Returning Sarah Sjostrom Central to 50 Free Championship and Record Chase
A fractured wrist nearly derailed her campaign for the Tokyo Olympics, but Sarah Sjostrom pulled off a stunning return to win silver in the event. Since then, she has been utterly dominant in the one-lap freestyle race, winning three consecutive world titles from 2022 through 2024 and Olympic gold in Paris by 0.26, a substantial margin in a race so short. Sjostrom owns the world record in the event at 23.61, set at the 2023 World Championships.
Sjostrom was absent from competition in 2025 as she prepared to give birth to her first child, but she has since returned to the pool. She could be in the mix for more international medals as soon as the European Championships this summer. The 32-year-old Swede is one of the most decorated swimmers in history, having first won a European title as a 14-year-old in 2008 and a world title one year later. In this latter phase of her career, Sjostrom is expected to focus on 50-meter races, potentially putting her on a double collision course with American Gretchen Walsh.
With Sjostrom forgoing the chance at a seventh consecutive 50 butterfly title last year, Walsh took advantage and grabbed gold, becoming only the second swimmer in history to swim under 25 in the event. In the 50 free, Walsh was the fastest swimmer in the world in 2025 with her time of 23.91 from U.S. Nationals. Just behind was Torri Huske, who clocked 23.98, and the Americans advanced to the World Championships as medal favorites.
However, that’s not what played out as Walsh and Huske both struggled with effects of the gastrointestinal illness that affected most American swimmers in Singapore. Both qualified for the final, but they faded to fourth and sixth, respectively, while finishing well off their best times. Instead, Australia’s Meg Harris won gold in 24.02 while Chinese sprinters Wu Qingfeng and Cheng Yujie also made the podium. The win marked a step forward for Harris after she won silver behind Sjostrom in Paris.
A pair of times in the 24.2-range were sufficient for World Championships last year, but it could take a sub-24 to even win a medal by the time the world assembles again in July 2027 at the Budapest World Championships. There have been 18 women in history to swim under 24 seconds: in addition to Sjostrom, Walsh, Harris and Huske, the active competitors in that group include Americans Kate Douglass and Simone Manuel, Poland’s Kasia Wasick and Australia’s Shayna Jack.
The Americans, of course, will be limited to two spots at major international competitions. Manuel has not come close to her best time since 2019, but Douglass went 23.91 in 2024, a time that remains tied with Walsh as the American record. The 33-year-old Wasick, meanwhile, has won five World Championship medals in the event. between long course and short course, and over the winter, she won the European short course title in the 50 free. Finally, Jack had an off year in 2025 but could return to contention in 2026.
There are not many other contenders to get into that exclusive club. In 2025, Wu swam as fast as 24.18 with Cheng having a best of 24.23. Dutch swimmer Milou Van Wijk swam a time of 24.23. Italy’s Sara Curtis was a World Championships finalist in 2025, going as fast as 24.41, and she has improved her best time to 24.29 after a strong first season at the University of Virginia.
But entering 2026, there are four central players in the event. Harris, Walsh and Huske made their statements in 2025 as Sjostrom prioritized her family, and now Sjostrom will chase them as she plots a return to the top.
