Munich. Pål Haugen Lillefosse, 21, took the historic Norwegian EC bronze medal in the pole vault.
There was only one thing missing.
– I wish my mom was here, he says.
Pål Haugen Lillefosse’s mother died of cancer in October 2018.
You have not reached the age of fifty.
He was only 17 years old.
After taking the EC bronze here in Munich, passions run high with the Norwegian column lifter.
When he received the medal, he looked at the stands where the whole family, except for the mother, was sitting together.
– I felt empty. It went straight to the heart. There is no one in the whole world I would rather see in the stands than my mother. I know she’d be proud, he said, crying in the mixed zone afterwards.
Historic medal
Pål Haugen Lillefosses had a talent for pole vaulting from a young age.
It was his first adult championship medal – and Norway’s first pole vaulting medal in the modern era.
According to Norwegian media, which cites Wikipedia, the last one was supposed to come at the 1900 Olympics when Karl Albert Andersen won bronze with a 3.20 jump.
After the success, Haugen Lillefosses paid tribute to his mother.
– I wouldn’t be standing here today without her. I remember one of the last things she said to me was that I could be one of the best players in the world. I thought about it a lot this year when it was going really well, and she believed in me the whole time.
– That’s big, he says.
Courtesy of Duplantis
After the success, celebrate with the Swedish gold medalist Armand Duplantis.
– Mundo was happy for me. The Norwegian says: We became good friends.
Duplantis asserts that this is the case.
It’s crazy fun for Pål to get a medal. He’s a good friend of mine and I’m convinced this won’t be the last time we see him on the podium.
Haugen Lillefosses says he would like to train with Duplantis.
– If he wants it 100 percent, we’ll solve it, Duplantis replies.
– Pål has a lot of talent. It looks good to practice with him. I think we can help each other.
