– It hasn’t been much fun, no. Marianne Hong Sanderud notes it herself: She has not only had it easy in life. But as this story will tell you: She is not one to give up, and she is not a person to be underestimated. Quite the contrary, the story of Marianne Hong Sanderud is an account of inner courage, outer strength and a sense of purpose that most people can learn from. A story that could just as easily have been an American sports film. About a person who is stepped on repeatedly, but who gets up and emerges victorious in the end. COME TO NORWAY: Here we see Marianne’s first meeting with older sister Ingrid and mother Randi. Photo: Privat Don’t know when she was born To understand Marianne’s story we have to take a few steps back. She was adopted to Norway from China when she was very small. Marianne is told that she was found in the streets of Yibin, malnourished and in critical condition, and placed in an orphanage in China before the adoption to Norway took place. She does not know for sure, but believes there is a high probability that her biological parents had broken the country’s one-child policy. Marianne therefore came to Norway without any information being given about when she was born, and was therefore given a fictitious date of birth. It says 12 May 1999 in the passport, but they know that’s not true. – But the year is probably correct, she says. Therefore, she instead celebrates 22 December, which is the date she was adopted to Norway. HAPPY: Marianne in a good mood during the celebration of 17 May when she was only a few years old. Photo: Privat She got the feeling early on that she was not “like everyone else” in Norway. Together with a sister, also adopted from China, she grew up in Finnholt outside Kongsvinger, and her childhood was characterized by both good and bad memories. Good in the sense that she was both loved and looked after by her family and friends, but bad in the form of constant incidents from the outside which today would be characterized as reindeer animosity and racism. She replies “yes, there were many comments” when news asks if she experienced bullying at school. And the older she got, the worse it got. RACISM: Marianne Hong Sanderud has several experiences she would rather have been without. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news Imitating Chinese after her Once when she was playing a football match, there was a person in the stands who stood up and started imitating Chinese after her. When she was at the local fitness centre, a man came and asked if she was in Norway to get married. Once she was being treated at Nemus, a health center with, among other things, physiotherapy and massage, a male patient came over and said it would have been nice to have a massage from her too. If she strolled past a pub on Kongsvinger in the evening, she sometimes had “yellowing” thrown at her. Eventually she began to have enough. HARD TIME: Both racism and a faltering sports career affected Marianne in her late teens. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news The young girl walked around Hedmark with an increasing degree of anger and frustration in her. And suddenly it wasn’t just the constant harassment and racism that ruined the mood, a promising football career was also at stake. Daughter of a football legend When she was adopted, she ended up with the Sanderud family, and had Kongsvinger legend Vidar Sanderud as her father. Then it could only go one way, with a father who has played 259 games for Kongsvinger, it soon became football playing at Marianne as well. And it didn’t take long for her talent to become obvious. She was actually so good that, as one of six girls in her litter, she got a place on NTG’s top sports line for football in Kongsvinger. Heavy message from the doctors But eventually she got some mysterious pains in her calves. For two years, she struggled with her legs before the doctors found out what was wrong, and it was a slap in the face when she was diagnosed with “compartment syndrome”, which means that the inguinal membranes are too narrow and lead to poor blood circulation. She tried surgery in 2016, but the odds were against her. – The pain became chronic, I also had pain outside of training. After two years I was told that, if I wanted to have a normal life where I could run and move, I had to quit. Then I chose it, she says. It was the start of a difficult personal period. But at the time she didn’t know that it was actually what the English call “a blessing in disguise”. Although her soccer career was over, she refused to give up hope of finding a new sport. Everything was suddenly about finding an activity she could do without being in pain. As she attended a top sports gymnasium, there were many other sports associated with the school. The determined girl was given a new lease of life. She asked for endurance tips from the cyclists, trained strength with the handball girls and mobility with gymnastics and dance. Suddenly she was training in a completely different way than she had done before. THE STORE: The incident at the store in Kongsvinger changed everything. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news The episode at the store At the same time, something happened that made the cup run over for her. It was 2017, Marianne was looking at some goods in a shop in Kongsvinger. There was an older man there too. Without her fully registering, he came walking in her direction. She was completely unprepared for what was about to happen. Out of the blue, he opened his mouth and blurted out some sentences of a racist nature that news does not choose to reproduce here. – Got so angry Marianne was so perplexed that she didn’t know how to react. She paid for the goods and got away from the store in a hurry. – I got so angry, she remembers today. She didn’t know it at the time, but the episode would turn her life upside down. For the better. – The incident in the store happened in broad daylight. But it made me think: What do I do if I feel downright unsafe and something like this happens at night or when I’m alone? Then the idea of trying martial arts arose. She wanted to learn to defend herself. – Then I called the Taekwondo club in Kongsvinger, and a few days later I was there for my first training. It was a stroke of luck. MARTIAL SPORTS TALENT: Marianne did not need long to show that she had something to offer in this arena as well. