Finland has secured its first medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics since then Matti Mattsson placed third in the 200m breaststroke on Thursday morning.
The 27-year-old swimmer from Pori also set a new Finnish record at 2:07:03.
Mattsson’s bronze medal is Finland’s first swimming Olympic medal in 25 years.
"I gave my all, there was nothing more to give. The last moments started to weigh on me, but I was able to push through and sustain the punches for a long time to the end. This feels absolutely crazy," Mattson said in a statement to the press shortly after his third place finish.
The competition was won by an Australian Izaac Stubblety-Cook, who also set a new Olympic record at 2:06:38. Arno Kamminga The Dutchman won silver in 2:07:01.
Mattsson’s career began in 2013 when he won bronze at the World Championships, but he has won many adversities in the intervening years.
"Few know what kind of deep waters I have faded to get to this point. I’ve tried many different things and I’ve been sent home a few times since the first rounds, but now we finally got all the way to the medals. I could not be happier," Mattsson told Yle Sport.
Source: The Nordic Page