Vebjørn Rodal

Vebjørn Rodal (born 16 September 1972) is a retired Norwegian middle distance athlete, who won the gold medal in the 800 m at the 1996 Summer Olympics with the time 1:42.58.

Vebjørn Rodal

Vebjørn Rodal in 2010
Personal information
Nationality	Norwegian
Born	(1972-09-16) 16 September 1972 Berkåk in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event	800 meter
Medal record Men's athletics Representing Norway Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta 800 m World Championships 1995 Gothenburg 800 m European Championships 1994 Helsinki 800 m European Indoor Championships 1998 Valencia 800 m

Biography

Rodal, born and raised in Berkåk, made his international senior 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 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta. Not present at the Olympics was world champion Wilson Kipketer, who had emigrated from Kenya to Denmark, 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.

The Olympic title would remain Rodal's only international victory. He failed to make the final of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, finishing seventh in his semi-final. He more or less retired afterwards, although he has entered national competitions on occasion.

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing Norway
1990	World Junior Championships	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	15th (sf)	800 m	1:49.94
1991	European Junior Championships	Thessaloniki, Greece	7th	800 m	1:50.62
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	21st (sf)	800 m	1:49.53
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	18th (sf)	800 m	1:46.50
1994	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	2nd	800 m	1:46.53
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	3rd	800 m	1:45.68
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	1st	800 m	1:42.58
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	5th	800 m	1:44.53
1998	European Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	3rd	800 m	1:47.40
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	36th (h)	800 m	1:48.73
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	22nd (sf)	800 m	1:48.73

External links

• Vebjørn Rodal at World Athletics