– It's sad to hear you say that, said Hedda Hynne when NRK asked how it felt to crown the best year in the world.

The 30-year-old from Skien achieved a world best record this year apart from the Norwegian record with a fantastic time of 1:58.10 in the 800 meters in Bellinzona, Switzerland.

After a very fast first lap of 57 seconds, Hynne regained the lead of the race. There she really excelled and won ahead of Selina Büchel and Lore Hoffmann.

An overjoyed Hynne celebrated well upon completion.

– That's very good, I felt very excited before starting today. I ran well last week, but I'm very aware that I can run faster. “Today I was a wolf as Leif Olav (Alnes, journ.anm.) often says, you can choose whether you want to be nauseous or not, and today I ran fast, and I did it,” a proud Hynne told NRK after the race.

No wonder he is proud. He beat this year's best in the world before the race by more than half a second. His coach and partner, Erik Sakshaug, was also very satisfied after the race.

– This is really amazing. This is a Norwegian and Nordic record, and the best year in the world. It was going really fast from the start and 57 clear in the first 400 and everything went to plan and he finished really strong. It's very impressive, Sakshaug said.

– Become a global medal candidate

In what was supposed to be an Olympic season, Hynne truly stepped into the ranks of the world's elite. The coach believes that this year's progress is not a coincidence.

– It will have to be done to reach his peak here, but I really believe he can get even better and develop further in the future, but it is clear that 2020 is a fantastic year and the strategic plan we put together four years ago is leading to that direction. This year's Tokyo Olympics was a real success, but I think it can be even better in 2021, Sakshaug said.

Olympic 800 meters champion and NRK athletics expert Vebjørn Rodal warned that Hynne was now running so fast that he could be considered a potential medal winner at a major championship in the future.

– He has been patient. Be a mature player. Doing everything right. If you remove Caster Semenya and two other players who were banned because their testosterone values ​​were too high, this is a top international result. This brought him to the level of favorite in the European Commission. “We're talking about potential medalists globally,” Rodal said.

Hynne himself feels happy because his hard work and dedication over the years has now paid off. In just two days, his next race awaits, as he takes part in the Diamond League convention in Rome.

– This is something we have worked very hard on. Establishing yourself among the best internationally, now starting to loosen up, it's a step forward, and it's a lot of fun. “Today I will enjoy it, and on Thursday in Rome, it will be very difficult to try to adapt, but I wouldn't be like this if I didn't,” said Hynne.

Big progress

Hynne's success this season has been sensational. Until a week ago, Hedda Henne had a personal record of 1.59.87

– He has improved tremendously. The worst thing is that he improved the Norwegian record by 1.7 seconds in a week. It's half an eternity at an altitude of 800 meters. This is a big boost, said NRK athletics commentator Jann Post.

The 30-year-old has been solid all season, but his form has really stepped up in recent weeks. A week ago he set a Norwegian record for the first time with 1.59.15 in Italy and erased Ingvill Måkestad Bovim's ten-year mark.

– Lately we have seen that he has great unfulfilled potential. Today he came up with a one hundred percent perfect race plan, Post explained.

Coach Sakshaug said he was surprised the race went so quickly, even though he knew Hynne had time.

– Truly extraordinary. I never thought it would go so fast. I believe he has 1.58 in him so it's not surprising. But when it hit a low of 1.58, it was only a tenth of a decline to 1.57, which was extreme.

– It says a lot when he set the best in the world this year, said the coach proudly.