| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Danish | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 July 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Steeplechase, cross-country | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 3000m Steeplechase: 8:29.12 (Bergen, 2022) 5km: 13:42 (Monaco, 2022) 10km: 29:01 (Århus, 2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Axel Vang Christensen (born 30 July 2004) is a Danish track and field athlete and cross-country runner. He is the 2021 and 2023 European Cross Country U20 champion. [1]
Christensen was brought up in Hillerod, to the north of Copenhagen. He started running initially just in order to increase his fitness for football. However, he won an under-age national title when 11 years-old and changed his focus to athletics. [2] He attended the University of Birmingham, where he was a contemporary of Will Barnicoat. [3]
In 2021 he won silver in the 3000 Metres Steeplechase at the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn. [4] He won the U20 race at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships in Dublin. [5]
In 2021, he also won the Danish national championships over 10k, and retained the title in 2022, finishing a minute ahead of Thijs Nijhuis. In 2022, in Lillesø, he beat the Jakob Ingebrigtsen's U20 European record for 3000 meters indoors. [6] He competed in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, however he picked up an injury during the race and could not complete the course. [7]
In December 2023, he won the 2023 European Cross Country Championships U20 race in Brussels, finishing strongly ahead of Niels Laros and Nick Griggs. [8]
Günther Weidlinger is an Austrian long-distance runner who is a former 3000 metres steeplechase specialist but now competes in the marathon.
Fionnuala McCormack is an Irish runner who has competed at a range of distance running events. She was the gold medallist at the 2011 and 2012 European Cross Country Championships, becoming the first woman to successfully defend the title. She has represented Ireland in the steeplechase at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and 2011 World Championships in Athletics, and twice at the European Athletics Championships.
Ancuța Bobocel is a Romanian middle-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She represented Romania at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics and is a three-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics. In 2009, she won the European U23 and Jeux de la Francophonie steeplechase titles, as well as a silver at the Summer Universiade.
Evan Reese Jager is an American middle- and long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. In his speciality event, he won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze at the 2017 World Championships. Jager is the current NACAC area record holder in the event with a time of 8:00.45. He is sponsored by Nike and is coached by Jerry Schumacher of the Bowerman Track Club.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal is a Norwegian middle-, long-distance and steeplechase runner. She is a European Championships gold medallist in half marathon, silver medallist in 5000 metres and bronze medallist in 10,000 metres and 3000 metres steeplechase. Grøvdal is a four-time Olympian and represented Norway at the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.
Peruth Chemutai is a Ugandan steeplechase runner. She won the gold medal in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the first Ugandan woman ever to win an Olympic medal. She added a silver medal in this event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Yohanes Chiappinelli is an Ethiopian-born Italian male middle-distance runner and steeplechaser.
Amy-Eloise Neale OLY is a British middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 3000 metres at the 2021 European Indoor Championships.
Lamecha Girma is an Ethiopian athlete who specialises in the 3,000 metres steeplechase. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the event and won silver medals at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships. Lamecha also won a silver in the 3,000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. He is the world indoor record holder for the 3,000 metres, which was set in February 2023. In June 2023 at the Meeting de Paris of the Diamond League, he broke the world record for the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase.
Ky Robinson is an Australian long-distance runner. Competing for Stanford, he won the 5000 and 10,000 m at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In 2022, he represented his home country at the World Championships in Eugene and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In December 2023, he set an Australian indoor 5000 m record in a time of 13:06.42.
Nick Griggs is an Irish middle and long-distance runner from County Tyrone.
Will Barnicoat is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner. He was European U20 cross country champion in 2022, and became European U23 cross country champion in 2023.
Sofia Thøgersen is a Danish middle distance and long distance runner. A multiple-time national champion, and the Danish national record holder over 1500 metres, in 2023 she became the youngest Danish athlete to compete at the World Athletics Championships.
Flavie Renouard is a French steeplechase runner specializing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She is the 2021 French Athletics Championships winner and a gold medallist at the 2022 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships and 2021 European U23 Championships. Her time of 9:19.07 at the 2023 Anniversary Games qualified her for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Juliane Falsig Hvid is a Danish steeplechase runner specializing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She won the 2023 Nordic Athletics Championships in the steeplechase and has represented Denmark at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. In addition to her athletics career, she is the reigning Nordic military pentathlon champion.
Ceili McCabe is a Canadian middle- and long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She has represented her country at the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships and holds the Canadian 3000 metres steeplechase record of 9:20.58, set in 2024.
Filip Rak is a Polish middle distance and cross country runner. He is the Polish indoor champion over 1500 metres and 3000 metres, and national U23 record holder over 1500 metres indoors and outdoors.
Ilona Mononen is a Finnish runner. She has won national indoor championship titles over 3000 metres and 5000 metres. She is the Finnish national record holder in the 3000 metres steeplechase.
Edward Bird is a British long distance runner. He was a bronze medalist at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships over 3000 metres.
Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen is a Norwegian middle distance and long distance runner. He was a gold medalist at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships over 3000 metres.
