How Norway Became a Powerhouse for All Seasons

As the runners hit the penultimate bend, the racing pulse of the music starts to beat faster. The choice, and the timing, are perfect: Darude’s now semi-ancient trance track “Sandstorm.” But very few of the 15,000 in attendance can hear any of it.

Instead, the fans inside the Bislett Stadium in Oslo are on their feet, cheering and roaring as Norway’s distance-running superstar, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, tries desperately to hold off Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya at the climax of the main event: the men’s 1,500 meters.

Ingebrigtsen, sensing the crowd’s desperation, digs deep and then, at the last, dives forward, feet off the ground, to beat his rival to the line. There is a moment of silence. Ingebrigtsen’s name flashes up on the screen as the winner. The stadium shakes with the noise.

Norway’s annual celebration of track and field, the Bislett Games, has been a highlight of the country’s sporting calendar for more than half a century. For a long time, though, its headline acts were imported; once, organizers committed a significant portion of their appearance budget to Usain Bolt to persuade him to come.

Now, the star turns come from home. Norway, with its population of just 5.5 million and its traditional association with sports that take place on skis or skates, has suddenly become a year-round bastion of sporting excellence.

In Paris, Norway hopes to see both Ingebrigtsen (from Sandnes, in the southwest) and the hurdles star Karsten Warholm (born amid the fjords of the west coast) win gold. Yet thanks to a combination of money, time, thought and probably a little luck, they are only two of the jewels in the country’s crown.