With high hopes following a successful start to the season, I travelled to Portugal with the Swedish national team at the end of May for the 2026 European Championships (of course, I only joined the Swedish team for the trip).
A difficult start to the sprint
The event kicked off with a sprint in the historic fortified town of Almeida. The high castle walls and the old town suggested a technically demanding competition. But a glance at the map made it clear: rather than tricky navigation tasks, an extremely fast race with zero margin for error lay in store.
Unfortunately, I made two major mistakes, which are severely punished in a race like this. In the end, I finished 10th and was left feeling somewhat disappointed. On a positive note, however, I was pleased to realise that I had managed to maintain the physical form I’d built up for the World Cup.
Surprise victory in the middledistance
The next day, the middle-distance race near Vilar Formoso was on the agenda. Shortly after the start, I lost about a minute due to a mistake. For a moment, I thought the race was already over. Nevertheless, I managed to reset mentally and focus fully on the rest of the race.
From that moment on, everything went according to plan. I had a flawless race and fought my way back up. Nevertheless, I was completely surpriesed when I approached the finish line, while hearing the announcer declare me the new European champion. It was a very special moment to be able to celebrate my first title in that way.
Gold in the mass start too
The mass start, my favourite discipline, was the final event of the individual races. The strategy was clear: conserve energy, do as little leading as possible, and wait for the right moment.
The tactic paid off. We were about two-thirds of the way through the race when I managed to break away from the front of the pack alongside a Danish rival. Although a Swedish runner caught up with us shortly before the finish, we had already prepared ourselves better for the decisive stage of the race.
With two controls to go, I took the lead as planned. Although a minor navigational error caused a bit of a scare, I still managed to secure the win in the end – and with it, my second European Championship title in the space of a few days.
Disappointment in the relay
The relay race was the final event on the programme. Together with Adrian and Noah, we had set our sights high and were determined to compete for the medals.
I got off to a good start and handed over in third place, just around 40 seconds behind the leaders. As the race went on, however, a mistake cost us a lot of time, which meant we lost our chance of a medal. That’s sport – we win as a team and we lose as a team. But one thing is clear: we’ll learn from this and go all in again next time.
Heading into the World Champs with confidence
Despite missing out on a relay medal, the joy clearly outweighs the disappointment. Winning two European Championship titles at a single event is far more than I could ever have hoped for. That’s why I’ll cherish fond memories of the European Championships in Portugal for a long time to come.
For now, it’s time for a bit of a break, before the season’s final major highlight – the World Championships in Mora – takes place at the end of August.
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