2021 Mare Nostrum: Sjostrom To Return In Canet; Monaco Psych Sheets Released

2021 Mare Nostrum Tour

• Three stops
  • Monaco – May 29-30, 2021
  • Canet – June 1-2, 2021
  • Barcelona – June 5-6, 2021
• LCM (50m)
• Mare Nostrum Central
• Prize Money Info (Monaco)
• Swimmers/Teams Confirmed
• Monaco Psych Sheets

One of swimming’s biggest superstars will make her return to the pool in less than a week’s time.

Three-time Olympic medalist and 11-time world champion Sarah Sjostrom is scheduled to race for the first time since breaking her elbow in early February at the second stop of the 2021 Mare Nostrum Tour in Canet, France.

Sjostrom, 27, immediately underwent surgery on the elbow, which she broke slipping on a patch of ice in her native Sweden, and was back in the water three weeks later – albeit only kicking. The defending Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 100 butterfly, Sjostrom wasn’t able to return to full fly training until May, and has said she may only swim freestyle at the Olympics.

According to a list provided by Mare Nostrum, Sjostrom is slated to compete at the second and third stops of the series in Canet (June 1-2) and Barcelona (June 5-6).

Several big names are confirmed to be competing at all three stops, including 2016 Olympic medalists Katinka Hosszu, Chad Le Clos and Yuliya Efimova, along with Brazilian sprinter Bruno Fratus and 50 fly world record holder Andrii Govorov.

A few others, like Sjostrom, will appear in one or two of the meets, including:

• Pernille Blume (DEN) – Monaco, Canet
• Maxime Grousset (FRA) – Monaco, Canet
• Melanie Henique (FRA) – Monaco, Canet
• Florent Manaudou (FRA) – Monaco, Canet
• Yohann Ndoye Brouard (FRA) – Monaco, Canet
• Charlotte Bonnet (FRA) – Monaco
• Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) – Monaco
• Marco Koch (GER) – Monaco
• Kristof Milak (HUN) – Barcelona
• Kira Toussaint (NED) – Monaco, Barcelona
• Arno Kamminga (NED) – Monaco, Barcelona

Monaco Psych Sheets Released

Entries for the Monaco stop have dropped, with Hosszu entered in a staggering eight events for the two-day affair.

While we might expect the “Iron Lady” to drop a few of those races amidst the busy program, she did take on six at the last Mare Nostrum in 2019 – and some of the fields are pretty bare. For example, there are only three women entered in the 400 IM and five in the 200 IM, and with prize money on the line, taking on as many events as possible seems like her likely route.

Hosszu currently holds entries in the women’s 200 free, 100 and 200 back, 200 breast, 100 and 200 fly, and the 200 and 400 IM.

Le Clos, who hasn’t raced at a Mare Nostrum meet since 2017, is entered in five events: 50 free, 200 free, 50 fly, 100 fly and 200 fly.

Blume is only entered in the women’s 50 free, the event in which she is the reigning Olympic champion, opting not to race the 100, just like she did at last week’s European Championships. Florent Manaudou, the 2012 Olympic champion and 2016 silver medalist, is also only entered in the 50 free.

Coming off a busy program at Euros is Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands, who is entered to race the women’s 50 and 100 freestyle along with all three backstroke events.

Fellow Dutch swimmer Arno Kamminga, who’s coming off a trio of silver medals at Euros, is the top seed in all three men’s breaststroke events, as is Efimova on the women’s side.