Swedish Short Course Nationals: Sarah Sjostrom Breaks Swedish Record in 200 Free

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, November 24. THE initial evening of competition at the Swedish Short Course Nationals proved to be productive with a national record, a handful of world-ranked times, and several junior records falling by the wayside.

Sarah Sjostrom downed a Swedish record in the women's 200 free with a blazing 1:52.58. That swim cleared her previous standard of 1:52.92 set earlier this year, but was not enough to catch Allison Schmitt (1:52.08) for the top time in the world this year. She still stands second overall as only the second swimmer under 1:53 this year. Nathalie Lindborg touched well back in 1:58.82, while Josefin Lindkvist earned third in 1:59.61.

Martina Granstrom threw down a strong time in the women's 200 fly with a 2:04.71. That swim pushed her to fourth in the world rankings. Only Choi Hye Ra (2:03.65), Gong Jie (2:03.91) and Jiao Liuyang (2:04.49) have been faster this year. Ida Marko-Varga took second in 2:06.73 to move to seventh in the world rankings, while Petra Granlund finished third in 2:07.93 – just off her 17th-ranked season best of 2:07.75.

Granstrom doubled up with a 1:00.42 to win the women's 100 IM. That performance jumped her to 13th in the world rankings. Sara Thyden placed second in 1:00.88 for 21st in the rankings, while Louise Hansson picked up third in 1:00.97 for 25th in the rankings.

Sebastian Holmberg posted a junior record in the men's 100 IM with a 54.31. His swim bettered the 54.74 set by Erik Dorch in 2001, and jumped Holmberg to 23rd in the world rankings. Daniel Lundahl placed second in 55.01, while Anton Andersson earned third in 56.14.

Michelle Coleman cleared the junior record in the women's 100 back with a 58.39. That effort eclipsed the 58.83 set by Sjostrom in 2010, and moved Coleman to 14th in the world rankings. Magdalena Kuras took second in 58.78 for 19th in the world rankings, while Emma Svensson wound up third in 1:00.43.

Joline Hostman clocked a swift 2:22.25 to win the women's 200 breast crown. That swim bettered her 15th-ranked season best of 2:22.36 from the Beijing stop of the World Cup circuit, but wasn't enough to clear Vera Kalashnikova's 14th-ranked 2:21.84 from Russia. Jennie Johansson took second in 2:25.07, while Elin Martensson placed third in 2:25.72.

Lars Frolander continued his remarkable longevity in the sport with a 52.64 to win the men's 100 fly. Frolander, at 37, is one of the grizzled veterans of the sport. David Larsson took second in 52.81, while Jesper Jonsson finished third in 53.55.

Gustav Aberg Lejdstrom topped the men's 400 free in 3:47.54. Oscar Ekstrom placed second in 3:50.34, while Linus Kanth finished third in 3:53.81. Simon Sjodin captured the men's 200 breast title in 2:10.06. Petros Katsampanis finished second in 2:11.51, while Andreas Furst took third in 2:13.40.

In relay action, Henriette Brekke, Rebecca Holst, Ida Marko-Varga and Magdalena Kuras won the women's 200 free relay in 1:40.51. Oscar Ekstrom, Lars Frolander, Alexander Linge and Marcus Piehl claimed the men's 400 free relay in 3:15.72.

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