Sarah Sjöström

3.1. 2008-2009

This period marked Sjöström's breakthrough in international swimming, starting with her debut at the European Championships and culminating in her first world record and World Championship gold.

At just 14 years old, Sjöström achieved international recognition at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands. On March 22, 2008, she won the gold medal in the 100 metre butterfly with a time of 58.44 seconds. In the semi-finals a day prior, she had already set a new Swedish national record of 58.38 seconds, surpassing Anna-Karin Kammerling's previous record. Three days earlier, she earned her first medal of the championships, a bronze, as part of the 4×100 metre freestyle relay team. Although she swam the third leg of the relay in the preliminary heats, contributing a split time of 56.17 seconds, she was substituted for the finals relay. At the Swedish championships in 2008, she finished the 100 metre butterfly in 58.55 seconds.

Sjöström earned a spot on the Swedish Swim Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. She competed in the 100 metre butterfly, finishing 27th in the preliminary heats with a time of 59.08 seconds, and the 100 metre backstroke, where she placed 29th with a time of 1:02.38, failing to advance in either race. She also swam the backstroke leg of the 4×100 metre medley relay in the preliminaries, helping the Swedish team qualify seventh for the finals. However, the team was disqualified in the final due to a false start by the final swimmer, Josefin Lillhage. The day of the 4×100 metre medley relay final coincided with Sjöström's 15th birthday.

Her impressive ascent continued at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy. On July 26, 2009, Sjöström set a new world record in the semi-finals of the 100 metre butterfly with a time of 56.44 seconds, surpassing Inge de Bruijn's nine-year-old record. The following day, in the event final, she won the gold medal and further improved her world record to 56.06 seconds. At the same championships, she placed sixth in the 50 metre butterfly with a time of 26.66 seconds.

Sjöström swam only in the heats for the 4x100 metre freestyle relay at EC 2008. Team Sweden was disqualified in the 4x100 metre medley relay final at OG 2008 and OG 2012.

3.2. 2010-2012

In this period, Sjöström maintained her position as a top European swimmer, securing multiple medals at continental championships despite mixed results at World and Olympic events.

At the 2010 European Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sjöström successfully defended her European title in the 100 metre butterfly, winning the event. She also contributed to two relay medals: a bronze in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay (leading off with a 53.77 second split) and a silver in the 4×100 metre medley relay (anchoring with a 53.73 second split). Individually, she placed fourth in both the 50 metre butterfly and 100 metre freestyle. In December 2011, she broke the Swedish record in the 100 metre freestyle at the Open Dutch Championships in Eindhoven.

Her performance at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, China, saw her compete in five events. She placed fourth in both the 100 metre butterfly (57.38 seconds) and 200 metre freestyle (1:56.41). She also finished fourth in the 50 metre butterfly, tying with Lu Ying of China with a time of 25.87 seconds. In relays, the Swedish team placed twelfth in the 4×200 metre freestyle relay and tenth in the 4×100 metre medley relay.

The year 2012 brought Sjöström double gold medals at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, where she won the 50 metre butterfly and the 100 metre freestyle. She also helped Sweden secure a silver medal in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, swimming the third leg in 54.04 seconds.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Sjöström competed in four individual events. She reached the semi-finals in the 50 metre, 100 metre, and 200 metre freestyle events. In the 100 metre butterfly final, she placed fourth with a time of 57.17 seconds, a race where her world record was broken by Dana Vollmer of the United States.

3.3. 2013-2014

This period saw Sjöström regain her status as a world record holder and achieve multiple gold medals at major championships.

On July 29, 2013, Sjöström won the gold medal in the 100 metre butterfly at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, with a time of 56.53 seconds. Four days later, she secured a silver medal in the 100 metre freestyle, finishing in 52.89 seconds behind Cate Campbell of Australia. She also placed fourth in both the 200 metre freestyle and 50 metre freestyle, and fourth in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay.

In December 2013, at the 2013 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Herning, Denmark, Sjöström had a strong showing, winning four individual medals. She claimed gold medals in the 50 metre butterfly (setting a Championships record of 24.90 seconds) and 100 metre butterfly, along with silver medals in the 50 metre freestyle and 100 metre freestyle. She also won two relay silver medals in the 4×50 metre freestyle relay and 4×50 metre medley relay.

