Ski world champion Golberg finishes 19th at Frankfurt Marathon
Norwegian cross-country skier Paal Golberg, the 2023 world champion over 50 km, ran the Frankfurt Marathon in 2:18:55 and placed 19th. He ended his skiing career last April and has since focused more on running.
Norwegian cross-country skier Paal Golberg, the 2023 world champion in the 50 km mass start, ran the Frankfurt Marathon in Germany on Sunday, covering the 42 km distance in 2:18:55. The 35-year-old placed 19th overall, inside the top 20. It is a notable result for an athlete whose main discipline is skiing rather than running.
Golberg ended his cross-country skiing career last April after 16 years competing in the World Cup. Since then he has turned more towards running. Last year he made his marathon debut in Oslo, finishing fifth in 2:28:11, and in June he won the Nordmarka Forest marathon.
The source says the Frankfurt time puts him among the 10 best runners in Norway. Only a few Latvian runners have run faster: Valerijs Zolnerovics, Aleksandrs Prokopcuks and Janis Viskers. On the social network X, cross-country skiing expert Peter Skinstad wrote: "I take my hat off to him."
The Frankfurt Marathon was won by Dzhirata Lelisa Denki of Ethiopia in 2:05:25.
Skiing career
Golberg has competed at two Olympic Games (2014 and 2022) and four world championships. He won an Olympic silver medal in the relay in 2022 and four world championship gold medals, including one individual title over 50 km in 2023. He is also a two-time Norwegian champion: in the sprint in 2013 and over 30 km in 2020.
Golberg made his World Cup debut in March 2010 in Drammen in a city sprint. Since then he has taken part in 227 World Cup races, reaching the podium 56 times and winning 19.
