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.
Biography
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. His compatriot Sander Skotheim who had entered no jump in the pole vault but stayed in the competition to pace Rooth around the 1500 metres course, was later awarded the World Athletics fair play award.
In January 2025, he was a winner at the 2025 Norwegian Sports Gala held in Trondheim, winning three awards in total, including the Norwegian Sportsman of the Year trophy as well as Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year and the Name of the Year award, which was voted on by members of the public.
Rooth missed significant time after requiring surgery on an injury in 2025. In September 2026, he completed his first decathlon since the 2024 Olympic Games, placing ninth with 8209 points at the Décastar in Talence.
Personal bests
Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
Outdoor
- As of 16 October 2025
| Event | Performance | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 metres | 2:10.13 | Sandnes | 4 March 2018 |
| 110 metres hurdles | 14.23 (+1.3 m/s) | Gothenburg | 2 July 2023 |
| Long jump | 7.43 m (24 ft 4+1⁄2 in) (+1.8 m/s) | Askøy | 30 July 2021 |
| High jump | 1.85 m (6 ft 3⁄4 in) | Bærum | 14 June 2019 |
| Pole vault | 5.33 m (17 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Athens | 6 July 2025 |
| Shot put | 14.29 m (46 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | Stjørdal | 26 June 2022 |
| Discus throw | 49.13 m (161 ft 2+1⁄4 in) | Oslo | 21 April 2022 |
| Javelin throw | 66.12 m (216 ft 11 in) | Albufeira | 14 May 2023 |
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decathlon | —N/a | Paris | 2–3 August 2024 | 8,796 points |
| 100 metres | 10.71 (+0.9 m/s) | Paris | 2 August 2024 | 926 points |
| Long jump | 8.01 m (26 ft 3+1⁄4 in) (−1.1 m/s) | Rome | 10 June 2024 | 1,063 points |
| Shot put | 15.31 m (50 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | Espoo | 15 July 2023 | 809 points |
| High jump | 2.03 m (6 ft 7+3⁄4 in) | Espoo | 15 July 2023 | 831 points |
| 400 metres | 47.69 | Paris | 2 August 2024 | 924 points |
| 110 metres hurdles | 14.25 (+0.2 m/s) | Paris | 3 August 2024 | 965 points |
| Discus throw | 49.80 m (163 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | Paris | 3 August 2024 | 866 points |
| Pole vault | 5.30 m (17 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | Paris | 3 August 2024 | 1,004 points |
| Javelin throw | 66.87 m (219 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | Paris | 3 August 2024 | 842 points |
| 1500 metres | 4:29.66 | Espoo | 16 July 2023 | 747 points |
| Virtual Best Performance | 8,954 points | |||
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triathlon multi-event | —N/a | Oslo | 12 June 2025 | 2,799 points | |
| Long jump | 7.67 m (25 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | Oslo | 12 June 2025 | 977 points | |
| 110 metres hurdles | 14.07 (−0.8 m/s) | Oslo | 12 June 2025 | 965 points | |
| Javelin throw | 67.89 m (222 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Oslo | 12 June 2025 | 857 points | |
| Virtual Best Performance | 2,799 points | —N/a | |||
Indoor
- As of 16 October 2025
| Event | Performance | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres | 7.40 | Steinkjer | 10 March 2018 |
| 200 metres | 22.73 | Bærum | 11 February 2018 |
| 800 metres | 2:00.82 | Sandnes | 24 February 2019 |
| Long jump | 6.91 m (22 ft 8 in) | Ulsteinvik | 3 March 2019 |
| High jump | 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Bærum | 9 February 2020 |
| Pole vault | 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in) | Bærum | 21 December 2019 |
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heptathlon | —N/a | Hvam | 18–19 January 2020 | 5,798 points |
| 60 metres | 7.08 | Glasgow | 2 March 2024 | 854 points |
| Long jump | 7.68 m (25 ft 2+1⁄4 in) | Glasgow | 2 March 2024 | 980 points |
| Shot put | 15.52 m (50 ft 11 in) | Glasgow | 2 March 2024 | 822 points |
| High jump | 1.98 m (6 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Glasgow | 2 March 2024 | 785 points |
| 60 metres hurdles | 8.01 | Glasgow | 3 March 2024 | 979 points |
| Pole vault | 5.10 m (16 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Glasgow | 3 March 2024 | 941 points |
| 1000 metres | 2:48.24 | Hvam | 19 January 2020 | 956 points |
| Virtual Best Performance | 6,145 points | |||
Personal life
He is related to the Rooth family of athletes from Oslo, with Andrea Rooth his cousin.
