At the age of 10, Rolf Thore Roppestad picked a biography off his parents’ bookshelf and read how an athlete from their village in south-east Norway plotted a course to become the conqueror of Europe.
Sverre Strandli was a fine all-round sportsman but wanted to become a champion.
In a rudimentary Norwegian version of the Moneyball strategy of later US baseball fame, Strandli analysed the data and the competition from different sporting disciplines to work out his best chance of success.
