The Olympic Games are the world’s premier sporting event, and track and field is usually the main attraction. In every competition, certain athletes stand out, either for their incredible performances or for their striking appearance. But what happens when an athlete becomes a top trend and goes viral without even attending the Olympics?
This is the case with 17-year-old Embla Matilde Nerve from Norway, whose pole vaulting performances have been making rounds on social media in recent days, even though she wasn’t in Paris with Lene Onsrud Retzius, who participated in the final but ranked very low.
The viral video of Nerve circulating on social media is actually from the European Under-18 Championships that took place in Slovakia in late July. There, the 17-year-old Norwegian athlete won the silver medal, finishing behind Greek pole vaulter Anastasia Boumboulidi.
Watch the viral video:
With a jump of 4.20 meters, the young Greek athlete won the gold, while the Norwegian reached 4.15 meters, which is her career-best so far, securing her the second spot on the podium.
Women’s Pole Vault | Anastasia Boumboulidis | European U18 Athletics Championships 2024
“It’s an honor to represent Norway in Slovakia,” said the 17-year-old, adding, “An experience that will not be forgotten. A big thank you to the support system around me that makes this possible.”
After the European U18 Championships, Nerve returned to her homeland to enjoy the summer.
In the competition held in Slovakia, where she was defeated by the Greek athlete, Nerve showed great potential, pushing her limits. Her jumps were technically sound, she displayed speed on the runway, and she managed to clear the bar comfortably in most of her successful attempts. With a jump of 4.15 meters at just 17 years old, she can certainly dream of competing in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, even though she will still be only 21 years old. For reference, the performance of the Norwegian athlete in the Paris final was 4.40 meters.
Embla Matilde Nerve proudly holds the record in the under-15 age category with a jump of 3.80 meters, a feat considered impossible by her peers until then.
The young athlete comes from an athletic family, as her father, Sigurd Nerve, was also involved in track and field, specifically in the triple jump. However, everyone expects that the beautiful Nerve will soon overshadow her father, and the results she has achieved so far are already an indication of a promising career in the popular sport of track and field.
Moreover, this 17-year-old girl from Norway is, like any teenager, active on social media, where she regularly posts photos and videos and receives numerous compliments for her appearance and athletic abilities, as she doesn’t only share content from her private life.
