Norway is still in a state of grace. A country with just over five million inhabitants continues to achieve achievements in different sports thanks to the sports model implemented by Tore Ovrebo, Norwegian team operations manager and interim director of Olympiatoppen, who defines it as: “The main goal for us is to make athletes have fun. This is part of the Norwegian sports model, from childhood it should be a fun-based physical activity.”
It all started at the Winter Olympics that took place in February of this year where the Scandinavian country, with fewer representatives (84) than other countries such as China (178) or the United States (225), They were first in the medal table with 37 metals and with a historical record of consecutive golds: 16. But Norway is not just Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, in different sports they are getting different achievements.
Tennis
Casper Ruud He has been about to get his first Grand Slam, he lost the final against Carlos Alcaraz, and be the first Norwegian tennis player to be number 1 in the world of the ATP. Despite them Casper is number 2 in the world, surpassing his father who was also a tennis player, and has won three titles this season: Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad.
Cycling
Norway had never achieved any metal in the trial against the clock and this year they have taken two. Tobias Foss (25 years old) gave the big surprise in the elite time trial by beating the likes of Filippo Ganna, Remco Evenepoel or Tadej Pogacar. The Jumbo-Visma runner couldn’t believe it when the last runner crossed the finish line: “I feel like I’m in a dream, it seems like this isn’t happening, I don’t believe it.”
Also, his compatriot, Soren Waerenskjold (22 years old), He emulated his compatriot in the time trial, but in the sub-23 category, and the bronze on the road to consolidate Norway as the dominators in the cycling World Championships so far. Soren this year also won a stage in the Tour del Porvenir and was second in his country’s championships.
Athletics
After the great success of the Winter Olympics, Norway would also achieve good achievements in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, with three medals, and in the European Championships in Munich, with nine metals, but where Jakob Ingebrigtsen stands out. The Norwegian got four golds, two in 5,000m and two in 1,500m (one of them in the Diamond League), and two silvers, in 1,500mone of them in the World Indoor Championships.
Other compatriots have also won medals. Eivind Henriksen two bronzes, in Eugene and Munich, in the hammer throw, Karsten Warholm a gold in 400m hurdles in Munich, Zerei Mezngi a bronze in Munich in 10,000 m and, finally, Pal Lillefosse a bronze in pole vault in Munich.
Golf
After the great 2021 he made Victor HovlandThis year was not going to fall short either. After being the first Norwegian to win on the European Tour, this January he won the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, taking him to number three in the World Golf ranking.
