Olympic champion Sarah Sjöström enters the European Championships holding the fastest times in Europe this year for both the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly, returning to competition nearly a year after a dramatic roadside childbirth and her triumphs at the Paris Games, according to interviews and race data.
Training Evolution and the Postpartum PB
According to Sjöström, her training alongside coach Antonio Lutula now incorporates a concept known as a “postpartum PB”—a personal best following pregnancy designed to measure progress against her current self rather than pre-pregnancy benchmarks. Sjöström turns 33 the day after the championships conclude. She told reporters that she and Lutula are surprised by her recent times, noting that her primary feeling is gratitude that her body continues to hold up under training loads.
Home life has also undergone a restructuring. With husband Johan de Jong Skierus taking parental leave, Sjöström handles morning training sessions with uninterrupted focus while son Adrian stays home. The routine now includes early morning gym sessions starting around 7:00 AM, a habit Sjöström adopted post-pregnancy. According to Sjöström, gym work prior to swimming improves her water feel and ensures her sessions conclude definitively.
European Championships Comeback and Times
Sjöström stepped away from competition following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she secured gold medals in both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events. Following the birth of son Adrian in an ambulance outside Södersjukhuset on August 26, 2024, she made her competitive return at the Swim Open in Stockholm in April, clocking 24.36 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle after more than 600 days away from racing.
In late June at the Sette Colli international meet in Rome, Sjöström lowered her time further to 23.86 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle final. Concurrently, she swam the 50-meter butterfly for the first time since giving birth, posting a 25.05—marking the fastest time in Europe this year for that event, second globally only to Gretchen Walsh, who won on the new world record time 23.55 in the freestyle at the same meet, while Kate Douglass slog Sjöströms tidigare världsrekord i grenen i början av juni.
Streamlining for the Sprint Events
According to Sjöström, a key factor in her rapid return to top speed is her narrowed focus exclusively on 50-meter distances, moving away from the endurance demands of the 100-meter events that previously populated her schedule. While she continues to swim longer sets out of personal preference, nearly all targeted training focuses entirely on maximizing speed and strength.
This shift has yielded unexpected variables on race day. Prior to her career break, Sjöström’s times closely mirrored her training splits, occasionally dipping slightly on race day. During her spring comeback, however, the pattern reversed: she swam under 25 seconds in training ahead of the Swim Open and clocked 25.8 in butterfly training before Rome, only to swim substantially faster in the actual finals. On the second day of the European Championships, Tuesday the 11 August, Sjöström is scheduled to contest the heats and semifinals of the 50-meter butterfly.
Historical Context and Future Milestones
Sjöström holds the record for the most long-course European Championship medals by any swimmer, having accumulated 17 gold, 7 silver, and 4 bronze medals between 2008 and 2022. Her career milestone list includes breaking the 100-meter butterfly world record at the 2009 Rome World Championships at age 15, capturing her first Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and securing dual gold medals in Paris in 2024.
When asked about approaching 100 total championship medals, Sjöström stated that she has never actively chased the milestone. Looking ahead, she has targeted the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles—where the 50-meter butterfly will appear on the Olympic program for the first time—as a potential site for her sixth Olympic appearance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Sarah Sjöström’s main events for the European Championships?
Sjöström is entered in the 50-meter freestyle and the 50-meter butterfly.
What were her recent times leading into the championships?
According to race results, she recorded a 23.86 in the 50-meter freestyle at Sette Colli in Rome and a 25.05 in the 50-meter butterfly.
How has her training changed since becoming a mother?
According to Sjöström, she incorporates early morning gym sessions prior to her pool workouts and has narrowed her training focus primarily to 50-meter speed development rather than 100-meter endurance.
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