Sjostrom Has a Strong Start in Stockholm

Sarah Sjostrom has had a strong first two days of competition at the Swedish National Championships in Stockholm.

Yesterday she took the women’s 100 butterfly in a time of 55.98, finishing almost four seconds ahead of the next competitor. Her time puts her second in the world rankings just behind Ying Lu who posted a 55.95 earlier in the year.

Sjostrom was just off her lifetime best of 55.78, which she posted last year at the European Short Course Championships.

She kicked off the second day of competition with a record breaking swim in the women’s 400 freestyle. Sjostrom took the event in a time of 4:02.33,eight seconds ahead of the next competitor and almost a full second under the Swedish national record.

Sjostrom broke Gabriella Fagundez‘s record of 4:03.27, which was set in 2009. Her time ranks her 13th in the world.

She then went on to win the women’s 50 butterfly in a time of 25.10. Her time places her second in the world rankings with only Inge Dekker having swum faster, posting a time of 24.59 in September.

Sjostrom also posted strong relay splits. On the first night swimming second on her team’s 4 x 50 freestyle relay she split a time of 23.64 while in tonight’s 4 x 200 freestyle relay she recorded a split of 1:52.80.

Sjostrom was not the only woman to set a new national mark. Jennie Johansson set a new national record in the women’s 100 breaststroke posting a time of 1:04.94 breaking Emma Igelstrom‘s 2009 record of 1:05.11. Johansson’s time also places her fifth in the world rankings.

Johansson also won the women’s 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:22.66, which places her 13th in the world rankings.

On the men’s side Adam Paulsson set a new national record in the men’s 800 freestyle winning the event in a time of 7:53.78. He broke Stefan Persson‘s record of 7:58.08 which has stood for the last 22 years.Paulsson also won the 400 freestyle touching in a time of 3:45.99 breaking Gustav Aberg Lejstrom‘s junior record of 3:47.28.

The future of Swedish swimming is looking bright as two other men took down national junior marks. 

Oscar Ekstrom finished second in the 100 butterfly, but in doing so set a new junior mark touching in a time of 52.27.

Johannes Skagius took the men’s 100 breaststroke in a time of 58.48 breaking both his own junior mark and meet record.

Full results can be found here.