Caisa-Marie Lindfors, a two-time Swedish national champion in the women's discus throw along with a World Athletics Outdoor Championships qualifier and an NCAA Division 1 All-American who is now a graduate student-athlete at Cal Berkeley following her offseason transfer from Florida State, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her competing April 20 in the elite women's discus event at the 64th Mt. SAC Relays Presented by Nike at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif. Lindfors ranks No. 23 in collegiate history with her Cal program record 201-7 (61.44m), which she achieved March 30 at the Stanford Invitational. She discusses the communication with Cal throws coach Mohamad Saatara upon entering the transfer portal and how their goals meshed quickly, in addition to highlighting what her experiences have been like training under his guidance, along with several other elite global throwers since her arrival in Berkeley. Lindfors reflects on being sidelined for 14 months without training or competition, a stretch of her career in 2022 that included three surgeries, and her comeback last year to place fourth at the Division 1 outdoor championship meet with a throw of 194-7 (59.32m) in Austin, Texas. She expresses gratitude to the coaching staff and athletic trainers at Florida State for their support throughout her recovery and rehabilitation, in addition to the guidance from her father Lars, who earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry, and being able to learn more about improving herself as an athlete during her time away from the sport. Lindfors explains how significant the mentorship of Swedish coach Henrik Wennberg has been during the past decade and how grateful she is for all the impactful role models and friends she has learned from during her athletic career. She highlights how fortunate the opportunity is to train with and learn from Lithuanian star and Cal teammate Mykolas Alekna, who produced the men's discus world record April 14 with a 243-11 (74.35m) effort at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational at Millican Field in Ramona, eclipsing the 1986 all-time global mark of 243-0.50 (74.08m) established by Germany’s Jürgen Schult. Lindfors also speaks about how meaningful it has been to enjoy a healthy extended schedule of training and to be producing personal-best efforts early in the season and the momentum she hopes to carry into the postseason in her pursuit to qualify for the Paris Olympics. She examines the depth of Swedish discus throwing, with Daniel Stahl and Simon Pettersson both global medal contenders in the men's competition, in addition to Lindfors and Vanessa Kamga both pursuing the women's national record of 211-9 (64.54m) held by Anna Söderberg since 1999, as well as the rise of Emma Sralla, who elevated to No. 2 in U.S. prep history last year at Lewisville Marcus High in Texas. Lindfors explains about her friendship since age 15 with Swedish shot put standout Axelina Johansson, an Division 1 champion at Nebraska, and how significant it would be for both athletes to capture NCAA titles in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. She also reflects on her experiences last year at the World Championships in Hungary and the learning experiences that have benefited her this season in preparation to compete in May and June against Vanderbilt's Veronica Fraley, Louisville's Jayden Ulrich, Dutch athlete and Florida star Alida Van Daalen, Colorado State's Michaela Hawkins and Minnesota's Shelby Frank, all of whom have surpassed the 60-meter mark this season, as well as accomplishing her goal of qualifying this summer to throw in Paris.