2016 Swedish Grand Prix – Malmö
- Dates: Saturday, January 30th-Sunday, January 31st
- Saturday: Prelims – 10:00 am local (4:00 am EST) Finals – 5:00 pm local (11:00 am EST)
- Sunday: Prelims – 9:00 am local (3:00 am EST) Finals – 4:00 pm local (10:00 am EST)
- General Information
- Start Lists
- Results
Sarah Sjostrom, world champion in the 50 and 100 butterfly, will highlight the Swedish Grand Prix in Malmö. Unlike year’s past this will be the one and only Swedish Grand Prix event this season.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top five male and female swimmers based on FINA points scores.
- 10,000 SEK ($1175 USD)
- 8,000 SEK ($940 USD)
- 6,000 SEK ($705 USD)
- 4,000 SEK ($470 USD)
- 2,000 SEK ($235 USD)
Sjostrom will be swimming the 50 and 100 butterfly, the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 50 and 100 backstroke. She currently ranks first in the world in the 100 butterfly, second in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle.
Sjostrom is one of the six Swedish World Championship team members that will be at the competition. Others will include Christoffer Carlsen who will be swimming in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 50 and 100 butterfly, Erik Persson who will be racing the 100 and 200 breaststroke as well as the 200 IM, Louise Hansson who will be competing in the 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke and the 200 IM, Ida Marko-Varga will be racing the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly and Magdalena Kuras is entered in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 50 and 100 backstroke.
Simon Sjodin will be racing, but is only entered in the 100 backstroke.
Neither Jennie Johansson, who won a gold in the 50 breaststroke in Kazan or Michelle Coleman will be in attendance. Both women are currently training in Australia.
There will be a large contingent of Israeli athletes in Malmö including five athletes who represented their country at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan. On the women’s side Zoher Shikler will be competing in the 50 and 100 freestyle while Amit Ivry will be swimming the 50 and 100 breaststroke, the 50 butterfly, 100 backstroke and 200 IM.
The Israeli men will include David Gamburg who will be racing the 50 and 100 freestyle as well as the 50 and 100 backstroke, Jonatan Kopelev who will be swimming the 50 and 100 backstroke along with the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle and Yakov Toumarkin who will be competing in the 100 and 200 backstroke and the 200 IM.
There will be a much bigger standalone €80k GP event in Stockholm called Swim Open Stockholm, March 30 – April 2.
There is a 5th member of the Swedish Kazan team competing – Ida Marko-Varga. Looking at how she performs in the 200m free (and possibly 100 free) will be instructive as to Swedish relay prospects.
You can make that six, Magdalena Kuras is also attending. Yes, I’m looking forward to see Marko-Varga swim here, it’s a hometown competition aswell(same for Kuras). You wanna see them contesting their best times from last year, preferably faster.
Otherwise my eyes are on Hansson(s), pity Louise is not swimming the 200 free though. As for Sophie, can she prove to be a relay threat to Johansson? Or a good option for the prelims? Jennie did decent in her Australia opener, but she’s kind of a standstill in the 100 and you never know when the 17 year old just takes off.
Ida amazing considering she is already a mother like Terese.
Louise also had nice taste of championship success.
Maybe Sophie can be threat to Johansson, maybe not and sure indeed she has youth on her side but let’s not forget Johansson is an experience swimmer who swam incredible 105.5 in the relay in Kazan. Proven big meet performer. Sophie has not yet had Olympic or World success and if a sensible person selected a team they would choose experience every time.
1 years out from Olympics unless complete disaster you don’t make dramatic changes to a successful format especially one with proven record.