The last few years have been tough for Kalle Berglund, who struggled with his mental health.

He decided early on that 2022 would be a gap year, something he told SVT.

After the Olympics in Tokyo 2021, the joy of competing and training like an elite athlete did not exist.

He therefore chose to withdraw zero kroner from his contribution from SOK, which he would have received as part of Topp och Talang.

"I decided pretty quickly that the best thing for me was to take 2022 as a recovery year and focus on what's really important, my mental health.

I was 100 percent transparent with this both towards SOK and the media," writes Berglund.

It would have looked different then

When the SOK the other day presented the athletes who were part of the support through Topp och Talang, Berglund was not there.

Now he directs criticism at SOK and believes that the decision would have been different if he had prioritized his mental health.

"Honestly, if I had ignored my mental recovery and focused on training and ran okay, I think the decision would have been different."

The answer: "A miscommunication"

Furthermore, he criticizes the lack of communication.

"But the fact that I first got to know the news in an article on the internet is the simple answer: "There was a mistake in communication", Yes you, I don't know what to say...", he concludes.

SVT has contacted SOK's director of operations, Peter Reinebo, for comment.

CLIP: A year after hitting rock bottom, Berglund was back (June 30, 2022)

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Kalle Berglund.

Photo: Bildbyrån