The 24-year-old sprinter showed in the trials that she is in the form of her life when the clock stopped at 22.79 seconds, a new Swedish record on 200 meters.
In the semifinal at the mighty Stade de France in Paris, Julia Henriksson was nevertheless significantly behind in the third and final heat.
Henriksson could not quite repeat the performance from the trial and was far behind already after the curve. Her 22.88 was still a new strong time and was enough for a sixth place in the heat.
The Olympic Games debut left her wanting more.
I'm taking with me a huge amount of experiences. Being able to stand in an Olympic semifinal with so much audience. Having the self-confidence that I can actually do it. A Swedish record yesterday and delivered a good time today. I'm really happy, says Henriksson when she came to the mixed zone.
The two best in each heat plus the two best times advanced to the final.
In the men's 200 meters, the trials were decided earlier in the evening. Erik Erlandsson finished seventh in his heat, with a time of 20.65, but gets a new chance in the repechage.