When Europe’s top young track and field athletes gather at Fana Stadium in Bergen for the U23 European Championships this July, the Norwegian athlete Henriette Jæger will be one of the major profiles to watch. As one of Norway’s leading medal candidates, Henriette is excited to compete on home soil in Norway and to inspire new generations as an ambassador for our championship.
“It feels incredibly exciting,” Henriette says. “I have been working towards this championship for several years, so being among the favorites in my event is a huge motivation.”
With the U23 European Championships in Bergen, both athletes and spectators are offered a unique opportunity to create unforgettable memories. Henriette believes that hosting the championship on Norwegian soil will bring extra energy not only to herself but also to the rest of the Norwegian team – and not least to future stars and athletes.
“For me, it pushes me to train even harder to achieve the best possible results. I think many others on the team feel the same,” she says.
Her goal for the championship is clear: to perform at her best, and ideally take a long-awaited gold medal, following the silver she claimed at the previous U23 European Championships in Espoo in 2023.
“The most important thing is to stay injury- and illness-free, so I can set myself up for a good build-up. And of course, I’m hoping for a great atmosphere at the stadium, and nice weather.”
Henriette’s preparation for the championship is carefully planned. The final weeks before competition focus on reducing training volume, gaining freshness, and sharpening explosiveness. Her favorite sessions include sprint training, strength training, like squats and cleans, and long hill sprints. Henriette enjoys these sessions but admits that some sessions require extra willpower:
“The session I dread the most is the 300-meter intervals. That’s because the 300s are quite fast, and there’s only a short rest between each. After a session like that, I always feel nauseous.”
To balance training, recovery, and mental preparation, Henriette schedules extra rest days in her build-up and works consciously with visualization, which means picturing how she wants her races to look and feel.
Henriette draws inspiration from the very best, like Karsten Warholm and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but there’s no denying that she has already achieved major milestones in her own athletics career. Henriette won her first international medal at the Youth Olympic Games in 2019, became Norwegian champion in the 400 meters in 2023, was awarded the prestigious King’s Cup, set a national record in the indoor 200 meters, and became the first Norwegian woman to run under 23 seconds in the distance. In addition, 2025 has started well for Henriette: she won gold in the 200 meters at the Nordic Indoor Athletics Championships in Espoo, silver in the 400 meters at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, and also claimed a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing. Wow!
Henriette handles pressure and expectations by focusing on her own tasks. She views pressure and expectations as a sign that what she does matters to her, something that triggers extra adrenaline and sharpens her focus ahead of races.
“What drives me is the curiosity about how good I can become if I give everything,” she says.
With an exciting season ahead, Henriette is looking forward to competing on home soil – and to inspire both young and old.
A fun face: before each competition, Henriette has one fixed routine: she always starts her warm-up exactly one hour before Call Room and always drinks a 0.33-liter can of cola during her warm-up.
Henriette tells us that if she hadn’t pursued athletics, she would most likely have continued with football and probably still would have played that.
However, we are very grateful that she chose athletics – and we are excited to see her in action at Fana Stadium in July.
We are cheering for you, Henriette