On July 5, 2014, Sjöström broke the world record in the long course 50 metre butterfly, clocking 24.43 seconds at the Swedish Championships in Borås, Sweden. This significant margin of 0.64 seconds over the previous record of 25.07 seconds, held by fellow Swedish swimmer Therese Alshammar, was compared to Bob Beamon's historic long jump world record. Later that summer, at the 2014 European Aquatics Championships in Berlin, Germany, she won three gold medals and four silver medals. Her gold medals came in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, 50 metre butterfly, and 100 metre freestyle. She also earned silver medals in the 4×200 metre freestyle relay, 100 metre butterfly, 50 metre freestyle, and 4×100 metre medley relay.

In December 2014, Sjöström competed at the 2014 World Short Course Swimming Championships in Doha, Qatar. She medaled in four of her seven events. She won silver in the 100 metre freestyle (51.39 seconds), just 0.02 seconds behind gold medalist Femke Heemskerk. Approximately 30 minutes later, she won gold in the 50 metre butterfly with a Championships record of 24.58 seconds. Two days later, she secured another gold medal in the 100 metre butterfly, setting a new world record and Championships record of 54.61 seconds. About 70 minutes after that, she won a third gold medal with another world record and Championships record, this time in the 200 metre freestyle with a time of 1:50.78. She also placed fourth in the 4×100 metre medley relay, seventh in the 4×200 metre freestyle relay, and nineteenth in the 200 metre butterfly.

3.4. 2015-2016

This period saw Sjöström achieve significant milestones, including multiple World Championship gold medals and her historic Olympic gold.

In 2015, Sjöström was honored with the Jerring Award and the Victoria Scholarship. In April 2015, at the Eindhoven Swim Cup, she became the first Swedish female swimmer to break the one-minute barrier in the 100 metre backstroke, setting a new national record with 59.98 seconds.

At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, Sjöström earned five medals. She won gold medals in the 50 metre butterfly (24.96 seconds, a Championships record) and 100 metre butterfly. In the latter event, she broke the world record twice, first with 55.74 seconds in the semi-finals and then again with 55.64 seconds in the final. Her 50 metre butterfly gold was her first individual gold at the World Aquatics Championships, and with both gold medals, she became the first Swedish swimmer to win two World Championships gold medals at a single event. She secured a silver medal in the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 52.70 seconds. On the final day, she added a bronze medal in the 50 metre freestyle and a silver medal in the 4×100 metre medley relay. Overall, she won two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal, marking her most successful World Championships performance to date.

At the 2015 European Short Course Swimming Championships in December in Netanya, Israel, Sjöström continued her medal-winning streak. On day two, she won gold in the 50 metre butterfly with a Championships record of 24.58 seconds. The next day, she claimed gold in the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 51.37 seconds. On the final evening, she won gold in the 100 metre butterfly, setting a Championships record of 55.03 seconds, and a silver medal in the 50 metre freestyle with a time of 23.63 seconds. She concluded the competition with a silver medal in the 4×50 metre medley relay, splitting 24.33 seconds for the butterfly leg. Before the end of the year, she was named "Swimmer of the Year in Europe" by Swimming World and received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal for her achievements.

In January 2016, Sjöström was awarded the Swedish public radio Jerring Award for the second consecutive year. At the 2016 European Aquatics Championships in London in May, she won a bronze medal in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay (leading off with 53.48 seconds). She followed this with a gold medal in the 50 metre butterfly (24.99 seconds) and then another gold in the 100 metre freestyle (52.82 seconds). On the fourth day, she won her final medal of the competition, a gold medal in the 100 metre butterfly, setting a Championships record of 55.89 seconds.

The pinnacle of this period was the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. On August 7, 2016, Sjöström won the gold medal in the 100 metre butterfly, setting a world record with a time of 55.48 seconds. This made her the first female Swedish swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. She also secured a silver medal in the 200 metre freestyle with a Swedish record of 1:54.08, finishing just 0.35 seconds behind Katie Ledecky. She added a bronze medal in the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 52.99 seconds. With these medals, she became only the second female swimmer in history and the fifth swimmer overall to win medals in the 100 metre freestyle, 200 metre freestyle, and 100 metre butterfly at the same Olympic Games or long course World Championships.

