Home / Other sports / Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) adds 16 new athlet..

Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) adds 16 new athletes to Talent Support Program

The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) has added 16 athletes to its Top and Talent support program for 2023, supporting prospective Olympic competitors in their quest for glory.

By Abhiruchi Rout | Dec 28, 2022 | 2 Min Read

The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) has added 16 athletes to its Top and Talent support program for 2023, supporting prospective Olympic competitors in their quest for glory. Athletics has four new members, including shot putter Axelina Johansson, who came in third at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Track and Field Championships earlier this year and seventh at the European Athletics Championships.

Andreas Almgren enters the program after placing fourth in the men’s 5,000-meter race at the European Championships, and women’s hammer thrower Grete Ahlberg is honoured for reaching the World Championships final. Given that she won the women’s long jump and triple jump gold medals at the World Under-20 Championships, Maja Skag may be the most promising prospect in the nation. Isak hrström, a canoe slalom competitor, hopes to compete in his second Olympics after making history as the first Swedish competitor in the event in 2016.

Marlena Jawaid was chosen after coming sixth at the Junior World Championships last year and climbing to the top 40 in the women’s world rankings, while equestrian athlete Jens Fredricson, who was a member of the jumping team that qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by winning World Championship gold and finished 10th individually, is also in the running. The 84th-ranked cyclist in the world, Julia Borgström, 21, has enough support thanks to her position. In Nacra 17 sailing, Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson finished seventh at the World Championships this year, while Marcus Dackhammar and Ida Svensson finished sixth at the European Championships last year.

Triathlon duo Andreas Carlsson and Tilda Mnsson have been chosen for the future, with the latter winning gold medals at the European and World Championships. Rickard Levin Andersson won silver in trap this year, securing Sweden a shooting quota berth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while 17-year-old beach volleyball player Jacob Hölting Nilsson won gold at the European Under-22 Championships this year, establishing himself as a potential future star.