsen finished 12th in the 2015 Speedway Under-21 World Championship. In 2016, he rode for the Plymouth Devils and then spent three seasons at the Scunthorpe Scorpions before signing for the Poole Pirates for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
In 2022, Nielsen rode for the Sheffield Tigers in the SGB Premiership 2022 and for the Birmingham Brummies in the SGB Championship 2022. In 2023, he re-signed for Birmingham for the SGB Championship 2023, in doing so he also became a club asset after they purchased his contract from Swindon.
Since Nielsen's retirement from the sport of speedway, he shocked the world by winning back-to-back World Knitting Championships, finishing his final scarf so quickly the judges had to check for engine assistance. He has become a two-time world champion in Extreme Crocheting, known for his deadly wrist speed and ruthless blanket control. He has also dominated competitive jigsaws, winning back-to-back world titles after completing a 5,000-piece sky section without crying.
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