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“Definitely Not Convinced”: Sarah Sjostrom Shares Her Doubts About Heading into Tokyo Olympics 2021

Published 06/30/2021, 4:12 PM EDT

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Swimmers like Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Mark Spitz are some of the most incredible swimmers to grace the pool. In the meantime, Sarah Sjostrom is another swimmer who is regarded as one of the best in the world.

She currently holds world records in 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle (long course), 200-meter freestyle (short course), 50-meter butterfly (long course), and the 100-meter butterfly (long and short course).

After winning the gold in Rio 2016 for the 100-meter fly, Sarah looks to reclaim her medal, heading into Tokyo Olympics 2021. Surprisingly, she does not seem very confident as she charts a course to Japan.

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The swimmer spoke about the work that needed to be done before the event.

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Sarah Sjostrom to compete in Tokyo Olympics 2021

After competing in the 100-meter fly event, Sarah spoke about the troubles which faced her after the injury. This was the first time she competed after her freak accident in February.

Even though she had a good race, Sarah reflected on what she had to do to get better heading towards Tokyo. “I’m definitely not convinced to swim on the fly in that race. I felt I don’t know, absolutely exhausted.

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“There were a lot of details that I could have done better on the fly. I was like super deep on my first stroke after the start, so I just lost all the speed and then I tried to bail back,” said Sarah.

Despite finishing well, the 2016 gold medalist was not convinced. Sarah made a return to the butterfly event after competing back in 2019. Moreover, she spoke about the importance of her technique and building fitness heading to Tokyo.

It is clear to see that her focus is on the freestyle events this time around. The Swedish superstar will look to win her second gold medal in the Olympics, after achieving success at Rio. But, the onus is on her to achieve this feat, and etch her name into the history books.

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How good is Sjostrom?

The swimming events in Tokyo will start on July 24th, 2021. The freak injury of Sarah happened when she fell on ice while visiting her friend in Sweden. As the butterfly stroke needs more effort, Sarah focuses on the freestyle events, this time around.

It is noticeable to see the loss of muscle mass after her surgery. By gaining muscle mass steadily, Sarah looks more determined than ever. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist in Rio will look to repeat the same feat in Tokyo.

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Having won 16 medals in long course competitions, there are only a few swimmers that can match her legacy. The Swedish woman was the first-ever woman, in the nation’s history, to win Olympic gold in swimming. Quite an astounding feat.

As the Olympics draws closer to kickoff, swimming will be one of the most-watched sport during the games. With Katie Ledecky grabbing all the headlines, the fans predict Sarah Sjostrom to share the limelight as well. However, the injury to her elbow will be a cause of hindrance to her butterfly events in Tokyo.

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Written by:

Jacob Gijy

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Jacob Gijy is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Masters in Counselling Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the centre the respect he deserves.
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