Linda Haglund has passed away

Sprinter Linda Haglund passed away on Saturday. One of Swedish athletics' greatest talents and one of the legendary "56s".

Linda Haglund, married to McTear, passed away on Saturday at the age of 59. Haglund was one of Sweden's greatest athletics talents of all time and one of the country's first truly great female sports stars. When she won European Championship silver and came fourth in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, she was the girl athlete on everyone's lips.

The following year, Haglund was again in the news, but this time because she was caught for doping. She was suspended and her career never recovered after that. After unsuccessful comeback attempts, she retired at only 28 years old. Haglund maintained her innocence (her coach took responsibility for giving her the wrong pills) throughout her life but never really managed to get out of the doping shadow.

However, no one can take away from Haglund the talent she possessed. Her Swedish records in both the 100 and 200 meters still stand today, over 35 years after they were set by a then 24-year-old Haglund.

Linda Haglund's greatness was also due to the fact that she, along with Björn Borg, Ingemar Stenmark, Frank Andersson and Thomas Wassberg, is considered one of the '56ers'. The quintet of sports stars who not only had in common that they kept the Swedish people glued to their TV sets when they won championships, they were all born in 1956. Probably the best vintage of Swedish athletes ever.

Ingemar Stenmark during his bronze in the giant slalom at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics.