The World Cup cross-country event in Oslo witnessed what seemed to be one of the strangest races in the history of ski sports. British athlete Gabriel Gledhill, 23, turned the challenging 50-kilometer course into a «party.»
Around the third lap, Gledhill decided that competing was boring and began accepting «gifts» from spectators, who offered the skier all sorts of things.
These included more than a dozen bottles of beer, a few shots of strong liquor and snus — smokeless tobacco popular in Scandinavian countries. Moreover, the athlete downed mouthwash. As Gledhill told local media, he mistook it for a drink, which caused him to vomit during the race.
Despite strong intoxication and nausea, the athlete didn’t give up. Gledhill «crawled» to 67th place at the finish line, lagging 20 minutes behind the winner. While he was enjoying himself, women skiers who started 45 minutes later overtook him.
🇬🇧 😂 Un skieur britannique s’est saoulé en plein marathon lors d’une étape de la Coupe du monde en Norvège.
— @Ветеран 🇫🇷 (@patriot_senior) March 17, 2026
Pendant la course de 50 km, Gabriel Gledhill a bu environ 12 bouteilles de bière et plusieurs shots de Jägermeister. Résultat : il a fortement ralenti et a terminé en… pic.twitter.com/vAiN0g98sH
Although having fun, outside the course the athlete had previously faced challenges: Norwegian authorities had refused to extend his residence permit due to income issues. Gledhill must leave Norway and the Schengen Area by March 28.
He told Verdens Gang that it was sad for him to leave Norway and compared the situation to breaking up with a partner.
