Axelina Johansson hit on Friday evening with 19.72 – an improvement on her own Swedish indoor record by a full 41 centimeters and also 6 centimeters longer than Fanny Roo’s outdoor record. “Super fun! I can hardly digest it,” says Axelina.
19.48 – 19.57 – 19.66 – 19.72 – 19.51 – 18.87. So reads the thunderous series that Hässelby’s Axelina Johansson struck in her first competition this indoor season, a local story in Lincoln, Nebraska where the shooting star studies.
All but the last one therefore measured longer than 19.31, Axelina’s Swedish indoor record before the competition started.
– I’m still in heavy training, so we haven’t prepared the body at all to compete, but then I ran into training last week and then I thought: “why not take the opportunity to compete a little, take it as a training session?” And it turned out to be a very good training session! says a jubilantly happy Axelina.
Did you know you had these lengths in your body?
– I knew I could push far, but 19.72, I didn’t expect that!
And what do you think you have in you if you were to top the form?
– Always hard to guess, but I am in heavy training and my body is not fresh. In addition, I am very stressed at school. It hasn’t been optimal uploading right away, and if I get it then…well, it could be longer haha.
What is behind this successful start to the indoor season?
– It feels like I’m a new person. I’ve been very motivated after a World Cup that didn’t go so well. I have changed the training plan a bit, become much stronger. I’ve also been trying not to focus so much on how far I bump. I’ve been thinking more that I should trust the process. In the past, I’ve gotten stressed when I haven’t pushed as far as I wanted. But now I feel much safer and I generally had a very good autumn.
What have you changed above all in the training plan?
– I do a lot more assisting exercises, pullups, lat pulls, a lot of triceps. Much more like that instead of just running basic exercises. And it has made me stronger. I know that Sara Lennman, among others, has run that system and it helped her develop. Now it has obviously helped me too.
How will you celebrate this then?
– I’m going to go and lift a bit now, then I have to write an essay that should be in tonight. The evening is saved if I say so haha!
Axelina won the Husker Holiday Open in Lincoln in superior style and here are the results.