3.5. 2017-2019

This period saw Sjöström continue her dominance, setting multiple world records and becoming the most decorated female swimmer at World Championships.

In January 2017, Sjöström competed at the 19th Luxembourg Euro Meet, winning the 50 metre freestyle (24.01 seconds), 100 metre freestyle (53.21 seconds), 50 metre butterfly (25.02 seconds), and 100 metre butterfly (57.12 seconds). Three months later, at the Stockholm Swim Open, she won the 50 metre butterfly (25.63 seconds), 100 metre butterfly (56.26 seconds), 50 metre freestyle (23.83 seconds, the second fastest time ever), and 100 metre freestyle (52.54 seconds, a new personal best and Swedish record).


At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sjöström showcased exceptional form. On July 23, in the final of the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, she set a new world record in the 100 metre freestyle during her lead-off leg, clocking 51.71 seconds. The Swedish team placed fifth in the relay. The next day, she won her first medal of the championships, a gold in the 100 metre butterfly, with a Championships record of 55.53 seconds. This made her the first woman in history to win four gold medals in a single individual event at the World Aquatics Championships. On July 28, she won a silver medal in the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 52.31 seconds, narrowly finishing behind Simone Manuel of the United States.

On July 29, Sjöström won gold in the 50 metre butterfly with a Championships record of 24.60 seconds. Approximately an hour later, in the semi-finals of the 50 metre freestyle, she broke the world record of 23.73 seconds, set by Britta Steffen in 2009, with a new world record and Championships record time of 23.67 seconds. On the final day, July 30, she won gold in the 50 metre freestyle, finishing in 23.69 seconds, just 0.02 seconds off her new world record. In her final event, the 4×100 metre medley relay, she swam the butterfly leg in 55.03 seconds, the fastest split among finalists, contributing to Sweden's fifth-place finish.

Throughout the summer of 2017, Sjöström broke six world records in less than a month. Following her two records at the World Championships, she set new short course world records at the 2017 Swimming World Cup competitions in Moscow (50 metre freestyle at 23.10 seconds and 100 metre freestyle at 50.77 seconds) and Eindhoven (100 metre freestyle at 50.58 seconds and 200 metre freestyle at 1:50.43). As a simultaneous holder of eight world records across short and long courses, she held the most current world records in international swimming. In early August, she improved her short course 50 metre freestyle time to 23.00 seconds in Berlin, though she placed second to Ranomi Kromowidjojo, who set a new world record of 22.93 seconds.

At the 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships in December in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sjöström earned three silver medals on day three: in the 100 metre freestyle (51.03 seconds), 100 metre individual medley (57.92 seconds), and 4×50 metre freestyle relay (with a 22.94 second split for her leg). On the fifth and final day, she won her first gold medal of the championships in the 100 metre butterfly, setting a Championships record of 55.00 seconds. Approximately 48 minutes later, she won her second gold in the 50 metre freestyle with a Championships record of 23.30 seconds. About 31 minutes after that, she secured her third and final gold medal, splitting 24.27 seconds for the butterfly portion of the 4×50 metre medley relay to help the team finish first in 1:44.43.

In August 2018, at the 2018 European Aquatics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, Sjöström won four gold medals. She claimed gold in the 100 metre butterfly (56.13 seconds) on day two. Approximately 65 minutes later, she won gold in the 50 metre freestyle with a Championships record of 23.74 seconds. On day six, she won the 100 metre freestyle gold with a time of 52.93 seconds, having tied the Championships record of 52.67 seconds in the semi-finals. On day seven, she secured her fourth gold medal in the 50 metre butterfly, finishing in 25.16 seconds.

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Sjöström won five medals, the most for a woman in individual events at that year's World Championships. She won gold in the 50 metre butterfly with a time of 25.02 seconds, marking her third consecutive gold in that event at the World Championships. She secured a silver medal in the 100 metre butterfly (56.22 seconds) and another silver in the 50 metre freestyle (24.07 seconds), just 0.02 seconds behind Simone Manuel. Sjöström earned two bronze medals: one in the 200 metre freestyle (1:54.78) and another in the 100 metre freestyle (52.46 seconds). For her outstanding performance, she was named FINA female swimmer of the meet, an award she also received in 2017.

