Axel Härstedt

Karl Axel Härstedt (born February 28, 1987) is a Swedish discus thrower.[1] A member of the Swedish track and field team at the 2015 IAAF World Championships and at the 2016 Summer Olympics, he launched his personal best throw of 66.03 m at a national track and field meet in Helsingborg nearly a month before the Games.[2] Härstedt currently trains for Malmö Athletics Club (Swedish: Malmö Allmänna Idrottsförening).[3]

Axel Härstedt
Personal information
Full nameKarl Axel Härstedt
Born (1987-02-28) 28 February 1987
Täby, Sweden
Height1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight135 kg (298 lb)
Sport
Country Sweden
SportAthletics
Event(s)Discus throw
ClubMalmö AI
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Discus throw: 66.03 (2016)
Updated on 29 August 2015.

In 2016 Härstedt won the gold medal in the men's discus throw at the European Throwing Cup held in Arad, Romania.[4]

Härstedt competed for Sweden, along with his fellow countryman Daniel Ståhl, in the men's discus throw at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Nearly a month before his maiden Games, he successfully nailed the IAAF Olympic entry standard (65.00) by over a single metre with a personal best of 66.03 at a national track and field meet in Helsingborg, a vast improvement from his previous mark of 64.72 set in Jönköping one year earlier.[2][5] Having unexpectedly entered the final round with his only qualifying throw of 63.58, Härstedt unleashed the discus into the field at an initial distance of 54.77, and then extended it powerfully to 62.12 m on the second round. With his next attempt prompting a foul, Härstedt bowed out of the competition in tenth place.[6][7]

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Sweden
2005 European Junior Championships Kaunas, Lithuania 13th (q) Discus throw (1.75 kg) 48.53 m
2006 World Junior Championships Beijing, China 14th (q) Discus throw (1.75 kg) 55.12 m
2007 European U23 Championships Debrecen, Hungary 14th (q) Discus throw 53.44 m
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 12th Discus throw 60.01 m
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 23rd (q) Discus throw 60.52 m
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands – Discus throw NM
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 10th Discus throw 62.12 m
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany 17th (q) Discus throw 61.19 m

References
  1. "Axel Härstedt". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  2. "Härstedt tog sista OS-chansen" [Härstedt took his last Olympic chance] (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  3. "Fin utmärkelse till Malmös nya OS-hopp" [Sports award goes to Malmö's new Olympic hopeful] (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  4. "European Athletics competitions | European Athletics".
  5. Jönsson, Kent (13 January 2016). "Axel Härstedt vill inte kasta bort chansen" [Axel Härstedt does not want to throw his chances away] (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  6. "Athletics: Men's Discus Throw Final". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  7. "Axel Härstedt tia i diskusfinalen" [Axel Härstedt finished tenth in the discus final] (in Swedish). Dalarnas Tidningar. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.


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