PHOTO: Bildbyrån
He has won WC silver so far.
But now Perseus Karlström vents his great criticism.
– This shows that it is just bullshit, he says to DN.
Before the World Championships in Athletics, there were the big Swedish medal hopes Armand Duplantis, Daniel Ståhl and Perseus Karlstrom. So far, both Ståhl and Karlström have delivered WC gold and WC silver for Sweden, and on Saturday Duplantis is the big favorite to take his WC gold.
Wrath of Perseus
On Thursday morning, the walker Perseus Karlström had the chance to increase his medal haul in this year’s WC. But in a 35 kilometer course, he failed to repeat the medal success and had to leave the race in a wheelchair after an eighth place finish.
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However, that particular stretch will disappear until the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris 2024, which causes great irritation to the Swede. 35 km has instead been replaced with a mixed relay in the context of the Olympics.
– It can probably be a fun competition and I can think that it is good for walking sports, but it is the way in which this has been done that is not good, he says in an interview with Dagens Nyheter.
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“Is bullshit”
For last year’s WC, 50 km was replaced by 35 km and the plan was that the same change would take place for the 2024 Olympics as well. But instead the decision for a mixed relay came as late as April this year and it was met with strong reactions around the walking world.
– I would have nothing against making this change for the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, but now the announcement came far too late. After all, half of all the times at senior level have concentrated on 35 kilometers and now their opportunity has been taken away from them a year before the Olympics, says Karlström in the interview.
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The Swedish walker claims that the decision goes against the IOC, the International Olympic Committee, and their own policy that the competition program must be determined a full three years before an Olympics.
– This shows that what the IOC says (about changing the competition program) is just bullshit, says Karlström to the newspaper.
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Thus, Perseus Karlström has to settle for just one medal chance at the Olympics next summer, as Sweden cannot field a mixed team. It is the distance of 20 km that gave a WC silver during this year’s competition in Budapest.
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