It is 29 May 2021, Nora Wold is lying down and sleeping. From the basement of her childhood home in Fredrikstad, she wakes up to some sounds coming from the floor above. She thinks it’s her father she hears. She is in the ørska, it is early in the morning, but from the bed she calls out: “Daddy, are you all right?” She gets no answer. Her eyes flutter, before she suddenly wakes up again. This time by a loud thump from above. It’s barely past six in the morning, but Nora gets out of bed and flies up the stairs to check. Then she sees it. Father Jens Petter Wold is lying flat on the floor. The panic and confusion comes as a blow to the brain, but she manages to pick up the phone and call 113. She is told to turn him over on his back while the ambulance is on its way. Nora Wold is a well-trained athlete who has trained all her life, but she has no chance. The body is too heavy. Even though her mother Bente is sleeping in the same house, Nora is so affected by the seriousness of the moment that it doesn’t occur to her. In Nora’s mind, the time is much more than ten past six in the morning, she thinks her mother has left home a long time ago. In just her underwear, she rushes out into the neighborhood to find help. There was no time to dress properly. She calls several places, but no one answers. Bewildered, she runs back inside, and then it dawns on her that her mother is actually at home. She wakes up, and together they manage to turn the lifeless body around. They try cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but get no signs of life. The ambulance arrives and takes over the rescue operation. Defibrillator, adrenaline, shock treatment. They try everything. But it doesn’t take long before they nail it down. Jens Petter Wold is pronounced dead at the scene. Nora Wold will always remember her father as a kind, considerate and funny person with a lot of humour. Here she visits his grave at Østre Gravlund in Fredrikstad. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news Now, just over two years later, she welcomes news in the same house in Fredrikstad. Nora has decided to tell openly about what has happened. Maybe it can help others who are experiencing grief, she thinks. – My world stopped With tears in her eyes, she thinks back to that fateful day. She remembers that it was very difficult to accept the news of death from the paramedics. It hit her like a cannonball in the stomach, he was her closest supporter. It would take several days before she came to terms with the fact that “daddy is gone”. The time after the traumatic experience was very difficult for Nora and the rest of the family. She remembers situations where she went for a walk to clear her mind, and as soon as someone said the word “daddy” she burst into tears. – It was very difficult to see other families having a normal day. My own world had come to a complete halt, she says. It is just over two years since Nora Wold found her father dead in the house. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news – What kind of father was he? – He was a father you could talk to about anything, we were also best friends, I met him almost every day. Even though I was 21-22-23 years old, I often prioritized being with him instead of going out with friends. We had a very special relationship. There is a void now, she says. Jens Petter Wold was not only important to Nora. In Fredrikstad, he became known as an ardent soul who cared about other people and had an enormous passion for sport. In the obituary that was published on the athletics association’s website after the death, author Unn Merete Lie Jæger, who is also Henriette Jæger’s mother, writes the following: “Jens Petter was an athletics man to the bone. He had an incredible commitment and heart for our sport and everyone he trained. He was a chronic yes man who stood up, not only as a coach, but also in many other fields outside of training. Few people have left a mark like Jens Petter has.” BLOMSTERHAV: A local community mourned the loss of a strong contributor. Photo: Privat Not only was Jens Petter very involved in Nora’s training and everyday life, he also looked after Nora’s older sister Oda, who practiced showjumping, in the same way. In addition, he was an athletics coach for young middle-distance runners in Fredrikstad and gave his all in that role as well. – A special person Nora still remembers that her father both drove and picked up young people who otherwise would not have made it to training. Everyone had to go. – He was a special person. He was probably odd in some areas, but he put everyone else before himself and was kind to everyone and showed care to those around him. He had everything, says Nora. Nora still does not understand how her father, who worked as a teacher, had time for everything. – He gave us a lot of priority and let his soul say in following us up. I don’t think many people have grown up with two parents who have been as involved in everyday life as we have been, she believes. THE CENTER: Jens Petter Wold meant a lot to many people. Here with daughters Nora and Oda. Photo: Private Nora knows that her father had wanted her to continue with her athletics venture, which she was so fond of. It only took a week and a half after the death before she decided to compete again. On 12 June, she stood on the starting line during the Boysen Memorial meet at Bislett. The charge for that race was anything but good. Heavy days and little sleep were the basis. Especially what happened before the race made an impression. Many people came over during the warm-up and offered their condolences, comforted her and said many nice things about Jens Petter Wold, who had been known for a long time as a zealot in the athletics community. That was as far as she could stand. The situation was emotionally overwhelming. – It was very special, she remembers. She has no idea how, but she managed to mobilize great strength and ran to a solid second place in the 400 meter hurdles that time, only beaten by Amalie Iuel. Jens Petter Wold will be remembered as a major contributor to the athletics environment in Fredrikstad. Nora is proud of that. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news There is something called “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. Nora knew that her father had wanted her to continue with her athletics career. And thunder on, she did. Just 106 days after her death, she stood on the starting line during the athletics NM and delivered a career best. After three NM bronzes in the 400 hurdles earlier, she finally won NM gold at the same distance. – It was a lot of fun, but I thought about him a lot. I wish he got it… But he didn’t. Nora Wold stretches her arms in the air and cheers for a long-awaited NM gold. Photo: VEGARD WIVESTAD GRØTT / BILDBYRÅN – Run for dad Tears come when she thinks back to that day. Today, she believes her father’s death contributed to her winning her first NM gold. – I ran for dad, and I’m not sure if I would have managed to win if what happened hadn’t happened, she says. The NM gold became an emotional rollercoaster. Also for those who were present that day. Many people had caught on to what had happened and Nora was not alone in shedding a few tears. She almost felt guilty because there were so many people crying on her behalf. Even television viewers, who did not know her but had caught wind of what had happened, sent her supportive congratulatory messages after her triumph. Although she experienced the nightmare when her father passed away, Nora believes that the experience has taught her a lot. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news She believes that the sad death, and the traumatic way it unfolded for her, has marked her in several ways. First and foremost, it has made her mentally stronger, she notices that in herself. But it has also put life into perspective. – Where I used to overthink and worry, now I think “it’s going well”. It is not the end of the world to run a bad race, there are more important things in the world, she believes. – Very glad I did it Today, she combines a tough and time-consuming sports career with two other jobs: She is both a psychiatric nurse, but is also a top sports coach at Frederik II upper secondary school. The days are busy. After the death, she actually considered whether there was any point in continuing with the sport. – Athletics was something we both had together, so I feel a little more alone now. But I have family, friends and a partner who are very supportive, and not everyone would have continued the venture after experiencing something like that, she says. – But I’m very glad I did it. Nora believes that the bad time has given her new perspectives on life. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news This season she has struggled with an achilles, and the goal of running the WC in Budapest had to give way. She took NM bronze in the 400 meter hurdles this year, but describes the season as a bit off. Considering a new venture Now she has set her sights on the next big goal of her career: the European Athletics Championships 2024 in Rome. There we may see her in a new exercise: 800 metres. She is currently in the thinking box and is considering investing fully and completely in a slightly longer distance. She knows her father would have liked that. Jens Petter Wold said for a long time that the daughter probably has the greatest potential as an 800-meter runner, because her speed is hardly good enough to assert herself in the 400-meter hurdles over time. A long series of assignments as a hare in the 800 meters in recent years, where she has gotten to know both speed and cross-country running, and a startlingly good time when she tested 600 meters, gives her faith that it could be something for her. She will make the decision soon. But as she says: – Dad is usually right.
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– We were best friends – Sport Langlesing
