Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (born 14 June 1990) is a Norwegian middle-, long-distance and steeplechase runner. She is a European Championships gold medallist in half marathon, silver medallist in 5000 metres and bronze medallist in 10,000 metres and 3000 metres steeplechase. Grøvdal is a four-time Olympian and represented Norway at the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

Grøvdal won the gold medal in the half marathon and the silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2024 European Championships, and the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2016 European Championships and the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2018 European Championships. She has earned ten individual medals, including four golds, at the European Cross Country Championships, an unsurpassed record by a female athlete in the meet history.

Grøvdal won the bronze medal in the 2000 m steeplechase at the 2007 World Youth Championships and the gold medal in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2007 European Junior Championships. At the 2009 European Junior Championships, she won gold medals in the 5000 m and 3000 m steeplechase. She holds four Norwegian records (One mile, indoor 3000 m, 5000 m, 3000 m steeplechase) plus two bests (2000 m, 2000 m steeplechase). She has won 18 individual senior national titles.

Personal life Grøvdal is married to Magnus Krogsæter Aarre. She gave birth to a daughter in May 2026.

Career Karoline Grøvdal gained her first international experience as a 16-year-old in June 2006, winning 3000 m steeplechase race at the European Cup Second League held in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. In August that year, she placed fifth in the event at the World Under-20 Championships, and in December, she capped her season with the silver medal for the U20 race at the European Cross Country Championships.

In June 2007, still 16, Grøvdal broke Norwegian senior records in the 3000 m steeplechase in Neerpelt, Belgium with a time of 9:33.19. The following month, she finished third in the 2000 m steeplechase at the World U18 Championships, and won the 3000 m steeplechase event at the European U20 Championships, breaking the European under-20 record.

In 2009, after she won three gold medals altogether at the European Junior and Cross Country Championships (U20 race), she was voted European Athletics Female Rising Star of the Year.

Injuries and illness characterized the start of Grøvdal's senior career. She started to achieve better results from 2015.

At senior level, she won the bronze medal at the 2015 European Cross Country Championships, bronze in 10,000 metres at the 2016 European Athletics Championships, bronze medals at 2016, 2017, 2018 European Cross Country Championships, bronze in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2018 European Athletics Championships, silver at the 2019 European Cross Country Championships, and eventually a gold at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships. She defended her European cross country title in 2022. In December 2023 she won a gold medal at the 2023 European Cross Country Championships in Brussels, her third title in a row.

Grøvdal competed at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. She qualified for the final in 5000 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

In June 2016 at the home Bislett Games in Oslo, at about two months before the Rio Summer Olympics, Grøvdal broke Grete Waitz' 38-year-old Norwegian mile record with a time of 4:26.23.

During 2021 she improved her personal bests at several distances, including 1500, 3000, 5000 and 10,000 metres. Participating in a Diamond League event in Brussels in September, she set her personal best at the 5000 metres in a time of 14:43.26. She beat that mark on the Diamond circuit at the home Bislett Games in Oslo the following year, breaking Ingrid Kristiansen’s almost 36-year-old Norwegian record by six seconds with a time of 14:31.07.

In October 2024 she won her ninth victory in the road race , which also earned her a national title.

