2023 World University Games
- July 28 – August 8, 2023
- Pool Swimming: August 1-7
- Chengdu, China
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
The Swedish Swimming Federation has announced a five-member swimming roster for the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu, China, which will run later this summer after being postponed for two years.
The team will feature four swimmers who have competed in the NCAA, highlighted by Klara Thormalm, a former star at San Diego State who will be the lone female on the roster.
Sweden will also be represented by Harvard’s Marcus Holmquist, Virginia Tech grad Samuel Törnqvist and former University of Hawaii swimmer Albin Lövgren, along with Jacob Danielsson.
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SWEDISH ROSTER, 2023 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES
- Jacob Danielsson, Stockholm Police IF
- Marcus Holmquist, Jönköping SS
- Albin Lövgren, Jönköping SS
- Klara Thormalm, Jönköping SS
- Samuel Törnqvist, Spårvägen Swimming Association
Thormalm was an NCAA Honorable Mention All-America three times in the women’s 100 breaststroke, placing ninth in 2019, 11th in 2021 and 15th in 2022 while representing SDSU.
The 25-year-old was a semi-finalist in the 50 breast at the 2022 Short Course World Championships, and enters the meet with lifetime bests of 31.12, 1:08.08 and 2:28.22 in the 50, 100 and 200 breast in long course meters, and she could also end up racing the 50 free (25.71) or 100 free (56.85).
On the men’s side, Törnqvist will primarily be racing the backstroke events, having placed 13th in the 200 back at the 2022 Men’s NCAA Championships. He owns an LCM best time of 2:02.05, and has also been 25.76 in the 50 back and 56.18 in the 100 back.
Holmquist is a sprint free specialist, having been the 2023 runner-up in the 50 and 100 free at the Men’s Ivy League Championships, while Lövgren specializes in the 50 and 100 fly, owning respective bests of 23.95 and 53.09.
Lövgren had a brief career at Hawaii, having last raced in the NCAA at the 2020 MPSF Championships right before the pandemic.
Danielsson, also strong in the fly events, will likely feature alongside Holmquist in the 50 and 100 free.
At the last edition of the World University Games in 2019, Sweden won one medal, a gold from former USC and Alabama distance specialist Victor Johansson in the men’s 1500 freestyle.
Sweden also named a pair of NCAA divers, Olympian Emma Gullstrand (Miami FL) and Nina Janmyr (Harvard), to the WUGs team.
The “Chengdu 2021” World University Games will run from July 28 – August 8, 2023, with the pool swimming competition slated for August 1-7.