In the fall of 2019, Sjöström was a co-captain of the Energy Standard Swim Club in the inaugural International Swimming League. The team won the overall title in the season finale in Las Vegas, United States. Sjöström was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the first regular season stop in Indianapolis, and later the overall MVP for the entire season with 243.5 points. During the season, she won the 50 metre freestyle in three matches, the 100 metre freestyle in two matches, the 50 metre butterfly in three matches, and the 100 metre butterfly in one match. She also won the 50 metre freestyle skins event in three matches.

3.6. 2020-2021

This period was characterized by a significant injury and a remarkable comeback, demonstrating Sjöström's resilience.

In the 2020 International Swimming League season, Sjöström placed fifth overall in points. This was partly due to a back injury that forced her to sit out a full match. She ranked second to Caeleb Dressel in points-per-match (59.4) and recorded 16 individual wins, including three in the skins events. Although not official world records, Sjöström also featured in Energy Standard's fastest-ever women's and mixed 4×100 freestyle relays.

Due to a broken elbow sustained from a fall on ice in February 2020, Sjöström did not compete at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships. She resumed pool training in March 2021 and returned to competitive swimming in early June, ahead of the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. At the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sjöström demonstrated incredible persistence by winning a silver medal in the 50 metre freestyle. Her comeback earned her the "Olympic Resilience Award" for the 2020 Summer Olympics from Swimming World. In her other events, she placed fifth in the 100 metre freestyle, fifth in the 4×100 metre medley relay, sixth in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, and seventh in the 100 metre butterfly.

At the 2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships held in Kazan, Russia, in November, Sjöström competed in nine events. She secured four gold medals in the 50 metre freestyle, 100 metre freestyle, 50 metre butterfly, and 100 metre butterfly. She also earned a silver medal in the 4×50 metre medley relay and a bronze medal in the 100 metre individual medley. Additionally, she placed fourth in the 4×50 metre mixed medley relay and the 4×50 metre mixed freestyle relay, and fifth in the 4×50 metre freestyle relay.

In the 2021 International Swimming League, Sjöström made history by becoming the first swimmer, male or female, to accumulate over 1000 Most Valuable Player (MVP) points throughout their time in the league, outscoring the second-ranked Caeleb Dressel by over 50 points. She earned MVP honors for both the entire 2021 season and the 2021 final match. For the 2021 season, Sjöström was the top-earning athlete, winning 269.13 K USD in prize money, more than 70.00 K USD more than the next-highest earner, Siobhán Haughey.

At the 2021 World Short Course Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sjöström competed in the 50 metre freestyle, 100 metre freestyle, and 50 metre butterfly individual events. She contributed to a bronze medal in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, marking her first medal in this event at a world or European short course championship. In the 4×50 metre medley relay final, Sjöström swam the butterfly leg in 23.96 seconds, helping Sweden win gold and tie the world and Championships record at 1:42.38. Individually, she won a silver medal in the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 51.31 seconds, and another silver in the 50 metre butterfly with 24.51 seconds. On the final day, she led off the 4×50 metre freestyle relay with 23.33 seconds, helping set a new Swedish record of 1:34.54 and win a silver medal. Later, in the 50 metre freestyle final, Sjöström claimed gold, setting a new Championships record of 23.08 seconds. Her final event saw her split 54.65 seconds for the butterfly leg of the 4×100 metre medley relay, securing a gold medal and a new European record time of 3:46.20.

By the end of 2021, Sjöström was the only swimmer to rank in the top ten internationally in two or more individual long course metre events for eleven or more consecutive years, including 2021. She ranked in the top ten in the 100 metre freestyle for 12 years and the 50 metre butterfly and 100 metre butterfly for 13 years. She was tied with Katie Ledecky for second in total individual world records set in the 21st century, each with 14.

3.7. 2022

In 2022, Sjöström continued to collect medals and break records for the most total medals at European championships.

In January 2022, Sjöström was pre-nominated as a member of Team Sweden for the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. In June, at the World Championships, she won a silver medal in the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 52.80 seconds. This marked her seventeenth individual medal and eighteenth total medal at the FINA World Aquatics Championships. The following day, she won a gold medal in the 50 metre butterfly with a time of 24.95 seconds, her fourth consecutive gold in this event at the World Aquatics Championships. On the final day of competition, she secured another gold medal in the 50 metre freestyle with a time of 23.98 seconds. This was her tenth individual gold medal at FINA World Aquatics Championships, making her the fifth swimmer from any country (after Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Sun Yang, and Ryan Lochte) and the first European swimmer to achieve this feat. In her final event, she swam the freestyle leg of the 4×100 metre medley relay, helping Team Sweden finish fourth.

