Linda Haglund was born on June 15, 1956, and died on November 21, 2015.

She was a Swedish Olympic sprinter.

Linda became a member of Hanvikens SK, a track and field club located just south of Stockholm, at the age of 13.

She showed great promise as a future sprinting star by recording, barefoot, 12.7 for 100 m at her first meet representing Hansvikens SK.

Linda precocious talent was displayed on an international stage at the European Championships of 1971, held in Helsinki, Finland.

She was named on the Swedish track and field team that competed in Helsinki that year.

Linda was 15 at the time and acknowledged as the youngest athlete of the meet.

One year later, Linda was appointed to the first of three Swedish Olympic teams: Munich, 1972.

Her running career would take her to the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, as well as those held in Moscow in 1980.

Linda had her best Olympic Games’ showing with a fourth place in the Moscow Games’ 100 m final.

Linda participated in the World Cups of 1979 (Montreal) and 1981 (Rome) and was a five-time medalist at European Championships held in 1976 (Gold), 1978 (Silver), 1978 (Silver), 1980 (Silver), and 1981 (Silver).

She was the captain for many years of the women’s track and field team in Sweden and still holds Swedish records for 100 m – 11.16 (1980), 200 m – 22.82 (1978), and 60 m – 7.13 (1978).

Linda was one of very few sprinters to have beaten Evelyn Ashford. Haglund ran 11.06 (wind-aided) to better Jarmila Kratochvílová’s 11.18 and Ashford’s 11.25 in a 1981 meet in Berlin. Haglund was rated 2nd, 5th, and 7th in the world rankings during her running career.

Linda passed away from cancer and a pulmonary hemorrhage on 21 November 2015, aged 59.

Her cancer and lung issues was discovered first only six days before her death after she was transported by ambulance to hospital after feeling ill.

Linda passed away only three weeks after her husband also died from cancer.