Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Sarah Sjostrom and six-time Olympic swimmer Lars Frolander will appear on Season 7 of the Swedish television show Superstars.
The show features eight of the country’s top athletes who will meet in Cyprus for a series of physical challenges to decide who the winner is. They often compete against peak athletes in those athletes’ sports, usually with some kind of a handicap, and that is the role that Sjostrom will play – as a challenger.
Frolander, meanwhile, will be one of the eight contestants vying for the title.
The format has been around since the 1970s and reiterated in several countries. Athletes are pit against each other in athletic competitions – many of which might be outside of their primary sport comfort zones. The first incarnation of the series in Sweden came in 1975, with a short run in 2009 and again consistently since 2017.
Participants can be either active or retired. Last year’s winner was Olympic gold medal-winning alpine skiier Andre Myhrer, who retired in 2020.
The last swimmer to compete on the show as a contestant was Therese Alshammar, who competed in the 2017 season and placed 5th out of 8 swimmers.
Sjostrom’s participation comes in spite of withdrawing from the upcoming Luxembourg Euro Meet citing ongoing back issues.
Most of the series has already been filmed, and Sjostrom says she just served as a challenger for one episode of the show – not as a contestant.
Sjostrom, 29, owns four individual Olympic medals from the 2016 and 2020 Games, including the 100 butterfly gold medal from the Rio 2016 Olympics. She is also a 16-time World Champion, 29-time European Champion, and five-event World Record holder. Her four current individual World Records and five total World Records both tie her as the most by a woman.
Frolander, meanwhile, will be one of the 8 competitors vying for the title of Superstar. The 48-year-old retired from swimming in 2018 after competing at a record six-consecutive Olympic Games. That career included three Olympic medals, one of which was gold: the men’s 100 fly from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
He is also a 9-time World Champion and 12-time European Champion in the pool, and in 2000 set a Short Course World Record in the 100 meter fly that stood for 18 months.
Full Sverige Superstars 2023 Season Cast:
- Lars Frolander – Retired Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer
- Frida Hansdotter – Retired alpine ski racer
- Jenny Rissveds – Active cross-country mountainbike rider
- Angelica Bengtsson – Active pole vaulter
- Helen Alfredsson – Active senior-tour golfer
- Kennet Andersson – Retired soccer player
- Mathias Fredriksson – Retired cross-country skiier
- Michel Torneus – Retired swedish long jumper
Swimmers have become increasing presences around the world on reality television programs. That includes a run of swimmers on dance-competition shows, and Australian Olympic medalist Emily Seebohm, who has become a regular on the reality television circuit in her home country.
There are so few people in Sweden that the government will pay you millions of Kopeks to procreate. Despite this the Swedes are very accomplished in swimming as well as music.