Pihlström advances to European Championship 1500m final; Duplantis qualifies easily

Samuel Pihlström is heading to the European Athletics Championships 1500m final after a strong performance in his heat. The 25-year-old athlete took the lead for a significant portion of the race and ultimately secured third place, enough to advance.

"I felt confident and I am happy with how I controlled the race," Pihlström said. The final is scheduled for Saturday evening.

In the heptathlon, Lovisa Karlsson has made a promising start. After the 100m hurdles and high jump, she sits in eleventh place with 1,987 points, performing better relative to her personal best than expected. Her compatriot Erika Wärff is in 17th place with five events remaining.

Armand Duplantis, the Swedish pole vaulter, advanced to the final without issue, needing only one attempt to clear the qualifying height of 5.60 meters. However, fellow Swede William Asker, making his championship debut, was eliminated after failing to clear the necessary height. A notable incident in the men's pole vault qualification saw Croatia's Ivan Geronimo Seric withdraw from a jump mid-air and fall heavily.

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I felt confident and I am happy with how I controlled the race.