Sweden’s national emblem is the three gilded crowns. On Sunday, their sprint star Sarah Sjostrom won her third Olympic crown to match, tearing through the field the 50 freestyle field and striking gold in 23.71.
This is what Sjostrom came here to do. She put all her effort into her preparation for the 50 freestyle, the event that she focuses on for the Olympic stage, where she can’t also flex her dominance in the 50 butterfly. Earlier this week, she surprised herself by winning gold in the 100 freestyle after a last-minute entry. Even after the relay, she was not sure that she would swim it. But her coach “insisted” and she won gold from lane seven, marking her second Olympic gold after winning the 100 butterfly in 2016.
Dominant, historic—these are words that get thrown around a lot in the sporting world, often too liberally. But as they fit for Katie Ledecky, who also made Olympic history this week, so too do they fit for Sjostrom. This third Olympic crown is just more proof that these are descriptors that Sjostrom has earned. Her performances this week, claiming her first Olympic golds in the event where she is the world record holder, cement her legacy as one of the best sprinters the sport has ever seen.
When conversations about the greatest athletes happen in swimming, one of the first places people point to is Olympic medals. It’s an understandable metric—it is our sport’s greatest stage. But with only one career Olympic gold around her neck, Sjostrom arrived in Paris already crowned the queen of sprinting. It wasn’t a stretch either; rather than racking up Olympic medals, Sjostrom forged her legacy through her consistency and longevity.
With her gold-medal performance tonight, she owns the top seven performances in the women’s 50 freestyle and 16 of the top 25. Per SwimRankings, she’s been sub-24 seconds 39 times in her career, including her Paris performances. Silver medalist Meg Harris was the only other swimmer who got under 24 seconds in Paris.
Top 25 Performances, Women’s 50 Freestyle (LCM)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.61 (2023)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.62 (2023)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.66 (2024, OR)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.67 (2017)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.69 (2017)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.69 (2024)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.71 (2024)
- Britta Steffen, 23.73 (2009)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.74 (2018)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.75 (2024)
- Pernille Blume, 23.75 (2018)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.78 (2019)
- Cate Campbell, 23.78 (2018)
- Cate Campbell, 23.79 (2018)
- Cate Campbell, 23.81 (2018)
- Emma McKeon, 23.81 (2021)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.82 (2023)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.83 (2017)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.83 (2018)
- Cate Campbell, 23.84 (2016)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.84 (2024)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.85 (2017)
- Pernille Blume, 23.85 (2018)
- Sarah Sjostrom, 23.85 (2024)
- Ranomi Kromoidjojo, 23.85 (2017)
She’s swum four of the top five in the last 12 months, lowering the world record when she first undercut the 23.67 she swam in 2017 at the 2023 World Championships with a blazing 23.61 semifinal swim. In the final, she posted a 23.62 for the gold medal which moved her out of a tie with Michael Phelps for the most individual World Championship medals.
Not only has she been consistent throughout her career, but she’s gotten better as she’s aged. She was 29 when she broke her world record last year. Now 30 years old, she’s only the fourth woman to win gold in the pool after her 30th birthday. The others are Dara Torres, Ursula Happe, and Inge de Bruijn.
She said that her age was part of the reason she was so surprised that she won the 100 freestyle in Paris. “I never thought that a 30-year-old woman could win this event. I thought that you had to be, I don’t know, 20 or something,” she told NBC Sports. “I’ve done many things in my career but I’ve never ever surprised myself as much as I did here.”
It’s another example of Sjostrom continuing to surpass limits. And the effect of her breaking through those boundaries is being felt by those following in her footsteps. Legends in sports aren’t always concerned with those that are coming after them. But Sjostrom has paid attention to the athletes in her wake.
“The pursuit of greatness and the joy of surpassing limits,” is what she described as one of the beauties of the sport after young star Gretchen Walsh broke her 100 butterfly world record, words which Walsh mentioned in her interview the day after she won the event. Earlier today, she commented on Noe Ponti’s Instagram post that expressed pride and disappointment at his fourth-place finish in the 100 fly, “I was also 4th on my 2nd Olympics. (In London) Go for gold on your 3rd Olympics.” Ponti liked and pinned the comment.
It’s those types of gestures that have even the competitors she’s beaten singing her praises. After the 100 free, silver medalist Torri Huske said “Sarah is the greatest. I’m so happy for her. She is such an accomplished swimmer, and she’s so sweet and kind. It couldn’t have gone to a nicer person.”
Later this summer, Sjostrom’s hosting the “Sarah Sjostrom Invitational” which is geared towards world-class swimmers who have SCM records in mind, but it will also have an age group component with 16 & unders invited to race the same schedule of events.
Sjostrom is not retired, but the legacy she’s leaving is already deeply felt, even beyond the pool deck. But this third individual Olympic crown, an amount less than 30 swimmers in history can claim, extends it even further. There have been many historic swims this week but Sjostrom’s aren’t just that—they cement her legacy as one of the greatest swimmers we’ve had the privilege to watch.
Sarah Sjostrom is the BEST and the FASTEST female sprinter ever!
I don’t care that Swimswam thinks Gretchen Walsh is the fastest female sprinter ever.
(For those that don’t get the reference, just look up Swimswam article a few months back)
Gretchen is the GOAT at 15m free.
It’s nice when the winner is also a really cool person. This was a lovely article.
she has now won the 50 free at the olympics, lc worlds, sc worlds, and has broken the wr in both lc and sc.
it’s 19th time that anyone has achieved this in an event, and it makes her the only swimmer other than hosszu to do it in multiple events
what a class act. Best sprinter ever. Many coaches think her 50 fly world record is one of the best world records.
I’m amazed at how many medals are decided on the touch. China lost several medals this week with an unnecessary additional stroke. In this race it looked like Gretchen bent her elbow instead of finishing with a long extended arm.
Mostly she needs to work on strength, and more rapid turnover rate approaching the wall. It will come.
Sjostrom winning the 100 felt like a Lindsey Jacobellis moment
She now passes Lochte in individual Olympic gold as well
The resume is now complete. No one can deny her sprint GOAThood. 👏 Another gold awaits her in LA28 🥇
Yup
Better than Cate Campbell and MOC combined
Cate really is taking up a lot of space in your head.
Don’t see any US swimmers on the all time LCM 50 free list above, however both Cate (4xtimes) and Emma are there. Meg will surprise everyone i think, get her name on the list
Two GOATS:
1. Distance/middle- Ledecky
2. Sprints- Sjostrom
Both swam at London 2012 and both continue to dominate their events 12 years later. Amazing swimmers.
Sarah won the 100 Fly at Euro 2008 and swam in 2008 Olympics just after 15 birthday.