Sjostrom Fires Off 23.78 50 Free Scorcher To Hold 3 Of 5 Top Swims Ever

2019 SWEDISH SENIOR/JUNIOR/PARA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Olympic champion Sarah Sjostrom has already collected 3 individual titles here in Malmö in the 50m back, 100m free and the 100m fly, but she has proven she has plenty left in the tank.

Competing on night 3 of these Swedish Swimming Championships, the 25-year-old crushed a massive mark of 23.78 to easily win the women’s 50m freestyle against her domestic rivals, but also overtake her own previous season-best and #1 time in the world this year.

Entering these championships, Sjostrom’s season-best rested at the 23.91 she put up at the Stockholm Open back in April. That signaled the only sub-24 second time in the world, with Aussie Cate Campbell representing the next in line with her 24.00 stunner from the FINA Champions Seris in China.

Sjostrom holds the World Record in the women’s 50m free event with the 23.67 produced at the 2017 World Championships and her time tonight, just over 3 weeks out from this year’s edition of the competition, falls within .11 of that scorcher.

In fact, Sjostrom’s time now checks-in as the 5th fastest (performance) ever, tying the aforementioned Campbell. The Swede now owns 3 of the top 5 50m freestyle swims in history.

Top 5 50m Freestyle Performances Ever

23.67 Sarah Sjostrom SWE 2017 World Champs 7/29/2017 Budapest
23.73 Britta Steffen GER 2009 World Champs 8/1/2009 Rome
23.74 Sarah Sjostrom SWE 2018 European Champs 8/4/2018 Glasgow
23.75 Pernille Blume DEN 2018 European Champs 8/4/2018 Glasgow
23.78 Cate Campbell & Sarah Sjostrom  AUS/SWE XXI Commonwealth Games 4/7/2018 & 06/30/19 Gold Coast/Malmo

Sjostrom wasn’t done, however, as she was also a member of the Södertörns Simsällskap women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Although her squad wound up with the silver, Sjsotrom hit the only sub-2:00 split of the entire field, and a big one at that. Sjostrom checked in with a 1:55.57 firestarter, crushing her 1:57.06 individual winning time from night 1.

Additional winners on night 3 here included Michelle Coleman taking the women’s 100m back in 1:01.36, while Gustaf Hokfelt surged to thew wall first in the men’s 50m back in 25.90.

In This Story

45
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

45 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Joe
5 years ago

That top-5 list is not correct. Sarah has a 23.67 and 23.69 to her name.

I’ve thought for a while now that 23.5 should be in the cards. Compared to 2017, Sarah has a much better start now to shave off a couple of tenths, that’s why she can be as consistent around the 24 mark or just under also in season.

Chlorine
5 years ago

Cate will be right there!

Troy
5 years ago
Tim
Reply to  Troy
5 years ago

Thanks for the video. That might have been the World Record with a good finish.

Luigi
Reply to  Troy
5 years ago

OMG, the glide at the end … Took away no less than a tenth, being conservative

Jambo Sana
5 years ago

She has been in the MA vlogs a lot, she must be doing USRPT.

Jimbo
Reply to  Jambo Sana
5 years ago

Sorry she can actually put together a 100 and 200 pretty regularly

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Jimbo
5 years ago

You haven’t paid attention to MAs 100 back, 100 breast, and 200 IM times this season. He just can’t swim fast freestyle when he has to breathe. It’s not about conditioning.

Hank
5 years ago

I am sorry but Simone Manuel doesn’t have a chance against this. She is competing for Silver or Bronze.

Backstrokebro
5 years ago

Jeez. I feel real bad saying it, and I might regret it, but I don’t know if Manuel can medal in the 50 this time around. Sjöström will win it, probably followed by C1.

After that, its either Blume or Manuel. Blume has been swimming really well this season, and proved at Euros that she can step up. At the same time, Manuel has consistently proved she can step it up when it counts (see BOTH sprint races at 2016 OGs and 2017 WCs. Pulling off the victory in 2016 and grabbing a medal in the 50, and then defending her title and running down Sjsöström, and then defeating Blume to snag silver in the 50) so long as… Read more »

Dee
Reply to  Backstrokebro
5 years ago

We should remember, for all she is a brilliant sprinter, Manuel is .2 slower than Cate and Blume, and .3 slower than Sarah on paper – That’s a big over 50m. Blume returning from surgery and Campbell being unpredictable does open the door, and I suspect Manuel will swim a PB at Worlds, but the gap isnt a small one for Manuel to overcome.

Robbos
Reply to  Dee
5 years ago

Manuel is also a racer & one of the best.

Jimbo
5 years ago

The photo with the glare on her goggles is kind of terrifying not gonna lie

Aquajosh
Reply to  Jimbo
5 years ago

I think it makes her look like the badass superhero that she is.

Jimbo
Reply to  Aquajosh
5 years ago

She’s staring into my soul

frug
Reply to  Aquajosh
5 years ago

She looks like Cyclops ready to blast somebody.

ALEXANDER POP-OFF
5 years ago

WOW! Amazing SS. She will win the 50 but I must say there is a chance she may not medal in the 100. She is not a big taper swimmer and her in season times, which are always fast, give clues to her championship performances. Remember when she broke the 100 WR, she was 52.0 in season.

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

Read More »