Swimming – Who is Sjostrom, the fastest woman in the world

Sarah Sjostrom’s epic began in Rome 2009. And in Rome 2022, as the fastest woman in the world – record holder in the 50 and 100 sl – she continued with another record: the Swede, thanks to the 5 European medals, overtook at 28 (17-7-4) to the Russian Alexander Popov, the speed czar who reached 26 podiums (21-3-2).

Now in the crosshairs of the Swedish there is the record of individual golds (it is at 15) of the English Laszlo Cseh at an altitude of 16. A record that the Scandinavian will correct at the next European Championship at 31 years (the 29 celebrated them in the capital on 17 August). This fish named Sarah has won everything in the dolphin (she holds the limit in the 50 and 100 of 24 “43 and 55” 48), she only misses the Olympic in the 50 and 100 sl (first woman ever under 52 “, in the 2017 he made the record in Budapest in 51 “71 over the world of 50 sl 23” 67). In this interview she tells of her being the queen of swimming.

From Rome to Rome

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“It is no surprise that the young swimmers have arrived. I was also a young swimmer at the time of the Italian World Cup (16 years, ed). It is always nice to follow the new generations and see what they can do when they arrive and if they reach the top. Has the best Sarah already arrived or will we see her in Paris? Can’t wait to get there. This year has been fun. In Budapest we were indoors and in Rome outdoors. It was great to come back and compete in the European Championships. Now I still have a lot of work to do from here to Paris also because I have recovered from injuries I had before the last Olympics. I had to do a lot of rehabilitation. We’ll see if I can get back to the top as in the past. I am sure I can swim faster than in the last Olympics, especially in the 50sl, which together with the 50m butterfly are my main races now. Expectations are high on the 100sl but I still have to understand what level they are at. The 50sl is my main race, the one in which I would like to win in Paris. Yes, to become even more the fastest woman in the world. I like to compete in the 100s. But 50 is the distance that I am training on and where I am working to be the best. But I am always surprised and I manage to do well in the other races as well ”.

Cold? No thank you

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She seems calm, cold as a good Scandinavian. She actually she is not. “I’m always nervous before a race, I’m not always 100 percent sure what I’m going to do, but I try to just let my body do what it can do. Because I know that the preparation is the hardest part on the physical plane. Then it’s all a matter of mind. This is the key to having a fast race ”. The love for Italy is clear: “When I come to Italy it’s always nice, I love Italy. Who is the most popular star / testimonial in women’s swimming? In Europe I think I have been one of the best swimmers of the last 10 years. In Europe we are not competitive over a single distance, but we are competitive over several distances ”. Between Americans and Australians there is she, the Swede defending the European banner. “In the US and Australia they are very competitive, just qualifying for the Games becomes a mission. It is very difficult. Here we don’t have this rivalry in the nation. For us she is calmer, less stressful. I like it as it is. Are there no rivals in Europe? No rivals to play an Olympic qualifier with, that’s for sure. If you are Swedish it is different from being American or Australian. In Australia? I wouldn’t go to train. I wouldn’t say I don’t like Australia, in fact I’ve never had the opportunity to go there. I trained a lot in Antalya, Turkey, with Energy Standards, it was my second training base. Now I go from time to time with the national team. Now my base is in Stockholm. It’s my home “. Growing up she has changed, from a cold-looking girl to a woman who knows she’s worth. “Am I more expansive and less cold now? Of course, compared to when I was 14 I am another person. The personality also changes ”. In the future, after swimming pools, he still sees sport. “Yes, I would like to stay in the sport. I have not yet thought about what I will do in the future in swimming, for now I am focused on what I am doing in swimming. I’ve always been someone who thinks about the present, how I can do something better now. This thing has positives and negatives. I would like to be able to think more about the future, but in my head there is only the present and now ”. In Sweden she is a star and she also has to endure pressure from a country that expects a lot from her. “I’m the one putting the pressure on myself. Because I’ve been doing well for so long that everyone always expects something from me, to keep doing what I’ve done so far. And I don’t want to disappoint the people who support me. So at these levels there is always pressure ”. The Rio Olympic gold was her highest moment: what about the other two? “My first 3 moments? It is difficult to compare with others. My whole journey has been important and I don’t like ranking my medals. But of course I can’t fail to mention Olympic gold. The 50 butterfly world record is something I’m proud of. And also the silver medal in the 50s, for what happened to me and for the story that led me to get it. I’m proud of it ”.

Last with Faith

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Have you ever really loved the 200sl? “By now I left the 200sl six years ago after the podium in Rio. I did the 200 at Gwangju 2019 but it wasn’t originally in my racing schedule. But with the coach we decided to do them knowing we have some chances. And I managed to get a medal behind Federica Pellegrini and Ariare Titmus. I haven’t swam them since. I think I have a chance to improve more in the 50s than in the 200s. I think I can learn a lot more and become stronger, one of the strongest sprinters. I know I can swim fast in the water. But I know I can be stronger and more explosive. If you compare me to one of the other finalists I would be the weakest (physicist) ever. He has to grow a lot on this aspect ”. A butterfly that will fly until when? “In the 100 butterfly I am already happy with everything I have done. I have won Olympics, Europeans, World Championships, several times, broken world records. I have won everything there is to win. I already feel satisfied with what I have done. I feel like I don’t need to prove something for myself again over this distance. But I know I can still swim strong in the 100 butterfly. But now I prefer to focus more on freestyle ”.