The most successful female athlete in the history of the European Cross Country Championships, Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal, will defend her title in Brussels on December 10. The Norwegian middle-distance runner hopes next month to become only the second woman in the history of these championships with three gold medals from these women’s forums.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal now has nine European Cross Country Championships medals since 2006, when she won a silver medal in the girls’ Under-20 event.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal competes in middle-, long-distance running and steeplechase. She won bronze medals for the 10,000m at the 2016 European Championships and in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2018 European Championships. She earned nine individual medals at the European Cross Country Championships, an unsurpassed record by a female athlete in the meet history. In 2007, she won the bronze medal in the 2,000m steeplechase at the World Youth Championships and gold in the 3000 m steeplechase at the European Junior Championships. At the 2009 European Junior Championships, she won gold in two events: the 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase. She represented Norway at the London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020 Olympics as well as at nine World Athletics Championships.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal holds four Norwegian records (One mile, indoor 3,000m, 5,000m, 3,000m steeplechase) plus two bests (2,000m, 2,000m steeplechase). She won 17 individual senior national titles.
