Swedish Press July 2021 Vol 92-05

Page 13

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Swedes in the Olympics

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By Kajsa Norman t just 21 years old, pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis was named the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year for his perfect 2020 season – which included two world pole vault records (6.17m and 6.18m indoors), a world outdoor best (6.15m) and an unbeaten run of 16 victories against the world’s best vaulters. This year, Armand continued his winning streak, winning gold at the 2021 European Indoor Championships in March, where he set a new meet record of 6.05m before narrowly missing a new world record attempt of 6.19m. Needless to say, Duplantis is No Beauty Queen

Mattsson. “We are here to excel and win at wrestling.” Swedish team captain Patrik Jansson backed her up: “It’s a load of rubbish! There are old codgers sitting there deciding who is the prettiest. It’s terrible.” Photo: SOK.se

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the overwhelming favorite heading into his event at the Olympics. However, it wasn’t a given that he would compete for Sweden. A dual citizen with an American father and a Swedish mother, Armand grew up in Louisiana in Armand Duplantis. Photo: Wanda Diamond League an athletic family. He started pole vaulting at the age of 3 and quickly be- Armand recalls. gan racking up a number of age group Armand’s mother, Helena Duplanworld bests. tis, had competed for Sweden as a hepBefore the 2015 World Youth tathlete. His older brother Andreas Championships in Colombia, then had also competed for the gold and 15-year-old Armand still hadn’t deblue as a pole vaulter. Their positive cided if he would compete for Sweden experience swayed Armand who seor the US. lected Sweden to the chagrin of many “We got contacted by the SwedAmericans. This summer, we hope to ish federation with them saying that watch him secure his first Olympic they wanted me to compete for them,” gold medal in Tokyo.

ofia Mattsson is a 31-year-old Swedish wrestler from Gällivare who has won a World Championship, four European championships, and an Olympic bronze medal. At age 17 she won the bronze medal in the 48-kilo division at the European Wrestling Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, but famously refused the award “Miss Europe” for being the event’s prettiest competitor, a title offered to young female wrestlers at tournaments in Eastern Europe. “This is not part of the sport,” said

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Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

How Team Sweden Recruited Its Brightest Star

Swedish Sailing Duo

n March 2021, Swedish sailing duo Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergström, reigning European champions, won gold at the 470 World Championship in Vilamoura, Portugal. Now they head to Tokyo as favorites.

Photo: Junichi Hira/Seglingsförbundet

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Strong As Steel

wedish discus thrower Daniel Ståhl competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he failed to qualify for the final. However, just a couple of weeks later, he set a new personal best of 68.72 metres, 1/3 of a meter further than gold medalist Christoph Harting had thrown. Then, in June 2017, Ståhl threw for 71.29 metres, setting both a new personal best and a new Swedish record. Ståhl's throw was farther than any discus throw in the world since 2013. In 2019, Ståhl won a gold medal at the World Championships in Doha. Swedish Press | July-Sept 2021 | 13


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