Sarah Sjöström facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sarah Sjöström

Sjöström in Haninge, Sweden, in August 2013
Personal information
Born	(1993-08-17) 17 August 1993 (age 31) Salem, Sweden
Height	1.82 m
Weight	76 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly, freestyle, backstroke
Club	Energy Standard, Södertörns SS
Coach	Johan Wallberg
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  Sweden Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 2 1 World Championships (LC) 14 8 3 World Championships (SC) 6 4 1 European Championships (LC) 17 7 4 European Championships (SC) 12 13 1 Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly Gold 2024 Paris 50 m freestyle Gold 2024 Paris 100 m freestyle Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m freestyle Silver 2020 Tokyo 50 m freestyle Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2009 Rome 100 m butterfly Gold 2013 Barcelona 100 m butterfly Gold 2015 Kazan 50 m butterfly Gold 2015 Kazan 100 m butterfly Gold 2017 Budapest 50 m freestyle Gold 2017 Budapest 50 m butterfly Gold 2017 Budapest 100 m butterfly Gold 2019 Gwangju 50 m butterfly Gold 2022 Budapest 50 m freestyle Gold 2022 Budapest 50 m butterfly Gold 2023 Fukuoka 50 m freestyle Gold 2023 Fukuoka 50 m butterfly Gold 2024 Doha 50 m freestyle Gold 2024 Doha 50 m butterfly Silver 2013 Barcelona 100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Kazan 100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Kazan 4×100 m medley Silver 2017 Budapest 100 m freestyle Silver 2019 Gwangju 50 m freestyle Silver 2019 Gwangju 100 m butterfly Silver 2022 Budapest 100 m freestyle Silver 2024 Doha 4×100 m medley Bronze 2015 Kazan 50 m freestyle Bronze 2019 Gwangju 100 m freestyle Bronze 2019 Gwangju 200 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2014 Doha 200 m freestyle Gold 2014 Doha 50 m butterfly Gold 2014 Doha 100 m butterfly Gold 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×50 m medley Gold 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×100 m medley Gold 2021 Abu Dhabi 50 m freestyle Silver 2014 Doha 100 m freestyle Silver 2021 Abu Dhabi 100 m freestyle Silver 2021 Abu Dhabi 50 m butterfly Silver 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×50 m freestyle Bronze 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×100 m freestyle European Championships (LC) Gold 2008 Eindhoven 100 m butterfly Gold 2010 Budapest 100 m butterfly Gold 2012 Debrecen 100 m freestyle Gold 2012 Debrecen 50 m butterfly Gold 2014 Berlin 100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Berlin 50 m butterfly Gold 2014 Berlin 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2016 London 100 m freestyle Gold 2016 London 50 m butterfly Gold 2016 London 100 m butterfly Gold 2018 Glasgow 50 m freestyle Gold 2018 Glasgow 100 m freestyle Gold 2018 Glasgow 50 m butterfly Gold 2018 Glasgow 100 m butterfly Gold 2022 Rome 50 m butterfly Gold 2022 Rome 50 m freestyle Gold 2022 Rome 4×100 m medley Silver 2010 Budapest 4×100 m medley Silver 2012 Debrecen 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2014 Berlin 50 m freestyle Silver 2014 Berlin 100 m butterfly Silver 2014 Berlin 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2014 Berlin 4×100 m medley Silver 2022 Rome 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2008 Eindhoven 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2016 London 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2022 Rome 4×100 m mixed freestyle European Championships (SC) Gold 2013 Herning 50 m butterfly Gold 2013 Herning 100 m butterfly Gold 2015 Netanya 100 m freestyle Gold 2015 Netanya 50 m butterfly Gold 2015 Netanya 100 m butterfly Gold 2017 Copenhagen 100 m butterfly Gold 2017 Copenhagen 50 m freestyle Gold 2017 Copenhagen 4×50 m medley Gold 2021 Kazan 50 m freestyle Gold 2021 Kazan 100 m freestyle Gold 2021 Kazan 100 m butterfly Gold 2021 Kazan 50 m butterfly Silver 2008 Rijeka 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2009 Istanbul 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2009 Istanbul 4×50 m medley Silver 2013 Herning 50 m freestyle Silver 2013 Herning 100 m freestyle Silver 2013 Herning 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2013 Herning 4×50 m medley Silver 2015 Netanya 50 m freestyle Silver 2015 Netanya 4×50 m medley Silver 2017 Copenhagen 100 m freestyle Silver 2017 Copenhagen 100 m medley Silver 2017 Copenhagen 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2021 Kazan 4×50 m medley Bronze 2021 Kazan 100 m medley

