Odd Rasdal (6 July 1911 – 4 March 1985) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

long-distance runner who specialized in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

. At the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

he finished ninth in the 10,000 m final in 31:40.4 minutes. He again finished ninth at the 1938 European Championships. He became Norwegian champion in both 5000 and 10,000 metres in the years 1937–1939, and in

cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

in the years 1935–1939. He represented

TIF Viking Turn & Idrettsforeningen Viking is a Norwegian sports club from Bergenhus, Bergen. It has sections for gymnastics, athletics, race walking, orienteering, volleyball, handball and skiing. It was founded on 17 May 1892 as ''IK Viking'', but later ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. The Norwegian championships were not held from 1940 to 1945 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. His personal best time over 10,000 metres was 31:02.4 minutes, achieved in September 1939 in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. He held Norwegian records in 10,000 as well as 5000 and

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

. After retiring he continued as an athletics administrator. He was a deputy board member of the

Norwegian Athletics Association The Norwegian Athletics Association ( no, Norges Friidrettsforbund, NFIF) is the national governing body for the sport of athletics in Norway, including track and field, road running, cross country running and racewalking. The association is a me ...

from 1951 through 1952 and a board member from 1953 through 1954. He was given the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

in 1971. He died in 1985.

References

1911 births 1985 deaths Norwegian male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Norway Athletes from Bergen Norwegian sports executives and administrators Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit {{Norway-athletics-bio-stub