{"id":639920,"date":"2026-03-26T05:28:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=639920"},"modified":"2026-03-26T08:28:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:28:23","slug":"sarah-sjostrom-back-in-the-arena-at-swim-open-stockholm-outlines-sprint-goals-for-sixth-games-at-la2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/sarah-sjostrom-back-in-the-arena-at-swim-open-stockholm-outlines-sprint-goals-for-sixth-games-at-la2028\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m Back in The Arena at Swim Open; Outlines Double Sprint Goals for Sixth Games at LA 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sarah Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m Back in The Arena at Swim Open; Outlines Sprint Goals for Sixth Games at LA 2028<\/h4>\n

Sarah Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m <\/strong>has confirmed she\u2019ll make her competitive return at next month\u2019s Swim Open in Stockholm, a little over seven months after becoming a mum to son Adrian.<\/p>\n

The Swede also outlined her intention to compete in the 50 free and fly at what would be her sixth Olympics in LA in 2028, 20 years after her Games debut in Beijing.<\/p>\n

\"Sarah

Sarah Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three-time Olympic champion and husband\u00a0Johan de Jong Skierus<\/strong> became parents for the first time in August 2025<\/a> when they welcomed Adrian.<\/p>\n

Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m was back in the water a little more than a month later and now she is set for competition once more at the Swim Open which runs from 9-12 April in the Swedish capital.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Swedish Swim Federation – Svensk Simidrott – Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m confirmed her comeback in home waters where she\u2019ll contest the 50 free with her eyes on the European Championships in Paris.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019ll be exciting to make a comeback,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s been other things and there still are. But I still think swimming is so much fun, so I am going for it and thought why not make a comeback when it\u2019s in Stockholm anyway? I\u2019m very happy with where I am right now so I feel that I didn\u2019t need to stress trying to be where I was, I\u2019m just enjoying the process I\u2019m in right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see progress every week but there\u2019s no requirement that I have to get any specific placing or time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Step By Step With Eyes On Europeans<\/h3>\n

The Europeans take place at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis with the pool programme running from 10-16 August.<\/p>\n

With 28 medals, Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m is the most decorated swimmer in the history of the European Championships.\u00a0Her ambitions are somewhat different at this moment in time although further continental silverware is among her goals this year.<\/p>\n

\"sarah-sjostrom-50-free-2022-world-championships-budapest-1\"

Sarah Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m: Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s a time I want to make it\u2019s just to qualify to the European Championships,” she said. “It\u2019 a bit strange compared to what I might have set as a goal a few years ago. But now that\u2019s my level. And the next step I maybe to compete for a medal at the Europeans but I\u2019m not there yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut in a few weeks I think I will have gotten closer. I\u2019m driven by finding the right feeling and enjoying the everyday grind. The race I swim at a competition is such a tiny part of it all. But I really enjoy the day-to-day work and I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s the most exciting thing in the world to swim back and forth in a pool but I like the feeling of getting stronger.”<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old will solely compete in the 50 free in Stockholm. She hasn\u2019t done any fly in her training although she\u2019s hoping to return to the event in which she has held the world record of 24.43 since July 2014.<\/p>\n

Plans For A Tilt At A Sprint Double At Her Sixth Games<\/h3>\n

A sixth Olympics beckons for Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m and should all go well for her, she\u2019ll join a small elite group of swimmers who’ve competed at six Games comprising fellow Swedes Therese Alshammar<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Lars Frolander<\/strong>, Tunisian\u00a0Oussama Mellouli<\/strong>, Derya Buyukuncu<\/strong>\u00a0of Turkiye and Kristel K\u00f6brich<\/strong> of Chile.<\/p>\n

She made her bow at Beijing 2008 aged 14 and since then has won three golds among six medals, including the 50\/100 free double at Paris 2024.<\/p>\n

\"Sarah

Sarah Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n

In an interview with Swimming World<\/a> weeks after the Paris Games, Sj\u00f6str\u00f6m said she would concentrate on the 50s.<\/p>\n

She reaffirmed this in her interview with the Swedish federation, saying: \u201cNow it\u2019s all about sprinting. That\u2019s what I\u2019m aiming for.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo in the LA Olympics, the 50m butterfly and the 50 freestyle.\u00a0\u201cBut now I\u2019m doing one event to start with, then I\u2019ll add the 50 butterfly when I feel that my body is ready for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still only seven months since I had a baby. I\u2019m aiming for the Europeans this summer and then the World Championships (in Budapest) next summer and then it\u2019s the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the three championships I see ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither does she intend to compete in any European or world short-course championships.\u00a0She will though have to gain 50 fly qualification for LA at a World Cup stop in Europe next year.\u00a0\u201cYou want it to fit and if it\u2019s in Europe it\u2019ll fit me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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