Sarah Sjöström finished second in the 50m freestyle at Swim Open in Stockholm with the second-fastest time in the world this year. The final was disrupted by two climate activists who jumped into the pool with banners just before the start. The swimming star, returning after a 607-day break and motherhood, clocked 24.36 in the final.
Sarah Sjöström, 32, made her comeback at Swim Open at Eriksdalsbadet in Stockholm after a 607-day competition hiatus. It was her first race since her Paris Olympic success and seven months after giving birth to son Adrian. In front of packed stands, she was fastest in the prelims with 24.62. In the 50m freestyle final, she improved to 24.36 and placed second, two hundredths behind Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, who set the year's fastest global time.
Just before the final start, two climate activists jumped into the pool holding banners, briefly halting the event. Sjöström's coach Antonio Lutula and an usher pulled them out, and the activists quickly left the venue. "I've never experienced anything like this," Sjöström said. Competition chief Dennis Fredriksson called it "deplorable, so disrespectful" and noted such incidents had never occurred in Swim Open's ten-year history.
Despite the disruption, Sjöström was pleased. "It feels really exciting," she said, noting she gave birth 2.5 km away seven months ago. Her time was 75 hundredths off her world record of 23.61 from the 2023 Worlds. She aims for the European Championships in Paris in August, including 50m butterfly, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "No stress," she stated.
