Sjöström wins European gold in comeback after childbirth

Sarah Sjöström has once again claimed European Championship gold, triumphing in the 50-meter butterfly in her first major competition since becoming a mother. The victory, achieved in Paris, marks her 18th European long-course gold medal and her 97th championship medal in total. Sjöström, who gave birth to her son Adrian two years ago, expressed her delight, stating it was not something she took for granted when she began her season.

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It's great fun. It was nothing I took for granted when I started the season.

"It's great fun. It was nothing I took for granted when I started the season," Sjöström said. She added that she returned to a good level without specific goals, simply training because she enjoys it. Sjöström, 32, was the fastest in the heats, semifinals, and final, winning by a narrow seven-hundredths of a second.

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It was no stress to come back, but I came back to a good level, so it's great fun.

Her winning time was 25.05 seconds. Sweden's Sara Junevik also performed well, taking the bronze medal with a time of 25.51 seconds, just 0.46 seconds behind Sjöström. "It's so damn fun," Junevik told SVT. Sjöström's gold medal ties her with former German swimmer Franziska van Almsick for the most European long-course gold medals. In terms of total medals, Sjöström is already the most decorated female swimmer in European Championship history.

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I haven't had any special goals, I've just trained because I think it's fun, and then it went well.