As if it was not wet enough at the European Athletics Team Championships First League in Tallinn on Sunday, Ronny Nilsen Sports Manager at the Norwegian Athletics Federation was thrilled to see his squad bounce back to Super League status.
“I’m really happy,” said Nilsen. “That was a real team performance.”
With the next big date on the calendar the European Athletics Championships in Zurich later this summer, Nilsen may well feel that a select group of winners from Tallinn may have some say in events in the Swiss capital in August.
Chief amongst them is defending 1500m champion, Henrik Ingebrigtsen, who secured an untroubled win in the 3000m with an effortless 53.5 seconds last lap.
“It was a good training session,” said Ingebrigtsen of his 8:16.00 win. “I had complete control, my body felt fine right in the middle of a hard period of training. Now I have done my job and can go back satisfied to altitude training in St. Moritz.”
The man from Sandnes has been in blistering form recently, the high point coming at Bislett where he set a national record over the mile in 3:50.72.
Given that he has also set a career best over 800m this season, the 23-year-old seems set to defend the title he won so explosively in Helsinki two years ago.
Double sprint winner in Estonia, Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, is another with his sights set on Zürich: “The European Championships is the big goal this summer so it is just a question of getting on with it,” said Ndure.
He has been in the form of his life this summer. In the west coast city of Florø earlier this month, he ran a blistering 9.92 with the wind just over the legal limit.
“That is promising,” offered Ndure. “Since that was more or less my first race I am hoping there are faster times ahead.
“I know I have got this speed in me,” pointed out Ndure. “It is only injuries that have stopped me in the last few years.”
The concentration in Tallinn was on points rather than times, but 10.12 and 20.70 were more than respectable under the cool blustery circumstances.
The plan is for the 100m bronze medallist from two years ago to run both sprints in the Europeans, but the main emphasis is on the longer sprint.
“He mostly competes over 100m as speed training,” explained his coach, Olav Magne TveitÃ¥.
Given his new found speed over the short sprint, Ndure will be a hard man to beat over 200m in Zurich.
Ingvill MÃ¥kestad Bovim was an impressive winner over 1500m to add to her highest ever European Athletics Team Championships finish in the 800m when she followed home Maryna Arzamasova of Belarus.
“I know I am in good shape and I knew I was in complete control of that race,” said Bovim of her 1500m win.
Always well positioned, Bovim took over the reins on the final lap and simply ran away from the field to cross the line over two and a half seconds clear of her closest rival.
It was an encouraging sign for the middle distance specialist after a heel injury left her out of the London Olympics and was serious enough to require an operation. Next came the birth of her son, Ferdinand, which meant that Moscow World championship year was also a blank.
Backed up by Ezinne Okparaebo and a fully fit Andreas Thorkildsen, Norway is ready to leave its mark on the European Athletics Championships this summer.