Andreas Almgren has won a European Championship gold medal after an incredible performance in the 10,000-metre final. The 31-year-old won in stunning style, and after the race he ran straight to his friends in the stands, who were wearing silver T-shirts with Almgren written on them in honour of the day.
It was incredible! It almost hurts a little in the ear because someone was standing there screaming, and... they smelled of beer! It's impossible to describe. You have this complete euphoria and then they stand there and make it even better. It's just perfect, says Almgren in the mixed zone.
The fact that the friends showed up in Birmingham at all has been a running joke all week.
“We will see to it”
It may not be where you normally go to have fun, but on a night like this it doesn't matter where you are, says Almgren.
The running star himself is usually extremely meticulous with his routines, but after months of hard work, exceptions will now be made. That's clear.
There will be a celebration tonight. This is a man of details. It is no coincidence that he won, but he should treat himself now. We will make sure he celebrates hard, says friend Erik Norrbom.
The only thing standing between the golden hero and the upcoming party is the mandatory post-race doping controls.
“Usually bet hard”
You probably have two or three weeks a year where you can actually have fun with beer, so I usually focus on those times! There will be doping controls now, which will take a hell of a long time, but then we'll see where I manage to find them afterwards.
He doesn't usually like beer that much. But it's going to be different, says Erik Norrbom.
Andreas Almgren himself doesn't understand what his friend means and suggests that there might be a few beers at the party.
I don't know what they're talking about! Everything has its time and place.
With the gold medal secured and the buzz almost completely gone, the message is crystal clear: tonight it's Andreas Almgren's gang of friends who own Birmingham.
