There are three ways to get to an Olympic 10,000m start in Paris. To go under the time limit of 30.40, via the ranking or via cross-country running.
Grövdal has not run 10,000 meters on a track since she met Therese Johaug at Bislett in May 2022 and was unable to qualify in terms of time.
Olympics in Paris 2024
Sara Junevik received the happy news about the Olympics – eleven new names
The forecast for the Olympics: Six golds for Sweden
Grövdal has won the terrain EC three years in a row but missed that it was a path to an Olympic start. A total of eight places are reserved for cross-country runners. Her win in the off-road EC and the placing as the best European in the WC had to be followed up with participation in one more race, which she did not know about.
– I feel a bit stupid when I say that I didn’t know, she says to NRK.
Only 5,000 meters in the Olympics
It would also have been possible to get to the Olympics with a combination of street races in which she competed and a race on a track of 10,000 meters within a qualifying period. Nor did Grövdal or anyone in her team know about that combination until it was too late.
– Regarding the terrain ranking, I think I could have been told about it by someone in the management. But I found out about the other conditions in time for this to be up to my choice, points out Grövdal, who gave up 10,000 meters on the track because it wears more on spiked shoes than street races run in the new super shoes.
NRK’s commentator Jann Post believes that Grövdal had the best chance of reaching the top six in the 10,000 meters at the Olympics on August 9. It will now only be 5,000 meters for her.
She could also have made a last attempt to qualify for the Olympics in the 10,000 meters via time in the Norwegian championships this weekend, but refrains and only runs 5,000 meters.