By Philip O’Connor
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom will take part in the 100m freestyle competition at the Paris Olympics thanks to a favourable schedule that will give the 30-year-old some extra rest before her preferred 50m freestyle event.
Speaking on Saturday at the Swedish team’s hotel in Eskilstuna, about 110 km (70 miles) outside Stockholm, Sjostrom told Reuters that she would make the most of the scheduling by taking on the extra event.
“I didn’t know there was two days’ rest after the 100m free final and before the 50 free started, so that obviously made me think about the decision I took before to only swim the 50,” Sjostrom said.
“But since I have two days recovery between those events, it really opened up the opportunity to do both.”
A four-time world champion in the 50m distance, Sjostrom originally said she had no interest in the 100m event. But she said she had been questioning her decision to focus solely on the shorter race in Paris.
“I’ve been training for 50 for a few years and also I did the (100m) in the Rome Sette Colli competition in the end of June and I did much better than I thought I would, so that’s also one of the reasons I guess why I decided to enter the 100 free,” she explained.
Sjostrom is one of swimming’s most decorated competitors with one gold, two silver and one bronze at the Olympics, but her gold medal came in the butterfly at the Rio Games, and she has yet to win Olympic gold in freestyle.
Getting set for her fifth Olympics, Sjostrom said she would not underestimate the competition as she sets her sights on another Olympic medal in Paris, where the Games run from July 26 to Aug. 11.
“I’m just gonna try to do what I can and then we’ll see how far that will get me, but of course I hope I will be one of those smiley faces on the podium.”
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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