Jakob Ingebrigtsen wasn’t the one Norwegian to provide excellent European and world indoor performances. Gabby Pieraccini profiles Sander Skotheim, a mixed eventer who’s deservedly attracting some consideration
For a rustic with a inhabitants of simply 5.5 million, Norway has greater than its fair proportion of athletics honours. With the majority of the eye cut up between the feats of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the exuberance of Karsten Warholm and the brand new Olympic decathlon champion Markus Rooth, there hasn’t been a lot consideration left over for decathlete Sander Skotheim.
However all that modified over the course of some weeks within the 2025 indoor season, the place the 22-year-old took three steps out of the shadows and into the highlight along with his heptathlon performances, turning into European record-holder, European indoor champion, and World Indoor champion.
Sander Skotheim in 2021 (Getty)
A European file
Yearly Estonia hosts one of many high indoor mixed occasions meets on the earth. A rustic wealthy in decathlon historical past, in 2021 Tallinn hosted the European U20 championships the place Skotheim gained decathlon silver behind Jente Hauttekeete. Earlier that yr the
Belgian had set a World U20 file of 6062 for the heptathlon and, a number of days later, Skotheim scored 6015 for the second-best mark of all time.
The Norwegian may need simply missed the world heptathlon file by a number of factors as a junior, however by the tip of the primary day of competitors on the Tallinn Mixed Occasions assembly in February 2025, he was on monitor for the European heptathlon file of 6479 factors.
He prolonged his lengthy bounce private finest from 8.03m to eight.19m and threw a lifetime better of 15m within the shot, including a excessive bounce of two.06m. On the second day, as Kevin Mayer lamented the peril wherein his European file discovered itself – “My file is at risk!” the Frenchman declared on social media – Skotheim hurled himself over 5.25m within the pole vault.
Solely a 2:38 1000m stood between the Norwegian and Mayer’s file, a time he had run many occasions earlier than. Fatigued from the efforts of the earlier six occasions, he squeezed below the time with 2:37.85 and made historical past with 6484.
“Within the 1000m, it was all or nothing,” he mentioned afterwards. “I knew it was a time I used to be able to, nevertheless it was not a straightforward time to run. I felt we ran quick however, after I appeared on the clock, it wasn’t going that quick! So, with 400m to go, I assumed perhaps I’ll not make it. However then, within the final 200m, I simply sprinted with every part I had and barely made it.”
Sander Skotheim (Getty)
A European title
A couple of weeks later, the European Indoor Championships befell in Apeldoorn. On the earlier iteration of the competitors in 2023 in Istanbul, Skotheim had gained his first senior silver medal, behind Mayer. On that event, the Norwegian’s devastating remaining occasion compelled the Frenchman to run for his life to win, 6348 to 6318. “He pushed me so laborious,” Mayer mentioned on the time. “I used to be so scared as a result of, earlier than the 1000m, I didn’t know if he was going to go quick. In order that was seven hours of ready and being scared.”
Skotheim, in the meantime, was quite extra relaxed about occasions.
“It’s tremendous cool to be this near Kevin now,” he mirrored after his race in Istanbul.
“He’s been a giant idol of mine whereas I’ve been doing the decathlon, so it’s cool to see that he’s inside attain to beat.”
In 2025, the principle challenger for Skotheim was Simon Ehammer of Switzerland, whose twin concentrate on the decathlon and lengthy bounce have made him one of the recognisable faces in mixed occasions.
Mixed eventers are likely to fall into 4 classes: the pace/energy athletes, the jumpers, the throwers and the all-rounders. As a pace/energy athlete, Ehammer dominates the standings within the early occasions. In Apeldoorn, such was the early aptitude of the Swiss that over-enthusiastic strategies of a world file have been rising after three occasions.
