The 29-year-old is in Stockholm and, unlike many competitors during the corona pandemic, can train as usual in the Eriksdalsbadet. But the season is going up in smoke. Still no one knows when the races can get started again.
- I still train, but I train a lot less than I would have if the Olympics had been this summer. Now I swim every morning, but for the rest of the day I do what I want. Sometimes it means another workout, but I can also do something completely different. Like playing video games, I bought a new one a while ago and it's a good way to spend time, says Sjöström to Expressen.
She had already received a hint in January that it would not be an Olympics, a warning from an unexpected direction.
Received OS info from mother-in-law- I wasn't surprised at all. My boyfriend's mother worked as an epidemiologist before she retired. So she had really prepared me for this, she actually mentioned it already in January that it was probably not going to be an Olympics this summer.
The money-laden bouncer International Swimming League, ISL, has redesigned the swimming map and raised the competition with the international swimming association, Fina, and also threatens the Olympics.
- Swimming is my job, and it is clear that I have to think financially as well. If ISL gets really big, it is possible that I prioritize it, says Sjöström, pointing out that the Olympics do not provide anything economical even if the market value is large.
- There is no prize money at any Olympics. That is what many may not understand, but it is zero kroner. If you win an Olympic gold, you get nothing from the IOC. And I think that many people misunderstand, says Sjöström to Expressen.