Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal in action in the 3000m steeplechase heats at the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships, by Getty Images / European Athletics
Has Karoline Grovdal finally found her perfect distance?
European 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal smashed Ingrid Kristiansen's long-standing Norwegian 10km record of 30:59 at the Hytteplanmila in Hole, Norway on Saturday ( October 17), setting one of the fastest times ever by a European.
Grovdal missed the majority of the track season due to a stress reaction but she has finishes her season with two record-breaking performances this month. Two weeks after setting a Norwegian 5km best of 15:04 in Spikkestad, Grovdal shattered Kristiansen's national 10km record with 30:32 in one of the country's most famed and prestigious road races.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal betters Ingrid Kristiansen's national 10K record https://t.co/puFm3KIU4N via @https://twitter.com/AthIllustrated
-- AthleticsIllustrated (@AthIllustrated) October 19, 2020
"It is probably the very best race I have ever done regardless of track, road or cross-country," Grovdal told NRK after the race.
Grovdal was inside national record pace from the gun. After running aggressively through 1km in 2:58 and 2km in 5:58, Grovdal eased back on the throttle through 3km in 9:10 and 5km in 15:17 before covering the second half in a slightly faster 15:15. This brought her comfortably inside Kristiansen's national record which had stood since 1989.
Grovdal moves to third on the European all-time list which is headed by Lonah Chemtai Salpeter's 30:05 from Tilburg last year. However, that mark was not ratified as a European record which still belongs to Paula Radcliffe with 30:21 from 2003.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal clocks 30:32 Norwegian 10km record in Hole 🇳🇴
-- World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) October 18, 2020
📰: https://t.co/TOwwO7Qwfn pic.twitter.com/YHg8RgBxkV
After winning bronze in Berlin in August 2018, Grovdal reached the 3000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha last year but she is targeting the 5000m and 10,000m at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year. Kristiansen still holds both national records with 14:37.33 and 30:13.74 respectively, both world records at the time.
European all-time 10km top-10
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) 30:05
Paula Radcliffe (GBR) 30:21
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal (NOR) 30:32
Liz McColgan (GBR) 30:38
Lornah Kiplagat (NED) 30:41
Elvan Abeylegesse (TUR) 30:57
Irina Mikitenko (GER) 30:57
Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) 30:59
Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) 30:59
Hilda Kibet (NED) 31:01
Leave a comment