When Almgren and Mills, who know each other well, crossed the finish line in the first heat, they communicated with each other. European runner Mills ran in 7:50.87 and Almgren was second in the goal, four hundredths behind.
I just tapped him on the back and said "easy", says Almgren with a smile.
The 29-year-old Swedish runner, who earlier this year set a new European record on the 10-kilometer road, made a long-awaited comeback in track and field championships after missing the Olympic Games in Paris last summer due to injury.
It's really fun, but I hate heats. It's really fun to watch, but it feels like you can only lose, says Almgren.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won the European Championship gold on 1,500 meters on Friday evening, won the second heat with a time of 7:55.32.
Sunday's final on 3,000 meters at 4:50 pm can be something extra when Almgren is chasing a Swedish medal and Ingebrigtsen can take his third consecutive gold double at an indoor European Championship.
Both in Torun 2021 and Istanbul 2023, the 24-year-old Norwegian star won on 1,500 and 3,000 meters. At the Olympic Games in Paris, he won gold on 5,000 meters.
Just because I came second quite easily now doesn't mean I have a guaranteed medal in any way. It's an incredibly tough field. It's just about trying to blend in as well as possible, says Andreas Almgren.
Corrected: In an earlier version of this text, the start time for Sunday's final was incorrectly stated. The correct time is 4:50 pm.
