Grøvdal finished fourth in the second semifinal with a time of 14.53.07. Five people went straight to the final. The time was also the sixth-best in the two semifinals, with world record holder Letesenbet Gidey being the fastest with 14.52.27

– He never looked better in the championship than he did here through the final turn, said NRK commentator Jann Post.

This is how Grøvdal himself responded to the analysis:

– We ran a little unnecessarily fast, but it was actually quite easy along the way. It’s kind of fun and unusual to come out of the last corner and actually let go a little bit, try to be a little tactical.

Runner fainted

He was excited because it was a very hot day in Eugene, Oregon. Grøvdal has struggled in the heat several times.

– Folk know I’m not a fan of heat, but it went really well. “It was 32 degrees and very hot, but I seem to be handling it just fine this time,” he said.

Not everyone handles it either. Germany’s Sara Benfares was completely eliminated on the field.

– Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, said Alina Reh when NRK showed her the photo of the village woman.

Benfares must be assisted in a wheelchair.

– I haven’t spoken to him yet, so I don’t know exactly what happened to him. I think he passed out. “When I crossed the finish line I caught him again with one lap, and saw that he wasn’t running straight ahead,” said Leh and showed with his hand how the Benfare ran.

Reh also deletes itself:

– I think it’s a very difficult condition, he said.

Card down heating

England’s Jessica Judd also held on to the pitch, but eventually recovered.

Grøvdal was well prepared, and didn’t experience heat as a problem.

– Today was hot, but I can name a lot worse races. I cut short the warm-up today, and put on a cooling vest and ice cubes before starting. It worked, he told NRK.

– But my mouth is dry, he admits.

Beat the Norwegian record

On June 16, Grøvdal ran 14.31.07 during the Bislett Games, beating the record of 36-year-old Ingrid Kristiansen in Norway. The timing was also the fifth best in the world this year.

Thus, it was expected that he would go to the finals.

– There’s a good flow during the day, and I’m happy to be in shape. “I’ve done what I’m supposed to do for this, and then it’s like giving what someone has,” he told NRK.

– Impossible to say

NRK expert commentator Vebjørn Rodal was impressed by the implementation.

– “He had ambition from the start here, not only to follow, but to get into the final and show himself there,” he said.

Now the question is what to expect from Norway’s hopes in the final.

– It’s impossible to say. I was a little nervous about this attempt, because I don’t run the attempt very often. I’m used to having one race where it just gives everything. Now I have two. So I have to spend the next three days really well and recover from this. “It costs a little to run at 14.53, but I have a good feeling, and that matters,” said Grøvdal.

– “I want to do a race like in Bislett and get what I’m good at,” he said, without wanting to predict what would happen.