– I will only have 5,000 meters in the NM. I have landed on it, says Grøvdal to news. The fact that she will only run one distance during the NM in Sandnes this week may not sound like a complicated choice to make. But the choice has consequences. This means that 5000 meters will also be her only distance during the Olympics. She is giving up her last chance to qualify for the 10,000 meters in Paris – a distance that would have suited the woman who just won European Championship silver in the 5,000 meters and European Championship gold in the half marathon. – Why do you drop the 10,000 meters in the NM, and thus the Olympics? – There are 10,000 meters with spiked shoes. It would probably have gone well, but it is not optimal, because it is quite a large load. I’ve been injury-free so far this season, and I’m not fragile, but I don’t want to stress about it. So then I drop 10,000 and go “all in” on 5,000, she says to news. Watch the NM in athletics on NRK1 from Thursday to Saturday. Not running the distance Grøvdal wishes it was a choice she didn’t have to make. Because ideally, she would like to have qualified for the 10,000 meters in the Olympics a long time ago. BEST IN EUROPE: Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal followed up silver in the 5,000 meters with gold in the half marathon in Rome. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB So she is not. It comes from the fact that she has neither managed the Olympic requirement of 30.40 within the qualification period – nor is she qualified on the ranking. It is extra boring that the latter again partly comes from a lack of knowledge about the rules. For the Olympics, it is the case that everyone who has passed the requirement, rightly limited to a maximum of three from each nation, gets to start the athletics exercises. For 10,000 metres, this requirement could have been met both in track races and in street races. Grøvdal has not jumped 10,000 on the track during the qualification period. The last time she ran the distance was when she ran together with Therese Johaug at Bislett on 8 May 2022. Didn’t know about the terrain ranking. On the other hand, Grøvdal has run the distance on street three times this year, but without meeting the requirement. The reason why she has prioritized street running over track is that running on tarmac in so-called “super shoes” is much gentler on the legs than running on track in spiked shoes. When all automatically qualified are on the start list, the rest of the places in the Olympic field are filled up via ranking. At 10,000 metres, two different rankings are used. Eight places are reserved for runners who have qualified via cross-country running. Grøvdal only became aware of this rule in April, and by then it was too late. And that even though she won EC gold and was the best European in the WC cross-country last winter. In order to get a valid ranking, she had to run one more cross-country race. It was already too late when she discovered it. – My choice The last places are awarded based on the world ranking of the 10,000 track/10 km track race. Two runs tel. What Grøvdal was not aware of was that at least one of the races had to be run on a track. – I feel a bit stupid when I say that I didn’t know either, she admits to news. BEST IN THE TERRAIN: Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal has three straight EC gold medals in cross-country running. Photo: Anders Skjerdingstad / news She emphasizes that it is her own responsibility. – As for the terrain ranking, I think I could have been told about it by someone in management. But I found out the other in time for this to be my choice, Grøvdal points out. Grøvdal found out about the ranking rules shortly before the EC. Thus, she had very few opportunities to complete the required race before the qualification deadline expires. First of all, she is self-critical because she has not run fast enough in the street races she has competed in. – I have focused on 30.40 and never really thought about ranking. I’m actually a bit against it. If you want to participate, you should meet the requirement, says Grøvdal. Post: Easier at 10,000 – Do you know that you are now missing your best distance in the Olympics? – No, I don’t. Then I would have gone in to qualify now. I know I’m pretty similar to both. But the 10,000 is the last day of the Olympics, it would have been very good to double, so I would have accepted if I had been offered a place, says Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal. news’s athletics commentator Jann Post only partially agrees with the analysis. – Karoline is probably right that she is quite fifty-fifty, but in the Olympics there will probably be slightly weaker opposition in the 10,000 metres. We still don’t quite know what people want to bet on, but as it looks, it would have been easier to fight for a top 10 position of 10,000, analyzes Post. Published 26.06.2024, at 11.04
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– I feel a bit stupid – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
