Perseus Karlström took double bronze at the WC in Eugene, and hoped for even nobler denominations at the EC in Munich.
- I would probably be disappointed if I don't manage to win a gold on Tuesday, he said earlier this week, ahead of today's 35 km race.
That was not the case.
Karlström was second for a long time, behind the Spaniard Miguel Angel Lopez, with a seemingly reassuring distance down to the chasing passages.
But the longer time went by, the greater the distance became to Lopez.
At the same time, the distance down to the chasing aisles, which was almost a minute and a half at most, began to decrease.
And by the time it was 23 kilometers he was passed, and it became very clear that he was not feeling well.
He was then forced to stop, and sobbed and spat something out of his mouth.
- He has problems from time to time with acid regurgitation and some reflux tendencies.
We also saw him at the WC at some point sobbing like that, says SVT Sports expert Ato Ibáñez, who is Karlström's brother.
The problems continued, and shortly afterwards he was forced to retire, and had to be led off the track by doctors.
So far, it is unclear what happened.
- He had stomach problems a while ago, and it hasn't gone away, says Ibáñez.
The text is updated