Sjöström was part of the Swedish roster for the 2022 European Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy, in August. On the second day, she qualified first for the semi-finals of the 50 metre butterfly with 25.30 seconds, improving to 25.10 seconds in the semi-finals. The next day, she won gold with a time of 24.96 seconds, marking the fourteenth time she had swum the race faster than 25.00 seconds. Later in the session, she won a silver medal in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, swimming the lead-off leg in 53.12 seconds.

On day five, Sjöström qualified first for the semi-finals of the 50 metre freestyle with 24.50 seconds. She also helped the 4×100 metre mixed freestyle relay qualify for the final, splitting 54.28 seconds. In the semi-finals of the 50 metre freestyle, she clocked 24.27 seconds, qualifying first for the final. She concluded the day with a bronze medal in the 4×100 metre mixed freestyle relay, contributing a 52.68 second split to a new Swedish record of 3:23.40. This bronze medal was her 26th at the LEN European Aquatics Championships, setting a new record for the most medals won by a female swimmer. She further extended this record to 27 medals the next day by winning gold in the 50 metre freestyle with 23.91 seconds, surpassing male swimmer Alexander Popov's record of 26 medals to set a new overall record for any swimmer.

On the seventh and final morning, Sjöström swam the freestyle leg of the 4×100 metre medley relay in 54.01 seconds, helping Sweden qualify first for the final. In the final, she lowered her split time to 52.04 seconds, contributing to a gold medal win in 3:55.25. This marked her 17th gold medal at LEN Aquatics Championships and extended her all-time total medal record to 28 medals.

At the end of 2022, Sjöström was the unanimous choice as the European Female Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.

3.8. 2023

In April 2023, at the Stockholm Swim Open, Sjöström won the long course 50 metre freestyle with a time of 23.92 seconds, the fastest in the world for a female swimmer at that point in the year, and a qualifying time for the World Aquatics Championships.

At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Sjöström won the long course 50 metre freestyle, breaking her own world record in the semi-final. This achievement set a new record for the longest period between world record-setting performances by an individual swimmer, 14 years and 3 days after first breaking the 100 metre butterfly world record in 2009. She also won the 50 metre butterfly for the fifth consecutive time at the World Aquatics Championships. These two medals enabled her to first tie and then overtake Michael Phelps' record for the most individual World Aquatics Championship medals, reaching 21 in her career. She also competed in Sweden's 400 metre freestyle and 400 metre medley relays; notably, her lead-off split of 52.24 seconds in the freestyle relay final would have earned her a silver medal in the 100 metre freestyle individual event.

3.9. 2024

The year 2024 further solidified Sjöström's legacy with additional gold medals at both World Championships and the Olympic Games.

At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Sjöström won gold in the long course 50 metre freestyle and the 50 metre butterfly. The latter marked her sixth consecutive win in the 50 metre butterfly event at the World Aquatics Championships. She also secured a silver medal as part of the 4×100 metre medley relay team.

Sjöström had initially planned to focus solely on the 50 metre freestyle at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, she later decided to compete in the 100 metre freestyle as it fit well into her schedule between the 4×100 metre freestyle relay and the 50 metre freestyle. She first competed in the heats and final of the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, where the Swedish team finished fifth, setting a new national record. On July 31, she won the gold medal in the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 52.16 seconds. Despite being the world record holder in the event, this was her first Olympic gold in this distance. On the final day of competition, August 4, she won another gold medal in the 50 metre freestyle with a time of 23.71 seconds. She concluded her Olympic Games with a seventh-place finish in the 4×100 metre medley relay alongside her Swedish teammates.

4.1. World Records

Sjöström has set world records in both long course (50m) and short course (25m) events throughout her career.

Long course (50 m)

Short course (25 m)

4.2. Personal Bests

Sjöström's fastest personal times in various individual swimming events across both long course (50m) and short course (25m) pools are listed below.

Long course (50 m)

Short course (25 m)

The following table summarizes Sjöström's medals from Swimming World Cup circuits: