2024 LUXEMBOURG EURO MEET
- Friday, January 26th – Sunday, January 28th
- Centre National Sportif et Culturel d’Coque, Luxembourg
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- SwimSwam Preview #1/SwimSwam Preview #2
- Paris 2024 Olympic Games Qualifying Event
- Day 1 Recap
- Entries/Results
- Livestream
Racing on day two of the 2024 Luxembourg Euro Meet, 30-year-old Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden fired off a big-time 23.87 to take the women’s 50m freestyle victory.
After producing a heats swim of 24.28 to claim the top seed this morning, Sjostrom entered her characteristic warp speed gear to handily defeat tonight’s final field for gold.
Behind Sjostrom’s 23.87 was teammate Michelle Coleman who scored silver in 24.94 while Lison Nowaczyk of France rounded out the podium in 25.33.
Sjostrom’s sub-24-second result established a new meet record, overtaking her own previous benchmark of 24.01 logged 6 years ago.
There seems to be no slowing down for Sjostrom with Paris 2024 on on the horizon. The Swede already nailed a new World Record last year at the World Championships, clocking a time of 23.61 to erase her own former WR of 23.67 from 2017.
She owns 4 of the top 5 performances ever produced in this event.
All-Time Top Performances, Women’s 50-Meter Freestyle:
- Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden — 23.61 (2023)
- Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden – 23.62 (2023)
- Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden — 23.67 (2017)
- Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden — 23.69 (2017)
- Brita Steffen, Germany — 23.73 (2009)
Entering this Euro Meet, Sjostrom’s season-best checked in at the 23.95 notched at the Berlin stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup.
2023-2024 LCM Women 50 Free
SJOSTROM
23.66
| 2 | Kate DOUGLASS | USA | 23.91 | 02/18 |
| 3 | Kasia Wasick | POL | 23.95 | 02/18 |
| 4 | Meg HARRIS | AUS | 23.97 | 08/04 |
| 5 | Shayna JACK | AUS | 23.99 | 06/15 |
If Sarah sets a WR in 2024 with say 23.59, is 15 years the largest gap between setting WRs, since her 100 Fly record in 2009?
https://swimswam.com/sarah-sjostroms-14-year-gap-between-individual-world-records-is-the-biggest-in-history/
Sarah getting gold at her 4th Olympics would be such a deserved exclamation point on her incredible career and talent
Just like Cate Campbell, Paris will be her fifth Olympics.
She competed in Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo.
She could win again in LA28.
Yes, I seem to remember in an interview last year Sarah wouldn’t rule out swimming on until LA 2028.
I guess clear goggles are cool again. She must of gotten tired of all the reels where swimmers answered that clear goggles “creeped them out”.
unfortunately, clear goggles don’t allow for photos like this
She’s on fire. Will Paris finally be the Olympics where she dominates? At the very least you’d expect she has the 50 free sewn up. Wonder how her 100s are looking?
She’s pretty much completely stopped racing the 100 Fly and I can’t see her beating MOC or Haughey in the 100 Free tbh, Bronze I could see tho.
I think she should focus on 50 free to finally make sure she wins Olympic gold in sprint event. She is the female sprint GOAT after all.
She will have to swim so many relays prelims and finals due to Sweden lack of depth.
Fukuoka has shown it worked wonder when she focused on sprints. Don’t repeat the mistake of Rio.
Honestly I feel like she should go all in on the relays in Doha. Sweden legit has multiple gold chances since they’re one of the few countries sending a full strength team.
Then just let the relays go in Paris. They’re not going to win any medals and she legit has stronger individual medal chances if she doesn’t waste her energy on the relays.
Or make an agreement that if the other team members can get the relay to the final she’ll swim the final.
One of the girls who would probably be a relay swimmer is skipping the meet to train to try to make the Swedish qualify criteria for the 100 Fly at a meet at the beginning of April.
The good news for Swedish athletes is that the criteria (for all individual sports / events) are that the Swedish Olympic Committee has made the criteria easier for the first time in 40 years or something. You need to have a good chance to finish Top 12 at the Olympics (where it used to be Top 8) in an individual event. It does not matter if you make the World Aquatics A-cut, it is up to the Olympic Committee to select all athletes/teams… Read more »
Not sure I’d classify SWE’s W4X100 & W4XMED as being without a chance of medalling in Paris. Whilst certainly not front-line medal favourites; they fit the role of “catchers” should CHN (4X100) & CAN (4XMED) misfire.
If, as we suspect, she drop the 100fly then I cannot see any particular issue with her swimming both heats & finals of 4X100. I would not, however, use her on MMR as this IS a non-competitive relay.
Ok they don’t literally have zero chance but it’s very unlikely. Sweden’s fastest 4×100 in the last 4 years is a 3:34.17 and their NR is 3:33.94. Their NR would have placed 5th in Tokyo, 4th in Budapest and 5th in Fukuoka, more than a second off bronze at each. Essentially they’ll need to beat their NR by over a second and another country will need to stuff up to have a chance at bronze.
Their medley relay is slightly better at 3:54.27 NR but would still need Canada and China to mess up. I guess swim this one because it’s last if they make the final without her.
I largely disagree with your assessments of those 2 relays.
My view, however, is that if she is NOT swimming the 100fly then I don’t see any issue with her swimming both rounds of the 4X100. Should she throw down another “lights out” leg off the gun ala Fukuoka then SWE are going to be ” in the game” for at least 3 legs ….. and that will be asking some questions of the likes of CHN/CAN/GBR.
She’s been pretty sprint focused since she broke her elbow with Toyko really being the sole exception.
No chance she’s doing a Rio and swimming the 200 free or something lol
Girl what was the reason it’s JANUARY!!!!
It’s less than two weeks until swimming starts in Doha so not your usual January.
She’s not entered in the 100 free on the final day so I guess she’s focussed on 50s again for Doha?
Wise choice.
Wow! She might very well lower her WR again in Doha! It’s pretty clear that if she remains healthy everyone else is competing for silver in the 50 free in Paris.
I’m still stunned how no one has caught up to her. She’s been doing this for 15 years!