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news The all-round training she had engaged in after her football career went down the drain meant that she already had the foundations in place. When she moved to Oslo in 2018 to study, and joined a kickboxing club in the capital, it only took a year before she participated in the National Championships in May 2019 with sensational results. People hardly knew who she was, but she left that championship with one Norwegian championship title and two bronze medals. Life was on the right track again, the serious disappointment after football began to subside. She had found a new path in life, and her mood was better than it had been for a long time. IMPRESSED: It didn’t take long before she hit hard on the martial arts scene as well. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news Then the corona came to the country. In March 2020, Marianne had a stroke she will not soon forget. – She screamed While she was standing at a subway station in Oslo, she was approached by an adult lady. – For me, it was a normal day. But it was also during that period that Norway began to shut down due to corona. I was standing on the subway when a lady came over and approached me directly. She almost screamed, and eventually said that “people like you should wear a mask”. Marianne received massive support when she later spoke about the episode on her Facebook page. – What was going through your head? – I was surprised and shocked, because it was so violent, but I was also very sorry. It hit me so hard when I realized what she was really saying. SHOCKED: Marianne did not believe what she heard from the lady on the subway. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news Marianne remembers that there were other people there, but no one broke in or spoke to her afterwards. She didn’t really want to talk to anyone either, she was both embarrassed and upset at the same time. – Did you expect people to defend you? – If I’m being honest, no. When I have experienced similar things in the past, it has rarely happened. – Not acceptable Father Vidar Sanderud reacts strongly to the fact that such incidents can happen. – No one should experience harassment, neither Marianne nor anyone else. It is not acceptable. It is a shared responsibility that we adults have, and it is important that it is dealt with immediately, he says to news. DAD: Vidar Sanderud has little left over for the treatment his daughter has received over the years. Photo: Privat The episode on the subway was not an isolated incident during the corona era. Marianne remembers situations where people physically removed themselves if she got too close. One episode in particular on a tram made an impression on her. – When I sat next to a person on the tram where there was a free seat, he moved. We were supposed to keep a meter distance at the time, but the person in question went and sat next to some ethnic Norwegians, and gave me ugly looks afterwards. Then there was no mistake, she says. – Gets very upset Dad Vidar Sanderud describes his daughter as very tough in the head, which she has been for as long as he can remember. – As for the episodes of harassment and such, she has probably worked quite hard on that. Such things are not so easy to talk about, at least not with mum and dad, but she has been very good at handling it. Although it has left its mark. It has clearly done that, he says. – What does it do to you as a father when you hear that she has several experiences with racism and harassment? – I get very upset. We probably didn’t catch it immediately when it happened, because she didn’t say anything about it then, but we realized along the way that there were episodes. It does something to you as a father, he says. RECEIVES PRAISE: Marianne receives many good words from her father and former football pro Vidar Sanderud. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news Vidar Sanderud, who on a daily basis works in the marketing department of the Norwegian Football Association, says that there are constantly new reports of unwanted behaviour, incitement and harassment in football. – There is a lot of dirt out there. I think it’s good that someone dares to come forward and tell about it, and I’m very happy that she has done it, I think that has also eased her pressure. Few people want to have it the way she has had it. But she has managed to use it positively and gained energy from it, while there have certainly been nights and days that have been tough, he says. To use it for something positive is an understatement. Martial arts progress has only continued for the young moorland woman. NM gold In NM 2022 there was one bronze and two golds, which gave her the King’s Cup. Recently, she took part in the Scandinavian Open 2023, a major international kickboxing tournament, and walked away with the victory. During this year’s National Championships, which were held in Trondheim in mid-October, she walked away with one gold and one silver. To put her achievements in perspective: She combines her impressive sports career with writing a master’s thesis in neurotoxicology at the University of Oslo. And on top of that, she has a part-time job at Søstrene Grene. As we mentioned at the beginning: This is a story about a woman with an unusual dose of courage and determination. STUPID: Marianne is dedicated in several arenas. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news – What is the most important thing others can learn from your story and what you have experienced? – Using the negative for something positive. Many people may go around with the idea that you can achieve this and that, but not that and that, but you don’t know that until you try. Use the resources you have around you and have faith in yourself, she says. Papa Vidar couldn’t agree more. – Marianne is proof that it is possible to get things done, even if you can experience days that are extremely difficult. We are very proud of her. Hello! Thank you for reading this article. Do you have tips for other stories news should tell about Norwegian sportswomen? Feel free to send me an e-mail, we will be happy for all tips and input.
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Was harassed at the store – it changed life for Marianne (24) – Sport Langlesing
