Vebjørn Rodal (born 16 September 1972) is a Norwegian former middle distance

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. He is an

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and won the gold medal in the 800 metres event at the

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with the time 1:42.58. He is also a

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bronze medallist,

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silver medallist and

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bronze medallist in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

. Rodal is also the former Olympic record holder in the 800 m event and held the record until the 2012 Summer Olympics. Since 2010, Rodal has worked as a track and field commentator for

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Biography

Rodal, born and raised in

Berkåk Berkåk is the administrative centre of Rennebu Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Orkladalen valley along the river Orkla (river), Orkla. The village lies about north of the village of Ulsberg and southeast of the ...

Rennebu Municipality Rennebu is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berkåk, located ...

, made his senior international debut in 1992, at the Barcelona Olympics, reaching the semi-finals in his event, the 800 m. Part of a group of successful Norwegian athletes, he won his first international medal only two years later, placing second at the 1994 European Championships. By finishing third in the final of the 1995 World Championships, he established himself as one of the top 800 m runners in the world, and was among the medal contenders for the

, held in

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. Not present at the

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was world champion

Wilson Kipketer Wilson Kosgei Kipketer (born 12 December 1972) is a Danish former middle distance runner. With a personal best of 1:41.11, Kipketer is tied with Emmanuel Wanyonyi as the second fastest of all time over the 800 meter distance, behind David ...

, who had emigrated from

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Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, but wasn't allowed to run for his new country by the Kenyans. This made the final wide open. Rodal made the final, which was run in a blistering pace. Rodal overtook most of the field in his second lap, and took the lead at the last bend, crossing the line first in a new Olympic record of 1:42.58, which stood until the 2012 Summer Olympics. With four runners under 1:43, the final was one of the fastest 800 m ever run. After failing to qualify for the 800 m event final at the

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and finishing seventh in the semi-final, Rodal retired from competing internationally due to injuries and lack of motivation. He has later entered national competitions on occasion. Since 2010, Rodal has worked as a track and field commentator for

. From 2016 to 2019, he was a part of the coaching staff at Norwegian football club Rosenborg where he focused on the players' speed and acceleration.

Competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodal, Vebjoern 1972 births Living people Norwegian male middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for Norway Olympic gold medalists for Norway Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics People from Rennebu World Athletics Championships medalists European Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes from Trøndelag