Narve Gilje Nordås (23) is ready for the World Cup. But the 5000-meter hope does not get Gjert Ingebrigtsen who will train for the championship in the USA in three weeks.
This is confirmed by the athletics association’s sports manager Erlend Slokvik to VG.
– Yes then, I just texted him, Slokvik answers questions about whether Narve Gilje Nordås has been told that he will be one of 20 athletes in Norway’s squad for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene 15-24. July.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, who has still to train Narve Gilje Nordås after he stopped being a coach for his three sons, however, will not be among 16 people in the athletics association’s support apparatus.
– We do not get accreditations for personal trainers. Of the 16 we get, seven to eight will go to coaches. They must be coaches for several athletes in the World Cup. The other accreditations go to doctors, physiotherapists, media and communication contacts, Slokvik explains.
In connection with previous international championships, there has been an opening to buy more accreditations. This is not possible in connection with the World Cup in Eugene on the American west coast. The university city in the state of Oregon has very limited opportunities for “extra” accommodation. The new World Cup stadium is even so small that it will present problems for the World Cup athletes to see – from the stands – other exercises than the one they themselves participate in.
On Tuesday, VG did not come into contact with Gjert Ingebrigtsen.
Narve Gilje Nordås has since he ran 5000 meters at Bislett June 16 been to altitude training camp with Per Svela in St. Moritz, both with Gjert Ingebrigtsen as trainer. Narve Gilje Nordås will run 3000 meters during Stockholm’s Diamond League competition on Thursday, where also World Cup-ready Hedda Hynne (800 meters), Pål Lillefosse Haugen and Sondre Guttormsen (pole) are on the starting lists.
Until yesterday, Monday, he was not among 42 World Cup-qualified runners in the 5000 meters.
Today, Tuesday, however, he had moved up from 43rd to 37th place. No one behind him on the ranking list can pass until the final World Cup confirmation comes tomorrow. This means that two Norwegians will compete in the preliminary World Cup heat at the distance on July 21 at Hayward Field in Eugene – if Jakob Ingebrigtsen (21) decides to do so two days after the final of the 1500 meters.
Filip Ingebrigtsen (29) lost the chance to run with the two when he broke the 5000-meter at Bislett on 16 June.
Now, according to Erlend Slokvik, he must be recovered from the Achilles pain he struggled with then.
However, the World Cup bronze winner from 2017 in the 1500 meters is still in Norway. It is uncertain when he will eventually travel to the United States. In any case, he will not travel to Flagstaff to train at altitude with Jakob Ingebrigtsen and not World Cup current Henrik Ingebrigtsen (31) – who has been there in Arizona for a week and a half.
Filip Ingebrigtsen is qualified for 1500 meters in the WC.
Elisabeth Slettum turns 36 at the end of August. The 200-meter runner is Eugene-ready and becomes World Cup debutant. After the last update, Leif Olav Alnes-trained Slettum is ranked number 45 out of 56 World Cup qualifiers in the sprint distance.
Norway will also compete with a women’s team in the 4×400 meter relay. It is qualified after Line Kloster (32), Elisabeth Slettum, Amalie Iuel (28) and Lakeri Ertzgaard (20) set a Norwegian record during Bislett’s Diamond League competition.
World record holder and twice reigning world champion Karsten Warholm is of course World Cup-qualified. But it is still not clear whether he reaches the championship after the injury he suffered in Morocco just over three weeks ago.