Queens Of Consistency: Why Sarah Sjostrom Gives Her Rio Rivals The Butterflies

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Updated: August 2, 2016

After we started our month-long countdown to racing in Rio with a look at some of the most significant swims of Olympic season so far on the clock, we turn our attention to consistency; the rate at which contenders stack up quality efforts in the top 10, top 20 and top 25 performances.

In the series so far:

Men’s sprint freestyle – time-space stretchers Men’s 200-1500m free – a war zone Men’s backstroke – which way will the USA Vs AUS Swingometer sway? Men’s breaststroke – The Challenge Of Adam Peaty’s Punch & Daniel In His Den Men’s butterfly – Are You Not Entertained? You Will Be: By Phelps, Le Clos, Cseh & Co Men’s medley – Last Stand Of Phelps V Lochte; Can Hagino & Seto Replace Them? Women’s sprint freestyle: chasing the Aussie sisters of sizzling speed Women’s 200-800 free: where Katie Ledecky blazes a pioneering path to the pantheon Women’s backstroke: Queens Of Consistency: Can Emily Seebohm & Missy Franklin Back Up What’s Been Banked? Women’s Medley: How Hosszu Hung A Warning Sign On The Medley Mash

Today we continue our look at the women’s events with butterfly and the leading contenders among those who have shown they have what it takes to step on to the ultimate podium.

Racing gets underway in Rio on August 6.

Women’s Butterfly

Sarah Sjostrom by Patrick B. Kraemer

Sarah Sjostrom has a potential four targets in Rio, freestyle 50 and 200m – and then the one she wants more than any other: the 100m butterfly. Gold would make her the first Swedish woman to claim Olympic siwmming gold in history. Never been done, not even as far back as 1912 when it all began for women in her home nation, her home town, of Stockholm.

Therese Alshammar came so close with silver in the 50 and 100m freestyle at Sydney 2000, while Sjostrom had good chances four years ago but was knocked by illness leading into London and fell shy of best and shy of the podium.

In 2016, she’s looking strong, her sprint capabilities (the 24.43 world dash record on ‘fly among the most stunning global marks ever) backed up by the stamina indicated in 1:54sec 200m free swims.

While the 200m butterfly is more difficult to call in terms of a clear favourite for the title, if Sjostrom is on form in Rio, it is hard to see anyone being able to cope with the sub-56sec efforts she’s made a habit of: three times under this year, twice last, including the world records of 55.64 in final and 55.74 in semi at world titles. In short, eight years after she claimed European gold at 14 years of age, she’s mastered pioneering speed, made it something well beyond a one-off, gone beyond her shiny suited best of 2009 (first of three world titles).

No dash at the Olympics but Boras in 2014 and that 24.43 stunner is significant. It screamed confidence into every sinew in Sjostrom. She knows she can, her body flows and floats on the cognitive. The 100 cannot be the same but if you can go 24.43 flat out and 25 mid relaxed, then it makes sense when Sjostrom ponders Mark Spitz and the first sub-55 by a man all those years ago and believes such speed within the bounds of her reach one day. As Carl Jenner, her coach, put it:

“The 50 fly she did in Boras is probably the closest thing to perfection I have seen in 50 fly. Everything worked well but then in 100 fly you can’t have that straight bat in the first 50 because you are working on bringing it home. You have to be a bit more relaxed in the first 50, the body …

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