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Sarah Sjostrom: Sweden’s First Olympic Champion Among Women In 55.48 WR
- Updated: August 8, 2016
There was a time when her heart was questioned. When her ability to handle pressure was questioned. When her resolve was questioned. These days, she’s nothing less than one of the premier figures in the sport, a multi-event star who no longer has to answer the query: Where is your Olympic gold? It’s draped around her neck.
The stockpile of fourth-place finishes at major events that once dotted the portfolio of Sarah Sjostrom was isolated to history on Sunday night, as the Swede opened the second night of finals at the Rio Aquatics Centre in the most impressive way possible. Leading from the start, Sjostrom raced away from the field, especially over the second lap, and set a world record of 55.48, exactly a half-second faster than the global mark Dana Vollmer posted on the way to gold at the 2012 Games in London.
Sjostrom basically competed in a one-woman race, holding a body-length advantage as the athletes headed into the finish. At the touch, Sjostrom turned toward the scoreboard and eventually recognized her achievement, splashing the water in celebration. Her hand then covered her mouth, almost as if to say, “Finally.”
Sarah Sjostrom by PBK
A night after helping Canada to the bronze medal in the 400 freestyle relay, 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak dialed up another World Junior Record, her mark of 56.46 good for the silver medal and better than the 56.73 junior standard she set in prelims. Vollmer was the bronze medalist in 56.63, her hardware complementing the gold from London and completing a feel-good comeback.
In 2011, Sjostrom had the unenviable distinction of finishing just off the podium in a trio of event at the World Championships. Fourth-place finishes in the 200 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 100 fly raised the possibility that Sjostrom didn’t have the moxie to deliver under the glare. That characterization only grew the next summer when she left the Olympics without a medal, crashing out of the semifinals in the 50 freestyle, 100 free and 200 free and placing fourth in the 100 fly.
Sarah Sjostrom by PBK
By 2013, however, Sjostrom began moving in a positive direction. She won the world title in the 100 fly …
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