Despite not being in top form at the European Championship in Rome, the championship in Italy ended with gold on 20 kilometers.
A clear sign that Perseus Karlström was on the right track towards the season's big goal: Olympic Games gold in Paris.
Got covid
Then came the setbacks. And it all started with covid.
I competed in Rome with covid, I found out about it afterwards, he says during a press conference in the French capital.
After the European Championship, the 34-year-old took it easy to then continue with the previously laid plan, including high-altitude training in Spain.
The high altitude was tough. I had trouble recovering. It felt like I was driving with the handbrake on every day, he says.
When it finally started to get better, I got another virus.
The build-up therefore had to be adjusted. Some of his tough top-up sessions that he was going to do during his camps had to be scrapped, some had to be moved.
The time leading up to the Paris Olympic Games has therefore not looked like he wanted.
And it creates some worry ahead of the 20-kilometer race on Thursday.
I can't directly say how my form is today. It has gotten better every day over the past two weeks, but we have made big adjustments.
Hoping for a good day
At the same time, Karlström has a feeling that gold is still a possibility.
It's not optimal, but it has been many other times when it hasn't been optimal build-ups and I have still been able to perform at a high level.
So even if I can't perform at my best level, I hope to be able to perform at a high level. Then what it's enough for, we'll see.
What are you aiming for then?
My whole season has been built on me taking Olympic Games gold in Paris. Now? I don't know.
What I can say is that my body has felt better and better and better, and when I did my last tough session, last Monday, it wasn't bad but not fantastic either. It shows that it's there in the body.
