Three times during the season, Andreas Kramer has improved the Swedish record – a total of almost one and a half seconds down to 1.43,13.
He was ready for the Paris-OS.
The middle-distance runner also stepped into Stade de France with the feeling of being able to make it to the final – instead, he disappeared in the semifinal.
The 27-year-old finished next to last in his heat, with a time of 1.46,52.
"Nothing I regret"
It's not like I'm going to bury myself under the ground, but it's empty now, he says.
I've been loading up for this for a long time, I've been away all summer at competitions and had a long training camp before this. It was something I needed to do to get in the zone, and nothing I regret.
It's been full focus on this for so long, and now I don't know what I'm going to do...
The Swede started the semifinal offensively. He quickly moved up to the lead, increased the tempo – exactly according to plan – but tired at the end.
On the final stretch, he was overtaken and saw his chance of making the final disappear at the same time.
Yes, what can you say... I think I gave myself a chance, moved up to top position, but then didn't have the strength. It was pretty clear.
Going to check out the Eiffel Tower
For Kramer, a few days of rest await, and he says it's nice that the calendar doesn't have any scheduled competitions for a while.
A time that's about recovering and getting energy for the rest of the season.
And closest, he's going to stay in the French capital for a few days.
My family is here, so I'm going to hang out with them and have a good dinner, says Kramer.
Then I'm going to check out the Eiffel Tower. I've been to Paris five times, I think, and haven't seen it yet.
Corrected: In an earlier version of this text, it was stated that Kramer finished last in his semifinal. The correct information is that he finished next to last.
