Last year was tough. Maja Åskag left the European Championship in Rome and the Olympic Games in Paris in disappointment and tears flowed when she, after two missed qualifications, tried to explain what had just happened inside the arena.
In Tokyo, it's a different Maja Åskag who competes.
She made it to the final in long jump and finished ninth.
Now the Swede is clear for the final in triple jump, after 14.15 meters in the second jump.
”Enjoys”
I feel that I have built up self-confidence and security out there, something I haven't had before. I enjoy competing, I love competing, she says.
Strengthened by the security and safety, she aims to place better than ninth on Thursday. Åskag has even set her sights on Carolina Klüft's Swedish record of 14.29.
I want to jump far, try to set a Swedish record, get as many jumps as possible and just enjoy, do what I know I can, she says.
Rest on the schedule
To succeed with the task that awaits, fresh legs are required, because that's not what she had during the qualification at the National Arena. The long jump final had left its mark.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a day of complete rest. After two maximum performances on these hard tracks, it takes a little toll on the legs. I think it will feel better tomorrow and even better on Thursday, she says.
Maja Åskag started with a jump of 13.96. In the second attempt, she got a much better hit on the board and noted 14.15. The jump in the second attempt took her to ninth place. She briefly dropped to tenth place. A position she managed to hold.
The third and final attempt measured 14.14.