Sander Skotheim in Apeldoorn (Getty)
In precise reality, it was Skotheim, within the shadow of Ehammer, who was on monitor for a record-breaking rating. This time, he did it otherwise from his efficiency in Tallinn, the place he had acknowledged the factors missed within the excessive bounce.
“2.06m will not be a catastrophe, nevertheless it’s nearly 100 factors misplaced to what I may have finished,” he mentioned. “I received the peak, however I didn’t actually have the timing, or a great feeling of the place the bar was. Hopefully, I can push in the direction of not less than above 6500, perhaps even 6600.”
Skotheim discovered these lacking factors in Apeldoorn. Fewer factors from the lengthy bounce, shot and pole vault with 7.95m,
14.39m and 5.10m respectively, however extra factors from a 2.19m excessive bounce and sensational 2:32.72 1000m, wherein he led seven males to PBs below 2:40.
He emerged from the shade forged by Ehammer’s profile and – along with successful his first senior gold medal – elevated his earlier European file to 6558, overtaking Canada’s Damian Warner and Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme on the world all-time listing. Solely Kyle Garland (6639) and Ashton Eaton (6645) have scored extra.
Sander Skotheim in Nanjing (Getty)
A world title
Skotheim’s competitors on the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing was Johannes Erm of Estonia, the 2024 European decathlon champion behind whom the Norwegian had gained silver in Rome.
Skotheim had overwhelmed Erm soundly in Apeldoorn over seven occasions, however was tackling his third competitors in seven weeks, and confronted with an adversary hell-bent on redemption after lacking out on a medal within the Netherlands. Maybe for the primary time in his profession, Skotheim had the stress of being favorite. A yr earlier in Glasgow, Ehammer had gained the world indoor title in a intently fought battle wherein Skotheim had obtained one more silver and Erm the bronze.
For many of the competitors the Norwegian was on monitor to repeat his European file mark. However a 5.00m pole vault checked that trajectory, and as a substitute a brand new dynamic emerged, because the Estonian’s 5.30m vault introduced him inside 52 factors of Skotheim after six occasions.
The ultimate 1000m was brutal – not for the pace of Apeldoorn, however for the physicality of two drained athletes occupying the identical banked curves and racing for gold. Skotheim stayed on his toes, and inside a number of metres of Erm. He was rewarded along with his first world title in a rating of 6475.
Sander Skotheim at World Indoors (Getty)
The jewels in Skotheim’s crown are his jumps, the place he has probably the greatest combos of any decathlete: an 8.19m lengthy bounce, a 2.20m excessive bounce and a 5.35m pole vault.
For the extent of competitors wherein he now finds himself, flexibility to ship excessive scores throughout occasions in several methods is essential, offering resilience ought to a flagship self-discipline not go to plan.
As Skotheim returns to 10 occasions, he’ll face his team-mate Rooth, considered one of the technically proficient decathletes at the moment competing – a real all-rounder quite than a specialist in anyone, or set of, disciplines.
Skotheim has sometimes been one step behind his compatriot. He got here second to Rooth in Multistars in Grosseto in 2022, the place they each broke Martin Roe’s earlier nationwide file.
Sander Skotheim and Marcus Rooth (Getty)
A yr later within the EU23 championships in Espoo, he and Rooth left the sector of their wake as they battled to scores of 8561 and 8608, respectively. After which Rooth gained the last word prize in Paris final yr, an Olympic title, in a nationwide file of 8796.
In Paris, Skotheim didn’t register a peak within the pole vault. Within the second he put aside the frustration of what may need been, and centered on serving to his team-mate obtain what was to be, additionally successful a World Athletics Honest Play award.
Skotheim’s rating from 9 occasions in Paris was 7757. A vault of 5.10m would have given him one other 941 factors. A 1500m run for himself, quite than for Rooth, may have given him not less than one other 100 factors. Taken collectively, that’s a rating approaching 8800.
With three assured steps out of the shadows and into the sunshine in 2025, maybe Norway has somewhat extra room for one more star to shine.
