At the central station in Gothenburg, the recent winner of this year's Bragdguld, Nils van der Poel, stopped in motion to comment on the award.
Which he got for his world record and double golds in ice skating at the Beijing Olympics.
- That's how you get it because someone thinks I'm better at skating than Marcus Ericsson is at driving a race car.
What does this mean?, asks Nils van der Poel, gesturing as if holding a microphone.
- Yes, fun.
Fun to read the list, as well.
Here are many great athletes who have their name, and now people will look at that list in the future and see my name.
And then they will say: ah, fun.
And then they will be happy because they are on the list that I also somehow raised the status of.
It's cool to be a part of it, but I have a hard time relating to the fact that what we consider to be the noblest thing that a Swedish athlete can achieve is that others think the performance is something, says Nils van der Poel.
He believes that it is not sport.
- Sport is not about satisfying others, making others think you are good.
It's kind of strange to get an award for that in a business that so clearly prizes achievement for what we do.
van der Poel was awarded the Bragdguldet 2022 with the justification: "For Olympic feat, a legendary and pioneering career that put a golden edge on a classic Swedish parade event".