The 25-year-old from Karlstad took Sweden's first medal at the European Championship in indoor athletics in Apeldoorn – a silver on 60 meters after beating his own Swedish record by a hundredth, 6.52 seconds.
Jeremiah Azu took gold with a new European season's best, 6.49, and Andrew Robertson bronze. After the semifinal, Larsson had been bold and said the following about the Brit:
I've never lost to him on 60 meters. Won't do it either.
In the final, Larsson came in second at the start and was three hundredths behind Azu. He doesn't regret sticking out his chin before the race.
"Small country, just right"
I'm not afraid to say what I believe and think. It's a difference of three hundredths, it wasn't like I was dominated, says Larsson and continues:
As an athlete in a small country like Sweden, you should be humble. But if you look at the best athletes in the world in all sports, you need to have a competitive spirit. You want to go for gold. Had I said "yes, no, Azu is probably better than me today, we'll see, I'm aiming for silver". Then I might have become fourth. You have to go for gold all the time and dare to say it out loud.
The medal is the IF Göta Karlstad sprinter's second straight in the European Championship context. In Istanbul two years ago, he took bronze on the same distance. He also became the first Swedish male sprinter since Christer Garpenborg in San Sebastián 1977 to take a silver on the distance.
Faster than the last European Championship and a better value on the medal than in the last European Championship. Now I can say again: I'm aiming for gold at the next European Championship. So, we'll see what people think about that, says Larsson.
Vacation trip instead of the World Championship
Earlier, Larsson had decided not to participate in the World Championship in Nanjing, China, in a couple of weeks because the trip is exhausting and the preparation for the outdoor season is affected. Instead, it will be a trip to Nice and Monaco with his girlfriend Saga next week.
She's been so great. There's a lot of illness in Sweden, so we've been a bit isolated, not going out and eating and such things. She's a big part of who I am today. She's been so helpful for several years now. So, I'll get to indulge her a bit with the trip.
Born: September 30, 1999 (25 years old).
Lives: Karlstad.
Club: IF Göta Karlstad.
Personal best on 60 m: 6.52.
Main championship merits as a senior: World Indoor Championship: fifth (2024). European Championship: silver (2025), bronze (2023).
Current: Took Sweden's first medal, a silver, and set a Swedish record on 60 meters at the European Championship in indoor athletics in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, on Saturday evening.
