The short version
- Amalie Iuel (30), hurdler, made a strong comeback after becoming a mother last autumn
- She took the EC requirement and was only 4 hundredths behind the Olympic requirement
- Coach Leif Olav Alnes believes Iuel’s performance was “at the upper end of what we thought we could achieve”
- Iuel’s next plan: WC relay in the Bahamas, event in Slovakia on 24 May and Nordic championship in Malmö
View more
– It was amazing. She has been incredibly good at training and has been loyal to the limitations she has been given, says Alnes to VG.
He meets VG a few days after student Amalie Iuel (30) made a comeback after she became a mother last autumn.
Iuels won the 400m hurdles during an event in Kenya last Saturday with a time of 54.89:
- Four hundredths behind The Olympic requirement
- 21 hundredths behind press from 2022
- She crushed The EC requirement of 55.70 with 81 hundredths
– This result was at the upper end of what we thought we could achieve. I knew she could be there if everything went right, says Alnes.
Watch the race here:
He tells about the crazy conditions in the living room during the race, where his training buddy Karsten Warholm was also.
– We should have sent out a neighbor warning when we saw this on VGTV and screamed. I sat at home with the family and Karsten. I think the neighbors probably wondered what was going on. It was great fun to see, says Alnes.
Amalie Iuel has been open that she was very unsure of how she was doing before the comeback.
– It was incredibly deserved. Amalie is a wonderful person who is great to have in any group. She is very generous and not at all envious. It is a fantastic quality when you train in the same group as Karsten, who has so many medals, says Alnes.
The training group consists of superstar Warholm, Iuel and Elisabeth Slettum.
– Both Amalie and Elisabeth bring in more energy than they take. And the composition of the group is not accidental, we have hunted for this. Because creating a culture in a performance environment is quite demanding, says Alnes and goes on to say:
– It takes a long time and you build up in millimetres, but can tear down in metres. Then it’s a good idea to be thoughtful so that the contribution each individual makes to make everyday training interesting and rewarding is very, very important.
– How do you feel that everyday life has changed for Iuel as a mother?
– Having a child does not mean that there are more hours in the day. She probably has to prioritize a lot more tightly. She has coped incredibly well.
– How do you see her chances of reaching the Olympics?
– It became incredibly much brighter. If she stays away from illness and injuries, which are demanding in themselves, her chances have increased considerably. The world suddenly looked a lot brighter.
The “easiest” way to get to the Olympics is to take the requirement of 54.85. But there are several roads to Paris as well the ranking system.
Iuel’s next plan for now is the WC relay in the Bahamas, an event in Slovakia on May 24 on VG+ Sport and the Nordic championship in Malmö.
On April 30, you can see Narve Gilje Nordås and Filip Ingebrigtsen on VG+ Sport from a convention in Spain.
The ranking system
- 22 runners initially qualify by taking the time requirement, while 18 runners get a place through ranking.
- World Athletics’ ranking system gives the athletes a sum based on time and wind in the race, position and how big the event is. The athletes in most disciplines must have five events in the last 12 months to be ranked.
- Iuel’s victory in Kenya gave 1176 points in the result score. It is one of the best races so far in 2024 – and would have held on to a 30th place in 2023. She now needs four more races, but has had a dream start to the season in terms of the ranking.
- The qualification period for the Olympics in Paris is 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.
View more
