Sarah Sjöström swam five individual disciplines when the World Championships in long distance were decided in 2019.

But with two championships within six weeks, the World Cup in Budapest and the European Championships in Rome, Sjöström is reducing his championship program.

- I will still swim more disciplines than most at a World Cup, it is extremely tough to run so many disciplines.

Already four years ago, I felt that I wanted to reduce the number of branches to be able to continue swimming longer, says Sjöström, who after the victory in the 100 meter butterfly on Sunday said that she was sorry for the 100 meter butterfly.

The star opted out of her former special distance - where she won four World Cup gold medals in long distance - already at the short track World Championships in Abu Dhabi in December and has in recent years prioritized freestyle instead of the branch where she broke through as a 14-year-old when she took a surprising European Championship gold and then won Olympic gold in 2016.

Tougher competition

Sjöström was for a long time superior in the distance, but has had a lot of competition and was seventh in the Olympics last year, then mainly due to the elbow injury.

But Sjöström is now the strongest and fastest in the 50-meter distances.

New national team captain Martina Aronsson thinks that Sjöström will make the right choice this summer when the WC and EC are decided just over six weeks apart.

- I think that with the number of championships she has done and will do, it is smart to find the best plan.

There are two championships this summer, it gives a better opportunity to swim what she wants to swim, says Aronsson.

TT: How do you see her removing a good opportunity for a medal?

- She has so many other medal chances in 50 meters freestyle and 50 meters butterfly and also 100 meters freestyle so I think smartness is the best plan, she says.

"Sharpen the details"

Sjöström finished the Swim Open in Eriksdalsbadet in Stockholm by winning 100 meters freestyle.

She won in 53.15, just under 1.5 seconds above her world record, and thus the long freestyle distance became the only branch where she did not set the world year best in Stockholm.

Australian Shayna Jack has swum two hundredths faster.

- I'm in good shape, but I see in the films that the technology is not one hundred percent in freestyle and that makes quite big time differences.

So I have to hone the details until the WC, says Sjöström who won by 1.27 seconds ahead of Signe Bro, Denmark.

Sophie Hansson won the 100 meter breaststroke by almost eight tenths before the runner-up, comebacking Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania, Olympic gold medalist 2012.

The time of 1.06.72 was just over a second above her own Swedish record.

- I feel strong and could hold the race together, but after the feeling yesterday (at double the distance) I thought it would go even faster, says Hansson.

The World Cup in Budapest starts on June 18.

CLIP: Sjöström won in Swim Open:

Javascript is disabled

Javascript must be turned on to play video

Read more about browser support

The browser is not supported

SVT does not support playback in your browser.

We therefore recommend that you switch to a different browser.

Read more about browser support

Sarah Sjöström.

Photo: Bildbyrån