Sarah Fredrika Sjöström (born August 17, 1993) is a Swedish competitive swimmer. She is amazing at sprint freestyle and butterfly races. Many people consider her one of the greatest swimmers ever!

As of 2024, Sarah has won 23 individual medals at major World Championships. This is more than any other swimmer in history! She is also the only female swimmer to win five individual medals at one FINA World Aquatics Championships, which she did in 2019. In 2021, Sarah became the first swimmer to earn over 1000 points in the International Swimming League. In 2022, she became the first swimmer from any country to win 28 medals at the LEN European Aquatics Championships. She has also won a huge 112 medals at Swimming World Cups.

Sarah Sjöström currently holds the world records in the 50 meter freestyle (long course), the 100 meter freestyle (long course), and the 50 meter butterfly (long course). She used to hold many other world records too! She is the first Swedish woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. She won the overall Swimming World Cup in 2017 and 2018. In 2022, she was the first swimmer from Europe to win 10 individual World Championships gold medals. She swims for Energy Standard in the International Swimming League.

Sarah has competed in five Olympic Games in a row, from Beijing 2008 to Paris 2024. She has won six Olympic medals: three gold, two silver, and one bronze.

Her Swimming Journey

Starting Out: 2008–2009

First European Win: 2008

On March 22, 2008, when Sarah was just 14 years old, she won a gold medal! This was in the 100 meter butterfly race at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships in the Netherlands. She set a new Swedish record. She also won a bronze medal in a relay race a few days earlier.

Olympic Debut: 2008

Sarah joined the Swedish Swim Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. She competed in the 100 meter butterfly and 100 meter backstroke. She didn't make it to the finals in these races. She also swam in a relay, but her team was disqualified in the final. This happened on her 15th birthday!

World Record Breaker: 2009

On July 26, 2009, at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Sarah set a new world record! She swam the 100 meter butterfly in 56.44 seconds. This broke a nine-year-old record. The very next day, she won the gold medal in the final and broke her own world record again, swimming in 56.06 seconds. She was only 15 years old!

Growing Stronger: 2010–2012

European Success: 2010

At the 2010 European Aquatics Championships in Hungary, Sarah won the 100 meter butterfly again. She also helped Sweden win a bronze medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. Her team also got a silver medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay.

World Championships: 2011

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in China, Sarah competed in five events. She finished fourth in the 100 meter butterfly and 200 meter freestyle. She also placed fourth in the 50 meter butterfly.

More European Golds: 2012

In 2012, Sarah had more success. At the 2012 European Aquatics Championships, she won two gold medals. One was in the 50 meter butterfly and the other in the 100 meter freestyle. She also helped her team win a silver medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay.

London Olympics: 2012

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Sarah reached the semi-finals in several races. She finished fourth in the 100 meter butterfly final. In this race, her world record was broken by another swimmer. But don't worry, she got it back later!

Dominating the Pool: 2013–2014

World Championships: 2013

On July 29, 2013, Sarah won another gold medal in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Spain. She was much faster than the other swimmers. A few days later, she won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle.

Short Course Championships: 2013

At the 2013 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Denmark, Sarah won four individual medals. She got two gold medals in butterfly races and two silver medals in freestyle races. She also won two silver medals in relay events.

