Swedish sprinting legend Sarah Sjostrom is welcoming the world’s best to Stockholm next month to come take aim at world and European Records in short course meters.
In collaboration with the Swedish Olympic Committee, Swedish Swimming and Södertörns SS (Sjostrom’s home club), Sjostrom is hosting the inaugural Sjostrom Invitational next month in Stockholm, with the event set to run August 12.
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The competition is geared towards world-class swimmers who have records in mind, but it will also have an age group component with 16 & unders invited to race the same schedule of events.
The one-day meet will bring Sjostrom’s unique skillset to the table, as she is not only one of the best sprinters in history, but also has an uncanny ability to reel off fast swims in succession.
We’ve seen her do it in the International Swimming League’s (ISL) skins events, and she’s also thrived at the Monaco leg of the Mare Nostrum Tour.
Now, Sjostrom is bringing the multi-round elimination-style 50-meter races to her own invite, as the one-day meet will feature quarter-final, semi-final and finals of each stroke 50.
The 16 & under swimmers will also race each stroke 50 and the 100 IM in a timed final.
The meet will be held at the Eriksdalsbadet pool in Stockholm, with the races to be run in short course meters.
Set to represent Sweden at her fifth Olympic Games later this summer in Paris, Sjostrom is the predominant favorite in the women’s 50 freestyle, having won three straight world titles in the event and breaking the world record last year in Fukuoka (23.61).
A four-time Olympic medalist, Sjostrom won gold and broke the world record in the women’s 100 butterfly in 2016, adding a silver in the 200 free and a bronze in the 100 free, and three years ago in Tokyo, she claimed silver in the 50 free to complete a remarkable comeback after breaking her elbow earlier in the year.
Does anyone know if you can watch this online?
Gretchen Walsh for the 100 IM SCM.
Think she could go for 4 different records (in the 5 events offered), but probably not in this format.
***Checks the date 7 times to make sure it’s not April 1st***
Would love to see all the big players attend.
If you’re gonna write the team name as “Södertörns” clearly you’ve gotta start writing hers as “Sjöström”
Jeez get a style guide, you guys.
MA’s gotta be on the list
All he has left …. so….um…. yeah…. and summer league swimming with the 25s will be over by then, so no scheduling conflicts!
Slightly related but McEvoy went 9.48 in a SCM 25 free not long ago and while I’m aware there is other fast 25 times I believe his time that was recognised by QLD as a record is the first unofficial WR for a SCM 25 free.
Please invite Gretchen and Kate. Would be so fun!
I’m sure everyone relevant has an open invitation. I’m just not sure how many non-Europeans will want to stick around for an extra 9 days after swimming finishes
(narrator voice) absolutely zero
Depends on how much Arena USA ponies up to keep some of their athletes there to compete against the Arena Euros like Sarah S.
I think it’s less about the time for many and more about the fact that most don’t have as professional of a mindset as Sarah that they can stay in the water training after they finish competing and not just take it easy and party. I don’t blame anyone who would want to relax after 3 years of preparing towards the Olympics.