Statistics

International competitions 2006European Cup Second LeagueBanská Bystrica, Slovakia1st3000 m s'chase10:17.27World Junior ChampionshipsBeijing, China5th3000 m s'chase10:00.44European Cross Country ChampionshipsSan Giorgio su Legnano, Italy2ndXC 4.1 km U2012:362007European Cup First LeagueVaasa, Finland2nd5000 m15:56.62World Youth ChampionshipsOstrava, Czech Republic3rd2000 m s'chase6:25.30European Junior ChampionshipsHengelo, Netherlands1st3000 m s'chase9:44.34 World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan27th (h)3000 m s'chase9:56.412009European Team Championships First LeagueBergen, Norway3rd5000 m15:29.82 3rd3000 m s'chase9:47.66 European Junior ChampionshipsNovi Sad, Serbia1st5000 m15:45.451st3000 m s'chase9:43.69World ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany32nd (h)3000 m s'chase9:48.47European Cross Country ChampionshipsDublin, Ireland1stXC 4.039 km U2014:102010World Cross Country ChampionshipsBydgoszcz, Poland–Senior raceDNFEuropean Team Championships Super LeagueBergen, Norway3rd5000 m15:25.40 PB7th3000 m s'chase9:47.92European ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain10th5000 m15:41.42–10,000 mDNF2011European Team Championships First Leagueİzmir, Turkey2nd5000 m15:44.922nd3000 m s'chase9:46.07European U23 ChampionshipsOstrava, Czech Republic– (f)3000 m s'chaseDNS2012Olympic GamesLondon, United Kingdom27th (h)5000 m15:24.862013European Team Championships Super LeagueGateshead, United Kingdom8th5000 m15:48.21World ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia13th5000 m15:48.87European Cross Country ChampionshipsBelgrade, Serbia5thXC 8.0 km26:522014World Half Marathon ChampionshipsCopenhagen, Denmark20thHalf marathon1:10:53European ChampionshipsZürich, Switzerland13th5000 m15:52.782015European Team Championships Super LeagueCheboksary, Russia2nd1500 m4:16.22World ChampionshipsBeijing, China20th (h)5000 m16:02.20European Cross Country ChampionshipsHyères, France3rdXC 8.087 km25:572016European ChampionshipsAmsterdam, Netherlands3rd10,000 m31:23.45Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil7th5000 m14:57.53 9th10,000 m31:14.07European Cross Country ChampionshipsChia, Italy3rdXC 7.97 km25:262017European Team Championships First LeagueVaasa, Finland7th1500 m4:18.24World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom31st (h)1500 m4:09.56– (f)5000 mDNFEuropean Cross Country ChampionshipsŠamorín, Slovakia3rdXC 8.23 km27:042018European ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany3rd3000 m s'chase9:24.46European Cross Country ChampionshipsTilburg, Netherlands3rdXC 8.3 km26:072019European Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom5th3000 m8:52.12European Team Championships First LeagueSandnes, Norway8th1500 m4:53.781st3000 m9:45.20World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar– (h)5000 mDNF13th3000 m s'chase9:29.41European Cross Country ChampionshipsLisbon, Portugal2ndXC 8.3 km27:072021Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan14th5000 m15:09.37– (f)10,000 mDNFEuropean Cross Country ChampionshipsDublin, Ireland1stXC 8.0 km26:342022World ChampionshipsEugene, OR, United States8th5000 m14:57.62European ChampionshipsMunich, Germany– (f)5000 mDNFEuropean Cross Country ChampionshipsTurin, Italy1stXC 7.662 km26:252023World ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary20th (h)5000 m15:08.962024European ChampionshipsRome, Italy2nd5000 m14:38:62Olympic GamesParis, France8th5000 m14:43.21

Personal bests 1500 metres – 4:03.07 (Stockholm 2021) One mile – 4:26.23 (Oslo 2016) 2000 metres – 5:41.04 (Florø 2018) 3000 metres – 8:27.02 (Oslo 2024) 3000 metres indoor – 8:44.68 (Bærum 2019) 5000 metres – 14:31.07 (Oslo 2022) 10,000 metres – 30:50.84 (Oslo 2021) 2000 metres steeplechase – 6:21.39 (Stavanger 2008) 3000 metres steeplechase – 9:13.35 (Sandnes 2017) Road 5 km – 15:00 (Zürich 2021) 10 km – 30:32 (Hole 2020) Half marathon – 1:08:07 (New York, NY 2022)

National track titles Norwegian Athletics Championships 1500 metres: 2013, 2015 5000 metres: 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2021 3000 m steeplechase: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2019

References

External links

Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived, alternate link)