Breaking Records Again: 2014

On July 5, 2014, Sarah broke the world record in the 50 meter butterfly! She swam it in an amazing 24.43 seconds. This was a huge improvement on the old record. Later that summer, at the 2014 European Aquatics Championships in Germany, she won three gold medals and four silver medals. She won gold in the 100 meter freestyle, 50 meter butterfly, and a relay.

Short Course World Championships: 2014

In December 2014, Sarah competed at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Qatar. She won four medals. She got a silver in the 100 meter freestyle. Then, she won gold in the 50 meter butterfly, setting a new Championships record. Two days later, she won gold in the 100 meter butterfly, setting a new world record. About an hour later, she won another gold medal and set a new world record in the 200 meter freestyle!

Olympic Gold and More: 2015–2016

World Championships: 2015

WR award in Kazan 2015

In 2015, Sarah won several awards, including the Jerring Prize. At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, she won five medals! She earned gold medals in the 50 meter butterfly and 100 meter butterfly. In the 100 meter butterfly, she broke the world record twice! She also won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle.

On the last day, Sarah won a bronze medal in the 50 meter freestyle and a silver medal in a relay. She won medals in all four of her individual races. This was the most medals any Swedish swimmer had ever won at a single World Championships.

Short Course European Championships: 2015

At the 2015 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Israel, Sarah won gold in the 50 meter butterfly. The next day, she won gold in the 100 meter freestyle. She also won gold in the 100 meter butterfly and a silver medal in the 50 meter freestyle. She helped her team win a silver medal in a relay too.

By the end of 2015, Sarah was named "Swimmer of the Year in Europe" by Swimming World magazine. She also received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal for her amazing achievements.

European Championships: 2016

In January 2016, Sarah won the Swedish public radio Jerring Award for the second year in a row. At the 2016 European Aquatics Championships in London, she won a bronze medal in a relay. She then won gold medals in the 50 meter butterfly, 100 meter freestyle, and 100 meter butterfly.

Rio Olympics: 2016

On August 7, 2016, Sarah Sjöström won the gold medal in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil! She set a new world record with a time of 55.48 seconds. This made her the first Swedish female swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal. She also won a silver medal in the 200 meter freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100 meter freestyle.

Continued Success: 2017–2019

In early 2017, Sarah won several races at the Luxembourg Euro Meet and Stockholm Swim Open. She set a new personal best and Swedish record in the 100 meter freestyle.

World Championships: 2017

At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Hungary, Sarah won her first medal in the 100 meter butterfly, taking gold and setting a new Championships record. She became the first woman to win four gold medals in this event at the World Championships. A day earlier, she set a new world record in the 100 meter freestyle during a relay race. On the sixth day, she won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle.

On the seventh day, Sarah won gold in the 50 meter butterfly, setting another Championships record. About an hour later, she broke the world record in the 50 meter freestyle in the semi-finals. On the final day, she won gold in the 50 meter freestyle.

Swimming World Cup: 2017

In the summer of 2017, Sarah broke six world records in less than a month! She became the swimmer holding the most current world records in international swimming.

Short Course European Championships: 2017

At the 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Denmark, Sarah won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle and another silver in the 100 meter individual medley. She also got a third silver in a relay. On the final day, she won three gold medals: in the 100 meter butterfly, 50 meter freestyle, and a relay.

European Championships: 2018

In August, at the 2018 European Aquatics Championships in Scotland, Sarah won four gold medals! She won the 100 meter butterfly, 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter freestyle, and 50 meter butterfly. She was truly dominant!

World Championships: 2019

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in South Korea, Sarah won five medals. This was the most individual medals for a woman at that year's championships. She won gold in the 50 meter butterfly for the third time in a row. She also won silver medals in the 100 meter butterfly and 50 meter freestyle. She earned bronze medals in the 200 meter freestyle and 100 meter freestyle. Because of her amazing performance, she was named FINA female swimmer of the meet.

