Sarah Sjöström was completely dominant in the qualifying heat at Swim Open in Stockholm, advancing to the final in the 50m freestyle as the fastest competitor in her comeback. She finished second in the final, two hundredths of a second behind Siobhan Haughey, improving her time from 24.62 to 24.32. Sjöström has a good margin to the European Championship qualifying standard of 25.50, and she was three tenths ahead of Haughey in the qualifying heat.
The competition was interrupted by activists who jumped into the water with banners just before the 50m freestyle final. The identity of the activists and their specific demands remain unknown, as do the security measures and response to the disruption.
Other Swedish swimmers delivered notable performances during the event. Eighteen-year-old Ludvig Bartolek from Helsingborg set a new Swedish junior record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 53.72 during the qualifying session. He lowered his personal best in the 200m freestyle to 1:48.95 during qualifying, advancing to the final with the sixth fastest time. Robin Hanson finished third in the 200m freestyle final. Johannes Liebmann won the 1500m freestyle final with a time of 14:39.67, the fastest time in the world this year, while Victor Johansson finished fourth in 15:16.52.
Additional highlights included Louise Hansson and Sara Junevik tying for first place in the 50m butterfly on Thursday evening with a time of 25.99. Swim Open marked the first competition for both Hansson and Junevik since returning to Sweden. Malla Hämäläinen set a new Finnish record in the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:48.18 at Swim Open Stockholm.
The tenth edition of Swim Open took place at Eriksdalsbadet in Stockholm, beginning on Thursday and ending on Sunday. Over 800 participants left Stockholm after the competition concluded.
A European record was set on the last day of competition, though the specific record and athlete responsible have not been confirmed.
Outside Sweden, significant achievements occurred at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships in London. William Ellard set a new world record time of 50.41 seconds in the S14 mixed class 100m freestyle final. He qualified for the European Championships in Paris this summer. Angharad Evans broke the British 200m breaststroke record with a time of 2:19.70 at the same championships.