Winter Olympics 2022: Hallgeir ENGEBRÅTEN SHOOK THE FAVORITES AND TOOK BRONZE

Hallgeir ENGEBRÅTEN SHOOK THE FAVORITES AND TOOK BRONZE: - BEST I HAVE EVER DONE


Hallgeir Engebråten surprised a lot and took the Beijing Olympics' first Norwegian skating medal. - I am very proud, says the 22-year-old about his own achievement.
Absolutely sick. It is something I have dreamed about since I was little and the fact that I will be standing here already now in my first Olympics is indescribable. I can not put it into words, says Hallgeir Engebråten to Discovery, when the medal was secured.
The time belongs to Engebråten, who only had to be beaten by Dutch Patrick Proest and Swedish Nils Van Der Poel. Both broke the Olympic record for Sven Kramer. Van der Poel finished in a time of 6.08.84.
Engebråten himself was only twelve hundredths behind Kramer's previous record, which was bronze.
- I'm very proud. Performing perhaps the best race I have ever done in my first Olympics means a lot, says Engebråten about the race.
I DO NOT HAVE WORDS
Skating coach Edel Therese Høiseth was clearly moved after the phantom stage.
- I have no words for the boy who pulls out that race in his first Olympics. One second from taking gold in a distance we have been written off in, it is great fun, says Høiseth to Discovery.
Engebråten has a personal best record of 6.09.21, which he set in Heerenveen a year ago.
Best of the year was 6.13.67. He ran one of his fastest 5,000-meter races ever. When it mattered most.
- It was really about getting up to 200 quickly and finding a good rhythm that I could go all the way. If I managed it, I knew that the speed would come, and then it was just a matter of distributing all the energy equally over 12 laps.
The skating group in the Discovery studio was also over excited for the Norwegian.
- He has hardly competed at that level until the last few weeks. It's amazing to see that he has made it happen. It is very, very fun and important for Norwegian skating, says former skater Johan Olav Koss to Discovery.
- The time there has been gold in the previous Olympics, an impressed Håvard Bøkko followed up.
A fifth or sixth place was in advance a good result for the 22-year-old, but the man from Kongsvinger had a medal taste in his mouth this Sunday morning.
- Engebråten delivers beyond all expectations, it is the best he has ever done, said Discoverys expert Eskil Ervik after the bronze race.
- Now I will treat myself to a bag of chips tonight, Engebråten grins.