Sarah Sjöström from Sweden won the 50-meter freestyle on Sunday night during her fifth Olympics, adding this victory to the 100-meter freestyle gold she secured earlier in the Paris Games.
Sjöström finished in 23.71 seconds, close to her own world record of 23.61 set at the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Having first competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she was just 14, Sjöström is not considering retirement and might return for the Los Angeles Olympics in four years.
“This has been an amazing Games,” Sjöström said. “This is definitely my best Olympics. I never thought I’d win two gold medals in my fifth Olympics.”
In a race often decided by tiny margins, Sjöström dominated from the start and was clearly in control halfway through the race.
Meg Harris from Australia won the silver with a time of 23.97 seconds, and China’s Zhang Yufei took bronze with a time of 24.20 seconds. Zhang, who is involved in a Chinese doping scandal, won her fourth bronze medal of the Games, along with one silver.
Gretchen Walsh of the United States narrowly missed her fourth medal of the Games, finishing fourth with a time of 24.21 seconds.
Sjöström, who turns 31 later this month, began her Olympic career at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has been a top female sprinter in swimming for nearly a decade. She has not mentioned retirement and could aim for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“I’m definitely going to continue swimming for many years,” she said. “But I’m not thinking about retiring. But how much better could I do.”
Sjöström leaves Paris with two gold medals, adding to her collection from previous Games: one gold, two silver medals, and one bronze from Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
She holds the world record in the 50 free (23.61) and 100 free (51.71) and previously held the 100 fly record until it was broken by American Gretchen Walsh just under two months ago.
