Sjostrom set for racing return at Malmsten Swim Open Stockholm as she targets EA Championships
Sarah Sjostrom will have the European Aquatics Championships in mind tomorrow as she returns to competition for the first time since winning Paris 2024 gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle.
The 32-year-old Swede – who gave birth to son Adrian seven months ago – will race in the 50m freestyle at the Malmsten Swim Open Stockholm as she starts her progress towards this summer’s EA centrepiece at the Olympic Aquatic Centre Greater Paris Metropolis.
The most decorated swimmer in European Championships history – who also won Olympic 100m butterfly gold at the Rio 2016 Games – is keen to add to her collection of 28 medals. But she is proceeding step-by-step.
“If there’s a time I want to make it’s just to qualify to the European Championships,” Sjostrom told the Swedish Swim Federation Svensk Simidrott. “It’s a bit strange compared to what I might have set as a goal a few years ago. But now that’s my level.
“And the next step may be to compete for a medal at the Europeans but I’m not there yet. In a few weeks I think I will have gotten closer.”
Sjostrom also has plans to return to the 50m butterfly event in which she has held the world record of 24.43 since July 2014.
Speaking to Swedish media earlier this week she described the route she has taken to regain racing fitness.
“The first focus has been trying to find the technique again because after pregnancy obviously my body needed to learn to move in the right way again,” she said.
“Since January this year I started following a training programme again with swimming and gym, and more progression.
“So in January when I was in South Africa and I was doing sprints, 25m sprints, I was struggling to go under 13 seconds. On a good day I was doing like, 12.6 with paddles on.
“But every week I’ve been improving a few hundredths of a second, so it’s quite cool to follow that process in training.
“This weekend I do the 50 freestyle. I feel like I needed more time to find my rhythm in the butterfly and I need more strength in my core and my legs.
“I really enjoy following this process of coming back again, so it’s quite nice when I start now, April 2026, I can compare next year, April 2027, and follow the process all the way up until the Olympics in Los Angeles.
“That’s why I wanted to start quite early so I will have an even better progression…so if I start on 25.00 it will be great to see what I can do in a few weeks’ time.”
Sjostrom swam 23.61 in 2023 to lower her own women’s long course 50m freestyle world record.
Asked about the men’s 50m freestyle world record set last month by her fellow 32-year-old, Australia’s Cameron McEvoy, she added: “I think I have watched that 10 times a day! It’s a big inspiration for me.”
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
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