International Swimming League: 2019

In 2019, Sarah was a co-captain for the Energy Standard Swim Club in the first International Swimming League season. Her team won the overall title. Sarah was named the overall Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the entire season. She won many races, including the 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter freestyle, 50 meter butterfly, and 100 meter butterfly.

Challenges and Triumphs: 2020–2021

International Swimming League: 2020

In the 2020 International Swimming League season, Sarah ranked fifth in points. She had 16 individual wins, even though she had a back injury for part of the season.

Tokyo Olympics: 2020 (held in 2021)

Sarah broke her elbow in February 2020, but she worked hard to recover. She returned to swimming in June, just before the Olympics. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Sarah won a silver medal in the 50 meter freestyle! Her amazing comeback earned her the "Olympic Resilience Award." She also placed fifth in the 100 meter freestyle and in two relays.

Short Course European Championships: 2021

At the 2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Russia, Sarah competed in nine events. She won four gold medals (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly), a silver medal in a relay, and a bronze medal in the 100 meter individual medley.

International Swimming League: 2021

In the 2021 International Swimming League, Sarah made history again! She became the first swimmer, male or female, to earn over 1000 points in the league. She won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the entire 2021 season and for the final match. She was also the top-earning athlete, winning over $269,000 in prize money.

Short Course World Championships: 2021

For the 2021 World Short Course Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, Sarah won several medals. She helped her team win a bronze medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. She also helped win a gold medal in the 4×50 meter medley relay, tying the world record. She won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle and another silver in the 50 meter butterfly. On the final day, she helped set a new Swedish record in a relay, winning silver. Then, she won gold in the 50 meter freestyle, setting a new Championships record! She finished the championships by helping her team win gold in the 4×100 meter medley relay, setting a new European record.

By the end of 2021, Sarah was one of the few swimmers to rank in the top ten internationally for many years in a row. She was also tied for second place in the number of individual world records set in the 21st century.

More Records and Medals: 2022

World Championships: 2022

In June 2022, Sarah competed at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Hungary. She won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle. This was her 17th individual medal at the World Championships! The next day, she won a gold medal in the 50 meter butterfly, her fourth gold in a row in that event at the World Championships. On the final day, she won another gold medal in the 50 meter freestyle. This was her tenth individual gold medal at the World Championships, making her the first European swimmer to achieve this!

European Championships: 2022

In August 2022, Sarah was part of the Swedish team at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships in Italy. She won gold in the 50 meter butterfly. She also won a silver medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay.

She then won a bronze medal in the 4×100 meter mixed freestyle relay, setting a new Swedish record. This bronze medal was her 26th medal at the European Championships, setting a new record for the most medals won by a female swimmer! She broke the overall record (male or female) the next day when she won gold in the 50 meter freestyle, bringing her total to 27 medals. On the final day, she won another gold medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay, extending her record to 28 medals!

Continuing to Shine: 2023

At the 2023 Stockholm Swim Open in April, Sarah won the 50 meter freestyle with the fastest time in the world for that year.

At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, Sarah won the 50 meter freestyle, breaking her own world record in the semi-final. This meant she held a world record for the longest time between her first and latest record-breaking swims (14 years and 3 days)! She also won the 50 meter butterfly for the fifth time in a row at the World Championships. These two medals helped her pass Michael Phelps for the most individual World Aquatics Championship medals in her career, reaching 21!

Recent Triumphs: 2024

World Championships: 2024

At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Sarah won gold in the 50 meter freestyle and the 50 meter butterfly. This was her sixth consecutive win in the 50 meter butterfly at the World Championships!

Paris Olympics: 2024

Sarah decided to focus on shorter races for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She planned to swim the 50 meter freestyle but also joined the 100 meter freestyle race. She first helped the Swedish team finish fifth in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, setting a new national record. Then, on July 31, she won the gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle! Even though she held the world record, she had never won gold in this race at a global event before. On the last day of the competition, she won another gold medal in the 50 meter freestyle. She finished her Olympic Games by helping her Swedish teammates to a seventh-place finish in the 4×100 meter medley relay.

