Sjöström faces tough challenge from Walsh in return to butterfly

Sarah Sjöström is preparing for a challenging return to butterfly swimming, facing strong competition from American star Gretchen Walsh in her first races since giving birth. Walsh is set to compete in the Sette Colli meet in Rome at the end of June, a classic event where Sjöström will also participate.

"This time I know I will be a good distance from her," Sjöström said, acknowledging Walsh's current advantage. "But somewhere you have to start, and I think that with every race I do before the Olympics (2028 in Los Angeles), I will hopefully get closer to her. It's in LA that I hope we can fight for the top spots."

Sjöström, a six-time world champion and world record holder in the 50m butterfly, added with a laugh, "Previously, it has been the same way, but in reverse. Then she was approaching me. Now I have to chase, which will be fun." The two last met at the Paris Olympics in the 50m freestyle, where Sjöström won gold and Walsh placed fourth. Sjöström described Walsh as "down-to-earth and a nice girl."

After a successful comeback in the 50m freestyle, where she posted a time of 24.36 seconds, currently fifth in the world rankings, Sjöström is ready to add butterfly to her competition schedule. She explained that focusing solely on freestyle initially was due to her training regimen. Adding butterfly, which requires more core strength, needed additional recovery time for her body post-pregnancy. She is now training butterfly consistently and believes it will benefit her freestyle performance. Sjöström feels her strength returning but emphasizes the need for more race experience. The Rome meet is her final competition before the European Championships in Paris in August, where she must officially qualify in the 50m butterfly.