24 Giu Ole Hem Norwegian National Marathon Champion!
Ole Hem won the gold medal at the Norwegian National Marathon Championships. The rider from Krokstadelva who races for Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team secured his fifth gold medal in one of his last races of his career.
June 24, 2024, Birkeland (NOR) – First a title, then retirement! Just days before the end of his long career, at age 32, Ole Hem won the gold medal at the Norwegian Marathon Championships. All the stars aligned in Birkeland this year, and the Metallurgica Veneta MTB Professional Team rider doubled the joy of this victory by giving the team its first national champion jersey.
It had been five years since Hem had last stood on the top step of the podium of the most prestigious event on the Norwegian calendar. After a double win in 2018, 2019 he was behind the main favorites in the last two years, second in 2022, third in 2023, and this year he beat Norges Cup Maraton leader Tormod Weydahl by crossing the finish line of the Å i Heiane, a 70-kilometer race that awarded the Norwegian title, with his arms raised. Hem was able to make the difference in the final part of the race and take the direct title contender off his wheel.