World Records (Long Course - 50 m pool)

Legend: sf – semifinal; r – relay 1st leg

World Records (Short Course - 25 m pool)

Legend: = – tied pre-existing world record

International Championships (Long Course - 50 m pool)

Meet	50 free	100 free	200 free	100 back	50 fly	100 fly	4×100 free	4×200 free	4×100 medley	4×100 mixed free
EC 2008				23rd					4th	N/A
OG 2008				29th	N/A	27th			8th	N/A
WC 2009			19th		6th		5th	13th	11th	N/A
EC 2010		4th			4th			6th		N/A
WC 2011			4th		4th	4th		12th	10th	N/A
EC 2012										N/A
OG 2012	14th	9th	12th		N/A	4th	8th		10th	N/A
WC 2013	4th		4th				4th		9th	N/A
EC 2014
WC 2015							4th	4th
EC 2016								6th
OG 2016	13th				N/A		5th	5th	9th	N/A
WC 2017							5th		5th
EC 2018
WC 2019							6th		7th
OG 2020		5th			N/A	7th	6th		5th	N/A
WC 2022									4th
EC 2022
WC 2023							5th
WC 2024
OG 2024							5th		7th	N/A

Sjöström swam only in the heats.

Team Sweden was disqualified in the final.

International Championships (Short Course - 25 m pool)

Meet	50 free	100 free	200 free	50 fly	100 fly	200 fly	100 medley	4×50 free	4×100 free	4×200 free	4×50 medley	4×100 medley	4×50 mixed free	4×50 mixed medley
EC 2008		6th		7th	6th				N/A	N/A		N/A	N/A	N/A
EC 2009		9th (h)	4th	7th	8th				N/A	N/A		N/A	N/A	N/A
EC 2013									N/A	N/A		N/A
WC 2014						19th				7th		4th
EC 2015									N/A	N/A		N/A
EC 2017			DNS	9th					N/A	N/A		N/A
EC 2021								5th	N/A	N/A		N/A	4th	4th
WC 2021

Awards and Honors

Sarah Sjöström has won many awards for her amazing swimming. She won gold in the 100 meter freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also won gold in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, setting an Olympic and World record.

• 2014: The Swedish Jerring Award
• 2015: The Swedish Jerring Award (again!)
• 2015: Female European Swimmer of the Year, by Swimming World Magazine
• 2015: The Swedish Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
• 2015: The Victoria Award
• 2017: The Swedish Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal (again!)
• 2017: Female World and European Swimmer of the Year, by Swimming World Magazine
• 2017: Best Female Athlete from Europe, by Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC)
• 2017: Female European Swimmer of the Year, Swammy Award by SwimSwam
• 2018: Female European Swimmer of the Year, Swammy Award by SwimSwam
• 2019: MVP in International Swimming League
• 2021: Olympic Resilience Award, by Swimming World for the 2020 Olympic Games
• 2021: MVP in International Swimming League for the whole season
• 2021: MVP in International Swimming League for the final match
• 2021: Female European and International Swimming League Swimmer of the Year, by Swimming World Magazine
• 2021: Female European Swimmer of the Year, Swammy Award by SwimSwam
• 2021: Best Female Swimmer, by Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN)
• 2022: Female European Swimmer of the Year, by Swimming World Magazine

Personal Life

In January 2022, Sarah Sjöström announced that she was engaged to her boyfriend of ten years, Johan de Jong Skierus. He is a Swedish fencer.

Images for kids

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  Sjöström at the 2015 European Short Pool Championships

See also

In Spanish: Sarah Sjöström para niños

• World record progression 50 metres freestyle
• World record progression 100 metres freestyle
• World record progression 200 metres freestyle
• World record progression 50 metres butterfly
• World record progression 100 metres butterfly
• List of individual gold medalists in swimming at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships (women)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
• List of World Swimming Championships (25 m) medalists (women)