The Swedish Olympic Committee has nominated 4 new individual swimmers, and 2 swimming relays, to their team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Emilie Fast, Sophie Hansson, and Michelle Coleman were all nominated to join the women’s roster, while Robin Hanson was nominated to join the men’s roster.
With those additions, the women’s 400 free relays and 400 medley relays were also both nominated. Those relays both swam at the 2019 World Championships, where they finished 6th and 7th, respectively, to earn guaranteed spots at the Olympics. Those Olympic spots are awarded to a nation, not individual swimmers.
Nominated Swedish Olympic Swimming Team so far:
- Michelle Coleman (50 free)
- Emilie Fast (100 breast)
- Louise Hansson
- Sophie Hansson (100 breast)
- Sarah Sjostrom
- Robin Hanson (200 free)
- Erik Persson
- Women’s 400 free relay
- Women’s 400 medley relay
With 2 months until the start of the Olympic Games, 6 of the 8 latest additions to the Swedish Olympic Team were swimmers as a result of the European Championships. That meet saw Sophie Hansson win gold in the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.69, and 17-year old Emelie Fast clear the FINA “A” standard in prelims of the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.64. Fast added time in the semi-finals and finished last in that round.
Robin Hanson‘s nomination came after he finished 7th in the 200 free at the European Championships with a best time of 1:46.50. That broke the Swedish Record in the event.
Coleman’s addition comes overdue after she swam a 53.04 in the 100 free shortly after the 2019 World Championships. She wasn’t technically nominated in the 100 free, though, but rather the 50 free. In the 50, she placed 7th in a time of 24.65 at the European Championships.
Her most important role, however, will be as the leadoff leg of Sweden’s 400 medley relay, which still has hopes of a top 5 finish in spite of a recent injury to the country’s superstar Sarah Sjostrom. Sjostrom is focusing on freestyle races after breaking her elbow early this year, but with uncertainty around her condition, Coleman continuing to improve on the backstroke leg of the medley relay will cushion the blow.
She offered that hope at Euros with a 1:00.00 leadoff leg. While that was just the 7th-best split of the final, it was substantially faster than the 1:01.42 she swam at the World Championships.
Swedish swimmers appear to have one big opportunity left for Olympic qualifying, the Sette Colli Trophy in Italy in late June. The biggest name missing is Victor Johansson, who discovered last year that he was suffering from very low testosterone levels. The 22-year old distance swimmer raced the open water 10km event at the 2019 World Championships and is the defending World University Games champion in the 1500 free in the pool.
Robin Hansson? There’s another one?!
I think it’s a typo, it’s Hanson. They’re unrelated, though there is another Hansson as well.
It’s spelled correctly in the article.
Robin HANSON
is not related to
Sophie and Louise HANSSON, who are sisters.
The first mention spells it “Hansson”
“Emilie Fast, Sophie Hansson, and Michelle Coleman were all nominated to join the women’s roster, while Robin Hansson was nominated to join the men’s roster.”