Sarah Sjostrom introduced in the present day that she is not going to be competing in 2025, however she remains to be contemplating a sixth Olympic Video games.
In an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagen Nyheter (DN), Sjostrom confirmed her plans by this 12 months, saying “I’ve no competitions deliberate. I’ll prepare, however at a low load after which slowly enhance. I feel that’s the easiest way to final in the long term.”
The 30-year-old Sjostrom is coming off an distinctive 2024 Olympic Video games the place she gained gold in each the 50 and the 100 freestyles, her first Olympic gold in both occasion. She shared in her interview that this success has led to individuals encouraging her to contemplate retirement saying “You need to cease now if you’re on prime”.
Sjostrom confessed it will have been the simplest factor to cease now, however she is “nonetheless curious” about what she will do.
By taking 2025 off, Sjostrom will miss her first lengthy course World Championships since 2009 when she was simply 15-years-old. She is at the moment the six-time champion within the 50 butterfly, and the 3-time champion within the 50 freestyle. She is not going to defend both title at this 12 months’s Worlds in Singapore.
She has not dominated out a sixth-straight Olympic Video games, telling the newspaper it will be “superior” to simply qualify, however saying it will be “much more superior if I might be near the instances I swam in Paris.”
Sjostrom might be 34 when the LA Olympics begin, however we’ve seen older 50 freestylers take the gold. Anthony Ervin was 35 when he gained the gold medal within the 50 free on the 2016 Olympic Video games, turning into the oldest Olympic swimming champion ever.
She has been a cornerstone of European swimming, breaking 9 World Information since 2009. Her very first document got here at simply 15-years-old when she went 56.44 within the 100 butterfly on the 2009 World Championships. Her most up-to-date document was on the 2023 Worlds in Fukuoka the place she swam 23.61 within the 50 freestyle. She is the present document holder within the 50 free, 100 free, and 50 butterfly occasions.
