– Hard to understand

ASKER (Dagbladet): Amalie Iuel (30) stormed to 54.89 in Kenya on Saturday and was only four small hundredths behind the Olympic requirement in the 400 meter hurdles.

It was extra impressive considering that it was the 30-year-old’s first competition since September 4, 2022 – after she became a mother last September.

The time is a new meet record in the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi and only 21 hundredths behind her personal best.

The race impresses Iuel’s teammate Karsten Warholm (28), who met the press at Holmen Fjordhotell in Asker on Tuesday.

Dropped like a bomb

– It was amazing. I still find it hard to understand that she is back where she left off. Once you’ve been pregnant and after all the things that make it less than optimal, it’s a fantastic achievement. Together with Leif (Olav Alnes), she has done a job that is unique, says Warholm to Dagbladet and elaborates:

– I believe that it is almost groundbreaking in relation to all the discussions about how pregnant women should train in top sport. It’s not like there’s a cure for everyone, but I think that the way they’ve managed to pick out the things that show up the most on the results list, and put away the things that are also nice to do, but aren’t the strongest the tools – to make that selection so well, that’s probably what you saw the result of there. I was pretty hyped when I saw that race.

– Have you seen anything in training that suggested she could deliver what she did?

– Yes, of course I have. We measure a lot in training, so it is very rare that things come out of the blue. At the same time, we’ve both been in the game long enough to know that it’s not always a direct transfer. You can often see that the speed is in place, and you can run many hurdles, but then you have to go all the way. It is very rare that you run ten hurdles and the full distance in training. It will always be the x-factor, how it goes when the race is to be done. But I knew and Leif was convinced that the best case scenario could look pretty good.

– There were some tears

– Big cheers in the living room

Coach Leif Olav Alnes (67) followed Iuel’s race from home.

– It was fantastically good. There was great jubilation in the living room. Maybe I should have sent out a neighbor alert, but it was fun to watch. She has been very good. It is not so easy to come back from this, says Alnes.

– How surprised are you?

– I knew it could happen, but then everything had to go in the right direction. And then she had some illness problems before departure, so the probability was very much less. And then there was the question of “can you recover before the race?”. And it looks like that, replies Alnes with a laugh in his voice.

Sports history has several examples of athletes who have returned to form after giving birth – including Marit Bjørgen, who won several Olympic and World Cup gold medals in skiing after having a child.

– It is possible, but there are probably far more people who have not delivered afterwards than those who have. We like to see the exceptions, we don’t see too much of those who don’t make it, because they’ve probably quit. I am very impressed by the work she has done, says Alnes about Iuel.

– Sick

Iuel also impressed experts in the comeback and said the following to NRK after the race at the weekend:

– It has been seven and a half months since I gave birth. And it’s crazy to see what the female body is capable of.

– First you are pregnant for nine months, then there is a caesarean section. Then it’s quite fantastic that you manage to come back at such a high level, said Iuel further.