Markus Rooth

Markus Rooth (born 22 December 2001) is a Norwegian track and field athlete. He won the gold medal in decathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the first gold medal for Norway in this event since 1920. He was also the 2023 European U23 champion.

Career

In 2020, competing in Bislett, Rooth finished on 8238 points in the decathlon, which places him second in the world U20 all-time standings behind only Niklas Kaul.

In 2022, Rooth set a Norwegian record in the decathlon with 8307 points in competition in Grosseto, Italy.

In 2023, Rooth had his Norwegian national record for the decathlon beaten by Sander Skotheim. However, with both men competing at the 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships, it was Rooth that triumphed with a new personal best, championship record, and national record score of 8608.

He competed in the heptathlon at the 2024 World Athletics Championships in Glasgow in March 2024. Competing in the decathlon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome in June 2024, he was contending for a medal before having to pull-out of the competition after sustaining an injury during the pole vault aspect of the event.

He won the gold medal in Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the decathlon, finishing in first place overall with a national record tally of 8796 points.

Personal life

He is related to the Rooth family of athletes from Oslo, with Andrea Rooth his cousin.