Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (born 14 June 1990)^[2] is a Norwegian middle-, long-distance and steeplechase runner. She won bronze medals for the 10,000 metres at the 2016 European Championships, and in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2018 European Championships. Grøvdal earned nine individual medals at the European Cross Country Championships, an unsurpassed record by a female athlete in the meet history.^[3][4]

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Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal

Grøvdal at the 2022 European Cross Country Championships in Turin
Personal information
Born	(1990-06-14) 14 June 1990 (age 33) Ålesund, Norway
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	52 kg (115 lb)[1]
Sport
Country	Norway
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Middle-, Long-distance running; 3000 m steeplechase
Club	IK Tjalve
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Norway European Championships 2016 Amsterdam 10,000 m 2018 Berlin 3000 m s'chase European Junior Championships 2007 Hengelo 3000 m s'chase 2009 Novi Sad 5000 m 2009 Novi Sad 3000 m s'chase World Youth Championships 2007 Ostrava 2000 m s'chase European Cross Country Championships 2009 Dublin Junior race 2021 Dublin Senior race 2022 Turin Senior race 2023 Brussels Senior race 2006 San Giorgio su Legnano Junior race 2019 Lisbon Senior race 2015 Hyères Senior race 2016 Chia Senior race 2017 Šamorín Senior race 2018 Tilburg Senior race

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In 2007, she won the bronze medal in the 2000 m steeplechase at the World Youth Championships and gold for the 3000 m steeplechase at the European Junior Championships. At the 2009 European Junior Championships, she won gold for two events: 5000 m and 3000 m steeplechase. Grøvdal represented Norway at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as at nine World Athletics Championships. She holds four Norwegian records (One mile, indoor 3000 m, 5000 m, 3000 m steeplechase) plus two bests (2000 m, 2000 m steeplechase). She won 17 individual senior national titles.^[5]

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.^[2]

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.^[5]

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.^[5]

Injuries and illness characterized the start of Grøvdal's senior career. She started to achieve better results from 2015.^[5]

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.^[2][6] She defended her European cross country title in 2022.^[2] In December 2023 she won a gold medal at the 2023 European Cross Country Championships in Brussels, her third title in a row.^[7]

Grøvdal competed at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.^[8]

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.^[5]

During 2021 she improved her personal bests at several distances, including 1500, 3000, 5000 and 10,000 metres.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11]