The runner Andreas Almgren is withdrawing from running the 10,000 meters at the OS in Paris.
The reason is problems with a shin bone that have made it impossible for him to train properly.
Sadly, says national team coach Kajsa Bergqvist at a press conference.
Andreas Almgren is forced to withdraw from the 10,000 meters at the OS – the distance he himself pointed out as the one where he has the best chance. The reason is that Almgren got feelings in his shin bone after the EM in Rome in mid-June, which has disrupted training since then.
He has received positive X-ray results, so nothing is broken. It's not a stress fracture, which he himself was worried about at first, says national team coach Kajsa Bergqvist.
The Swedish track star will therefore only run the 5,000 meters at the OS.
He reasons that the missed training period after the EM will affect his 10,000 meters more than his 5,000, says Bergqvist, and continues:
I'm sure he'll be able to do a really good OS, but it's a shame that this little setback is happening now, even if it's not a serious injury.
Almgren ran the 10,000 meters at the EM, but missed a medal and finished fourth. It was Almgren's second 10,000-meter track race in his career. The first one he ran in May and then he shattered the 34-year-old Swedish record by over a minute, when he crossed the finish line in a time of 26.52,87.
