Sarah Sjöström On How Curiosity Led To A Golden Paris Double With 50s The Focus For The Future
In the first of two articles, Sarah Sjöström talks to Swimming World about her golden double in Paris and her focus for the future.
“When I start training again it will be the 50 only – 100% this time.
“I don’t ever need to prove anything again in the 100. No more questions about the 100, like ever, ever again.”
It’s an enduring image of Paris 2024. Sarah Sjöström sits atop the lane rope, open-mouthed with shock, disbelief and joy. Her hands pound the water as she absorbs the number 1 alongside her name after two lengths of freestyle.
Fourth at the halfway point, Sjöström moved through the field to touch the wall first in 52.16secs ahead of Torri Huske (52.29) and Siobhan Haughey (52.33).
With that, she claimed her first global 100 free title after bronze at Rio 2016 and four silvers and a bronze across five World Championships between 2013 and 2022.
Sarah Sjöström: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia
She also became the first Swedish woman to win the title, 23 years and 10 months after Therese Alshammar claimed silver at Sydney 2000.
Recalling the moment of realisation on 31 July at La Defense Arena, Sjöström told Swimming World:
“It was a bit unreal somehow. But at the same time, it was almost like I was dreaming, it was quite scary somehow.
“I don’t know how to explain the feeling: you can see my reaction.
“I’d won silver medals at the world champs in 2013 and 2015 and 2017 and so on and so on. My 100 free, I’ve had silvers and bronze and stuff like that.
“After the Tokyo Olympics I started focusing more on the 50. My mindset was 100% on the 50 but then in 2022, I came second again and I was happy with that.
“I’ve not been disappointed with second place, I have always been very happy and satisfied with those silver medals.
“But I don’t think I ever put my mind like this – okay I am going to win this time or anything like that – I have always been quite relaxed but then when I won the gold of course it was a big thing for me.”
Curiosity Leads To Gold
Sjöström hadn’t even intended to enter with the 50 free her sole individual focus as she and coach Antonio Lutula thought the one-length prelims would start the day after the 100.
That was until around eight weeks before Paris when teammate Michelle Coleman pointed out there were two full days between the 100 free final and the 50 prelims on 3 August.
Flu scuppered her plans to race the 100 at the Mare Nostrum where Haughey won the 100/200 free double at all three stages of the tour with Sjöström scorching in the 50 fly and free in Monaco.
Come the Sette Colli meet in Rome in June and she shocked herself by winning the 100 free in 52.57, a championship record.
Sarah Sjöström: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
With Coleman the sole Swedish representative in the 100 free and a slot available, Sjöström and Lutula agreed she’d enter before making a final decision in Paris.
Her first race in the French capital saw her split 51.99 on the second leg in the 4×100 free prelims before she led off in 52.53 in the final as Sweden finished fifth in a national record 0f 3:33.79.
Still Sjöström was uncertain about entering the individual race.
“We did the relay and we were like is it worth it? Are we going to do the 100 because I did 52.5 again? But also my coach told me your taper’s not 100% there yet because we saved the taper so I could be in shape for the 50 free and the 100 later in the week.
“He said it’s a good idea to do the 100 to have something to do but also remember the favourites never usually win.
“Also, we saw a lot of the fastest girls had the 200 free final the day before the 100 free starts so they will be a little bit more tired.
“I was like maybe we’re just going to dive in and see what happens because I’m never going to find out if I don’t do it.
“So that was the mindset, I was curious to find out what I can do but it wasn’t like I was thinking okay, let’s win, let’s win, let’s win. It was just like some curiosity.”
The Glow Of The Golden Double
More was to come in the 50 in which Sjöström won her fourth world title – and third in a row – at the Doha World Championships in February.
The spotlight was trained firmly on the Swede with a great sense of external expectation that she’d complete the sprint double.
A 23.85 prelims-topper was followed by 23.66 in the semis, the third-fastest in history and 0.05 off her world record of 23.61 from the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka.
Sarah Sjöström: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia
Come the final and Sjöström stopped the clock in 23.71 to claim her second gold of the Games ahead of Meg Harris (23.97) and Zhang Yufei (24.20), three years after silver in Tokyo where a broken elbow threatened her very participation.
It was her third Olympic title with the first coming in the 100 fly at Rio 2016 and her sixth overall medal at her fifth Games following her debut at Beijing 2008 aged 14.
Two titles that prompted very different emotions.
“I have pressure on me for many years, it is not a new thing but maybe the pressure was a little bit less this year.
“I think (in the 100) it was the first time I went into an international final in many, many years when I was not the favourite.
“I’ve always been one of the favourites into the final but I don’t think I was: I think some people maybe even forgot to look at my lane. Everyone was looking at the middle or a little bit more on the other side of the pool.
“When I won the 100 fly in Rio and when I won the 50 free in Paris, it was something I really strived for, I really wanted to win those gold medals so when I won it was more of a relief kind of feeling.
“When I won the 100 freestyle it was another kind of feeling.”
A Wedding, Taking A Break And Focus On The 50s
Since her double triumph, Sjöström has met King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden and turned 31.
In the coming days she’ll marry partner Johan de Jong Skierus, the couple having announced their engagement in January 2022.
Then she’ll take the first real break of an international career that has so far lasted 16 years.
Sarah Sjöström: Photo Courtesy: Deebluemedia
What is certain when it comes to swimming is that Paris will be her final 100 free and after that, she’ll concentrate on the 50s.
“It’s going to be a little bit more slow when it comes to racing for a while, I don’t know what the plan is.
“When I start training again it will be the 50 only – 100% this time.
“I don’t ever need to prove anything again in the 100. No more questions about the 100, like ever, ever again.
“I don’t think I’ll even swim relays actually. If I don’t qualify in the 50s, I will definitely try to get a spot in the relays but I will do a 50 programme, 100% for that.”