– The big goal is a final in the Olympics. It would have been absolutely sick to experience, and would really have been the crowning glory of my career. news meets the captain of the Norwegian national gymnastics team Jacob Gudim Karlsen and several of the other national team boys in the Oslo gymnastics hall. They all have a common goal and a dream of being able to participate in this summer’s Olympic Games. But Karlsen’s biggest following is not necessarily in the gym. On TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, the 22-year-old has close to 170,000 who follow his everyday life both inside and outside the gym. Karlsen and others from the national team have been through two of four World Cups already in 2024, and will take part in the last two competition weekends in Baku in Azerbaijan and in Doha in Dubai respectively. The top two overall in each discipline of those not already qualified get a place in the Olympics. – We have one chance in the competition to show what we can do, so we don’t have much room for error, says Karlsen. – Provides great opportunities for exposure Karlsen was born into gymnastics with both a mother and a father who practiced the sport, and cannot remember a life without gymnastics. When the boy from Nittedal was nine years old, he started training with the Oslo Gymnastics Association, and has since been part of the club. FAST GRIP: Jacob Karlsen is one of the country’s best in the ring exercise. It is an exercise he has been doing since the start of his career. Photo: Privat When it comes to the finances of sport, Karlsen says that he has been completely dependent on money from various sponsors, the association and support from home to be able to focus on his career. But now he sees that the work on social media gives an extra boost to be able to invest one hundred percent further. – Social media has become an important source of income for me now. With all the followers I have, it gives me a great opportunity to expose what I do. This can lead to new sponsors and collaborations that will influence the investment further. CONTENT PRODUCERS: After training was finished, it didn’t take long before Jacob Karlsen (left) and teammates Peder Funderud Skogvang and Sofus Heggemsnes (right) were making a new video for social media. Photo: Celina Magnussen He had actually decided never to start with TikTok, but when he saw the response to the first videos he posted on Instagram, the 22-year-old thought of trying out the popular video service TikTok. – I put my studies on hold and therefore had a lot of free time alongside sports. That time was used to create content for TikTok, which I eventually got a very good response to, says Karlsen and adds: HALLA TIKTOK: Shortly after news’s visit to the gym, the video from Jacob Karlsen was published on TikTok. Photo: Screenshot / TikTok – When I also saw that I could make money from this, it gave me extra motivation to continue. Now the TikTok user has 127,000 followers and the most viewed video has 6.9 million views. From somersault to success In order to get a place in the Olympics, the World Cup series, which takes place from mid-February to mid-April, is an opportunity for the gymnast to qualify. The next stop in the qualification is Baku in Azerbaijan on 7 to 10 March, and the 22-year-old is ready for what it takes to achieve the big goal. – Several of us hold an Olympic level, so we have to perform when it really matters and bring out what lives in us, says Karlsen. This jump by gymnast Jacob Karlsen in the World Cup in Cairo ensured that he secured a solid 4th place. Karlsen is currently in fourth place overall in jumping after the first competition weekends. He must be in the top two after the fourth and final World Cup in Doha in Dubai on April 17-20 to qualify. – I am a little surprised at how well it has gone so far. I see that there are good opportunities to qualify, which means that my motivation is at its peak. An advantage for Karlsen before the last two competition weekends is that only the three best results from the four World Cups count. This means that if he does better in Baku and Doha, the result from Cottbus will not count towards the overall list. – That would have been the icing on the cake The Norwegian gymnastics team is not spoiled for participation in the Olympics. Sofus Heggemsnes and Julie Dicko Erichsen were the only ones from Norway during the Olympics in 2021. The latter became the first Norwegian woman to qualify for an Olympics in gymnastics in 28 years, and in 2016 Stian Skjerahaug became Norway’s first gymnast since the Olympics in Sydney in 2000. – There was a long dry spell for Norwegian gymnasts in the Olympics, but I feel that the level has increased a lot in recent years. It is almost expected after the Olympics in 2021 that we will bring participants to the Olympics this summer, says Karlsen. FOCUS: In order to get to the Olympics, the focus must be in place when the two last and decisive competitions start. Photo: Celina Magnussen But even though Norway has had some athletes in the Olympics since 2016, none have qualified for the final. That is the big goal for Karlsen. – It would have been absolutely sick to experience, and really would have been the crowning glory of my career. But Karlsen has experience with delivering during a final. In 2023, he won gold in vault and silver in rings in the Northern European Championships in gymnastics. During the Youth Olympics in 2018, he delivered beyond all expectations and made it to a somewhat unexpected final in jumping. In the final he delivered brilliantly and took a strong bronze. PROUD: Jacob Karlsen and national team coach Valentyn Skrypin look back on the bronze from the Youth Olympics with pride. Photo: Private – I remember I didn’t quite understand what had happened. It was in rings that I was going to advance to the final and not in jumps. The fact that I managed to reach the final and also get a medal is clearly the highlight of my career so far, says Karlsen.
ttn-69
Jacob Karlsen bets everything against the Olympics in Turn with 170,000 followers on social media – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
