Believe “light hares” will provide a world record race – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule

Viewers test the new technology when Bislett Games is implemented with infection control measures on June 11.

Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal will attempt to set the Norwegian record at 3,000 meters in solitary majesty. But with the help of flashing lights within the list, she can tell how it stands compared to Grete Waitz’s Norwegian record of 8.31.75.

Since November 1, it has been possible to establish official records using the new technology.

However, Grøvdal loses the advantage of both the field and the hares, but these lights are now also allowed when athletics start normally. Then all of a sudden you can be guaranteed hares that keep the speed constant and correct for many rounds.

– It is a definite advantage to have perfect running arrangements. Here you will have perfect hare races, so there are much more possibilities to break world records. You can build an army of hares that follow the light, says NRK athletic commentator Jann Post.

– Great advantage

Such lights, called “wave lights,” are not entirely new to the world of athletics. It has already been tested during certain races in, among others, England.

At the Bærum Sports Park they have had an early version of the technology since 2013, which Karsten Warholm and Amalie Iuel have used to train.

– If you set an average speed, a flash of light will come on every five meters that will keep that speed from start to finish, arena host Håvard Hilde explains to NRK.

When Eliud Kipchoge ran below the magic two-hour limit in the marathon last fall, he was helped by a car that lit up record time against the hares. The hares alternated to go, and this time it is not approved as a record.

– I think it gives a great advantage. Good hares can have regular lap times, and it is advantageous to suck and save energy. If hares can save energy too, I think more can be hares too, says Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal, who therefore doesn’t get any suction on Bislett.

It is difficult for him to assess what is the most advantageous of running in a field or only against a light, but he lands on the advantage of the field and the physical hares.

Strong combination

The combination of light and field, on the other hand, is strong.

– Do you think the world records will fall?

– Yes I think so. Until now, world records have almost been set alone. At 5000 meters you have a hare at a maximum of 3000 meters, and you do not have hares that run faster. So the ending is usually done alone. Now the lights will help the hares, and then you have the light that you can hang, Grøvdal argues.

At the same time, the 29-year-old emphasizes that the races must still run, and the times will still be disputed. Although the lights are a help, it’s not yet certain they will have that effect, says Grøvdal.

At 14.37.33 and 30.13.74, Ingrid Kristiansen still has the Norwegian records of 5000 and 10,000 meters. Both were also world records when they were established in 1986. Kristiansen is not unaware that records could have been better with new technology.

The limit of the dream could be broken

– I ran the others with several laps when I set the 10,000 meter record in Bislett. If I had a light in front of me that was set to 29.55, I probably could have, says NRK.

Still, she doesn’t believe in any record-breaking career with new technology.

– I think it can be an advantage, but it can also be a stressor. People think they can skip the line, so it works, but you still have to run. So it’s solid training that helps, says Kristiansen.

Although he believes that technology gives today’s riders an advantage in fighting his day, he is not thrilled that it has been allowed.

“It will be a bit like people hanging out in expensive sneakers,” says Kristiansen, leading the ban that was imposed against certain shoe technology before the 2020 season.

– It is much more real that people run behind a line of expensive sneakers than drugs. Doping is the threat to athletics, not the new technology, says Ingrid Kristiansen.

– Sports must move forward

General Bislett Steinar Hoen is also convinced that it will now be easier to set records. Therefore, he believes it is a relevant question whether today’s racers get an additional advantage that previous generations did not have.

– You can always debate. But the sport must move quickly. In athletics there has been no development since 1896 (first Olympics, newspaper note). You have the V-style of jumping, running in cross-country skiing, or developing fiberglass skiing, says Hoen, who believes Norway should accept the changes.

– This is the year to test everything that implies. If it doesn’t work, there is nothing to take it away. I am open to many other innovations this year, because now we have no choice. Culture and music have been better than sports with team appearances and live concerts, Hoen says.

Unsure of audience value

Lights or lasers are already well established as a television effect in other sports like ice skating and jumping. When the last hopper is set, the required length is highlighted on the TV screen. But how will the audience experience if everyone sees exactly how athletes are getting closer?

– I think it is shared. The excitement initially increases, but if you see that the runner has no chance of the last lap, the excitement disappears, says Jann Post.

– In specific situations it can kill tension. Then reality can be revealed sooner than is strictly necessary. You have to use it a little with your head. For example, it might be possible to turn it off in the tank, Post continues.

Hoen says that, in theory, they could make four recording attempts at the same time with different lights for different practitioners.

However, such lights will not be relevant in championships, where they run for medals and not for records.

On the other hand, it is likely that you will search for personal records, national records and, above all, world records.

– In the Diamond League, it is often the best on the field who decides the time in the hare. If the best performer wants to get a world record, it is natural to use light, says Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal.