Vebjørn Rodal

Vebjørn Rodal ( born September 16, 1972 in Rennebu ) is a former Norwegian middle-distance runners, the Olympic champion was on his special line, the 800 -meter run, 1996.

Career

Rodal had his first major international appearance at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, ​​but bowed out of. His first international medal he won two years later at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, when he won the silver medal behind the Italian Andrea Benvenuti. At the World Athletics Championships in Gothenburg in 1995, he won the bronze medal.

At the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, he benefited from the absence of Wilson Kipketer, who had recently emigrated from Kenya to Denmark, but from his homeland was not permitted for these Olympics. Rodal took his chance and won the gold medal in the Olympic record time of 1:42,58 minutes ahead of South African Ezekiel Sepeng ( silver ) and the Kenyans Frederick Onyancha (bronze). The first four runners were all under a time of 1:43 minutes; it was one of the fastest 800 - meter race at all. He was then elected to Norway's Sportsman of the Year, won the Foundation - Morgenbladet gold medal and the Fearnleys olympiske ærespris.

The winning time Rodal is ranked 9 of the eternal world leaderboard (as of October 2009).

At the World Cup in 1997 in Athens, he was fifth in the 1999 World Cup in Seville he divorced in the run- off.

Rodal also competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, but was eliminated in 8th place lying out in the semifinals.

Vebjørn Rodal is 1,88 m tall and weighed about 78 kg competition times.