The road to sporting glory often leads to ups and downs. Along the way, there are key milestones that every athlete goes through.
In the first installment of a new series where athletes reflect on five key steps on their path to the Paris Olympics, Swedish runner Perseus Carlstrom recounts the journey that has led him to this point in his career.
My mom inspired me to start the sport…
…It’s funny because I never knew she was one of the best in the world until I was in my mid-teens. All her medals were hidden in a box and she had a few trophies around the house, but they were being used as flower pots. The first time I saw her medal from the 1986 European Championships was when our city had an exhibition of sports legends.
My mom was also the one who brought me and my siblings to my first race when I was seven years old.
Perseus Carlstrom with his mother Sue
It was September 1997 when I had my first competition…
…I still remember everything about that fight. When we arrived, I saw that they had set up a table full of various prizes and explained to me that if you win your match, you get to pick first. There was a wooden handmade train that I really liked. I noticed that another boy next to me also told his parents that he wanted to win the train. But that made me extra motivated to do whatever I could to win this train.
I managed to finish first in this race and had to choose the train. It was displayed in my room until I was 20 years old, and I still have it today.
One of the most important turning points in my career came in 2014…
…Although I competed in some international age group championships, I did not train very intensively as a youngster. I always knew, however, that I had the potential to be one of the best one day. I started increasing my training when I became a senior athlete in 2010 and I improved a lot that year, but then I got injured.
The Swedish Olympic Committee has a talent program for athletes. I was offered to participate in their screening process, which includes an interview and some physical exams. I told them I had ambitions to be one of the best in the world. They said to me: “You say that, but your training data does not suggest that you really want to be one of the best in the world. Are you just saying it, or do you really want to be the best in the world?’
I realized they were absolutely right and I wasn’t investing as much time as I could have been. So in 2015 I once again increased my training volume and continued to do so in 2016 and 2017. It was during this time that I made my breakthrough, winning my first international race (setting a national record of 1:19:11 in Podebrady) and qualifying for the Rio Olympics.
![Perseus Carlstrom on the podium in Pontebrandi](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/665c5f302157e4f9b6862a7c.jpg)
![Perseus Carlstrom on the podium in Pontebrandi](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/665c5f302157e4f9b6862a7c.jpg)
Perseus Carlstrom on the podium in Pontebrandi
If it wasn’t for the pandemic, my training setup would be very different right now…
…I started working with Australian trainer Brent Vallance in 2018. At that point, I had built my body to handle an increased training load and felt it was a good time to take my career in a new direction. Switching to a coach who was one of the best in the world turned out to be a very good decision and resulted in world bronze in 2019.
But the pandemic years, and especially my experience at the Tokyo Olympics, were very challenging. Brent and I still had a great coach-athlete relationship but Australia was still in lockdown which made things very difficult and I wasn’t a very happy athlete. At that point we had no idea how long the pandemic would last, so after the Olympics we made the decision to change coaches to help me become a happy athlete again.
In late 2021 I started working with Rob Heffernan. I thought I’d give it a year to see if it works for the current Olympic cycle, and luckily it does.
![Perseus Carlstrom with Brent Vallance and Rob Heffernan](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/665c5f4e2157e4f9b6862a7f.jpg)
![Perseus Carlstrom with Brent Vallance and Rob Heffernan](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/665c5f4e2157e4f9b6862a7f.jpg)
Perseus Carlstrom with Brent Vallance and Rob Heffernan
The win in Antalya was a major confidence boost ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics…
…One thing I’ve focused on doing over the last few years is putting myself in environments that I enjoy where I can really thrive. This determines where I go to training camps and who I go there with, because the main focus is always on being happy.
This has been the case to a large extent this season and has resulted in some outstanding performances. My victory at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya is a direct result of always being in a positive environment.
I continue to build on that leading up to the European Championships in Rome and then the Olympics in Paris.
![Perseus Karlstrom celebrates his 20km victory at the Antalya 24 Track and Field World Championships](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6624e4ab7b52cf853f041c65.jpg)
![Perseus Karlstrom celebrates his 20km victory at the Antalya 24 Track and Field World Championships](https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6624e4ab7b52cf853f041c65.jpg)
Perseus Carlstrom celebrates his 20km victory at the Antalya 24 Athletics World Team Race Walking Championships (© Sergio Mateo)