To the blue and yellow fourth places in the World Championship 2017, Olympic Games 2021, and World Championship 2023, we can now also add Olympic Games 2024.
And this medal failure will likely hurt for a long time among the Swedish players.
In the semifinal against France, Sweden was only seconds away from a historic feat. What probably hurts the most after the bronze match is rather that the Swedish women put on such a bleak performance when they got a new chance to fix an Olympic medal.
Barely two days after the semifinal, it was early morning and unusually sparse in the stands in Lille. Down on the field, the teams didn't offer any handball propaganda in the battle for bronze.
Least of all a sloppy Sweden.
It's not that we're not loaded, it's the opposite, we're so damn loaded. But it doesn't help, you have to be good too, says team captain Jamina Roberts in Max.
Tomas Axnér called his forces to a timeout with barely 17 minutes played and a 6-9 deficit. Johanna Bundsen, the goalkeeper who had delivered top performances throughout the Olympic tournament, had to sit on the bench after a start where she only saved one out of ten Danish shots.
Substitute Evelina Eriksson got a more enjoyable start – partly thanks to better help from the Swedish defense.
Despite five saves from Eriksson, it was still a deficit, 13-15, before the second half.
Sweden had to continue chasing after the break. Bundsen came back into the goal, with over eight minutes left and a three-goal deficit.
I think we're having an incredibly bad match, especially in the back. They come in way too easily and we're running around like headless chickens. It's sad that we're having this match today, says Jamina Roberts.
There was no real final push. The deficit grew to four and five – and Sweden was a beaten team.
Right now, I'm just completely empty. I think all the emotions will come later. It feels so damn sad that we're having our worst defensive match in a bronze match. I think we've stepped up throughout the entire tournament, but today we didn't get up to it at all, says Linn Blohm.
In the final later today, France and Norway will compete for the gold.
