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Edlund sets national record as four more Swedes advance to European finals

Oskar Edlund celebrates his win in the 400m hurdles semi-finals
Oskar Edlund celebrates his win in the 400m hurdles semi-finalsMaxim Thore / Bildbyran Photo Agency / Profimedia

Oskar Edlund set a national record over 400m hurdles Vanessa Kamga sailed through to the final of the women's discus as nine Swedish athletes took to the track and field on day three's morning session at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, UK.

Edlund was given a bye to the semi-finals of the men's 400m hurdles, and he made the most of those fresh legs, pushing hard at the midpoint in the race and opening up a gap over the final 100m to win in a new Swedish best time of 47.81, seemingly with something left for the final, which takes place in the evening session on 14th August.

Next up was Carl Bengstrom, whose national record Edlund had just taken. Also with a bye to this round, Bengstrom looked to be losing touch on the final bend after an even first 200m, but finished strongly to finish third in 48.47. That put him in the final non-automatic qualification place ahead of the third semi-final, but he was not able to hang on.

One and done for Kamga 

Caise-Marie Lindfors finished seventh in qualification group A in the women's discus after a best attempt of 59.57m. That meant a nervous wait while the group B athletes competed to see if she would be among the finalists. However, 53.50m for Ebba Salomonsson Lind would not be enough, as she finished 13th in group A.

Kamga prepares for her only throw of qualification
Kamga prepares for her only throw of qualificationBERGELD/BILDBYRĹN / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

In group B, Kamga stepped up for her effort and sailed past the automatic qualifying line of 62m, making a 64.65m throw look effortless to guarantee herself a place in the final. That remained the best mark from either qualification group, which resulted in Lindfors sitting in 10th place overall and making it through to the medal event, which takes place in the evening session on 14th August.

Svenson and Wester progress

There was an equalling of a personal best for Wilma Svenson in the heats of the women's 200m - in a tight contest, the two-time national champion came off the bend in second place, which she managed to hold behind Talea Prepens of Germany to finish in 23.30. That was the ninth-best time overall, booking her a place in the evening's semi-finals.

In the final heat of the women's 400m, Elna Wester soon found herself trailing her five competitors over the first 200m, and though a strong finish wasn't enough to stop her crossing the line last, her personal best of 52.28 put her 12th of the 19 athletes in the first round, enough for a place in the semi-finals, which take place on 13th August.

Work to do for Uhlin as Kramer bows out

Emil Uhlin began two days of action in the decathlon with one of his weakest events, the 100m, which he ran in 11.27 to sit 22nd of the 25-strong field. Next up was the long jump, where a best of 6.72m failed to see him make strides up the leaderboard, with three more events to come on the first day.

After impressing in the heats of the men's 800m with a season's best of 1:46.05, Andreas Kramer went faster again in the semi-final, recording a time of 1:44.67, though that still didn't prevent him coming last. Mark English of Ireland's winning time of 1:43.49 set a new Championship record, proving the difficulty of the task facing Kramer.