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Norwegian Bokmål
On Wednesday evening at Bislett Stadium, the traditional pre-meet “strawberry party” preceded the evening’s top-class athletics. World class athletes scheduled to compete at Thursday’s sold-out Bislett Games also gathered in front of the media to look ahead to Thursdays action on the track and in the field.
First to join with Meeting Director Steinar Hoen were four of the best pole vaulters in the world; World and Olympic Champion, Mondo Duplantis; local favourite, Sondre Guttormsen; former world champion, and in his own words, “the grand old man of the even”, Sam Kendricks (USA); along with upcoming star from Greece, Emmanouil Karalis.
On being the most experienced athlete, Kendricks said: “I have been a professional for ten years and this is my seventh Bislett. I used to be the one to beat but now I am just the “steward”, trying my best to make it hard for this one [Duplantis]. It is time to pass it onto the next generation.”
On his successful 2024 which culminated in the Laureus award, Duplantis said, “It was an amazing 2024 but I am quite good at getting it out of my system and partying hard then I stop, and it is time to get back into shape and ready for this season.”
On Thursdays event, he added, “I love many things about Bislett but one thing I don’t like is the unpredictability of the weather over the four years I have competed here but tomorrow it is looking very good so I am excited for what we can all do. We have no excuses so I think we will be able to put on a great show.”
On being the local favourite, Guttormsen said, “I love welcoming all my country. We are all such great friends because we spend so long together in the field although here I can stay at home and get a break from my competitors!”
On being the new threat to Duplantis, Karalis said, “It is a historic time for pole vault just now and I think we all contribute to that. I really hope we can all jump high tomorrow as conditions look so good.”
One of the most eagerly anticipated events Thursday will be the 300m hurdles featuring home superstar, Karsten Warholm, USA’s Olympic champion Rai Benjamin and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos. The former world record holder, Kevin Young (USA) was on hand to undertake the interviews this evening.
On how it felt to break Kevin’s 400m hurdles world record in July 2021, Warholm said, “It was an amazing feeling to break it, I’d been wanting to break the world record for a long time and it’s a great memory for me – I will cherish it forever.”
On Thursdays race, Warholm added, “You have to run the race differently – the first hurdle is tricky but after that, it’s the same stride pattern. It’s good to mix things up.”
On whom is most likely to win the 300m hurdles tomorrow night, dos Santos said, “There’s no favourite at the moment for tomorrow, but it will show who is fastest over 300m. I’m excited for the race but even more so for the 400m hurdles on Sunday.
On whether the “Super Spikes” help the athletes run faster now, dos Santos added, “No, they don’t – the training, recovery and the coaching are better now – that all contributes to the efficiency of an athlete and to get the best performance out of them.”
On his chances against a top field in Oslo, Benjamin said, “It’s my season opener tomorrow and it’s hard to prepare for a 300m hurdles race. I’ll go back to my 400m hurdles stride pattern after the first hurdle. I’m in OK shape – there are seven hurdles in the 300m hurdles race, and you have to make some adjustments, it’s only 50m to the first hurdle.”
The 100m Olympic Champion, Julien Alfred, completed the line-up this evening.
On how she’s feeling ahead of tomorrow night’s race: “I feel really good and it’s so nice to have the chance to be here on my birthday. Thank-you for having me. I’m feeling relaxed and it’s been pretty chilled here so I’m enjoying my time.”
On her expectations for the race: “I work hard to be the best and to be prepared to compete at a high level, so I’m ready for this great competition and am excited to race here in beautiful Oslo.”
On life in St Lucia after becoming the Olympic 100m champion: “Life has definitely changed for the better – it’s so wonderful to make changes in St Lucia and to inspire people back home. There is a lot of pressure to keep winning but I’m ready for the challenge and I like to take the opportunities life gives me. It’s important to use my voice and my talent to make a difference for the people in St Lucia, to help put my tiny island on the map.”
Carol Austin and Nicola Sutton for the Bislett Games