After Australian Cate Campbell took her SCM 100 free world record back last week, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom said in an interview with The New Paper in Singapore that she thinks someone will break 50 seconds in the event this year.
To put a 49.99 in perspective, that (very) roughly converts to a 44.95 in SCY and 50.89 in LCM.
Sjostrom held the world record before Campbell broke it last week as the Swede broke the world record twice at the World Cup circuit this year; once in Moscow and then once again in Eindhoven.
“I am very happy that many girls have been trying to improve their times; it is important to have more swimmers try to go under 50 seconds, and push one another and the limits,” Sjostrom told The New Paper.
“I am very happy that Cate has improved on the world record and now I have to swim faster… I am quite far away (from breaking 50 seconds) with my personal best of 50.58, and I have a lot of things to work on.”
Sjostrom did not say specifically who would go under 50 but there are a lot of swimmers who are certainly capable as the 100 free final in Budapest was formidable as ever. That field included five girls who had won individual Olympic gold medals (Sjostrom, Simone Manuel, Penny Oleksiak, Pernille Blume and Ranomi Kromowidjojo) and two other girls who had medaled individually at the World Championships (Bronte Campbell and Emma McKeon).
Not all of those girls have made appearances at the World Cup circuit this year as only Kromowidjojo and Sjostrom have made appearances thus far. Bronte and McKeon swam at Australian Short Course Championships, but did not break 52 seconds. And Manuel and Oleksiak have not swam short course meters yet this year and don’t show any indications of doing so.
Sjostrom said of Campbell’s swim last week, “She’s been out for a really long time, she was very surprised herself (at breaking the record). I am very happy for her.
“Maybe she wasn’t so happy with her results last year (at the Olympics) and didn’t swim in Budapest. I see this (her result at the Australian meet) as a really strong comeback and I’m happy to be able to race her in the next Fina World Cup cluster.”
Sjostrom has showed that she has put more focus on sprint freestyle as she broke the world record in the 50 and 100 LCM freestyles this summer in Budapest. She changed coaches after the Olympics and is now training with Johan Wallberg and it is proving dividends.
“I don’t know how much more I can improve in the butterfly, except in the finer details like the underwater kicks, but it is almost perfect; however, I am sure that I can swim a lot faster in the freestyle events.
“Right now, I am focusing on my technique and getting stronger, and that is what is important this year,” Sjostrom told the Singapore-based paper.
Sjostrom currently leads the FINA World Cup money list rankings as we head into the Beijing stop on November 10-11.
Read more about Sjostrom’s interview with The New Paper by clicking here.
Nice ! thanks :
I’ll believe that too.?