Talent only gets you so far. To make it big, you’ve gotta put in the hours and dedicate your every waking minute. Without dedication and sacrifice, athletes can seldom become stars on the Olympic Games’ grandest stage. Along with that, a supportive group of people to help you focus on the prize is a welcome addition to the mix. Coaches can make or break athletes, as the women’s 100m free world record holder Sarah Sjostrom can attest to.

Sweden’s Sjostrom would be a lifelong club member if the world’s greatest swimmers ever decided to set up a place to hang out among themselves. And yet, even she can sometimes use a kick to the engines. With her latest achievement in Paris just hours ago, Sjostrom can testify that having someone to have your back is a game-changer.

Sarah Sjostrom trounces towering challenge to grab victory by the scruff

The 14-time World Championships gold medalist added a second Olympic gold to her medal cupboard when she won the women’s 100m free at the 20204 Paris Olympics. With that, she also brought the Swedes their first gold in swimming, but it wasn’t an easy feat. In the Olympics live stream on NBC, Sarah talked about how she didn’t think winning the gold in the event didn’t seem like a likely thing to happen, especially with Sweden finishing fifth in the women’s 4x100m on July 28.

“After the relay, I was not sure if I could do it,” Sjostrom told the NBC reporter in the post-race interview. However, her cynicism was quickly dismissed. . “…my coach insisted. And also, I have been dreaming a few times that I would win…it’s almost like I’ve seen it somewhere before that I’m going to win the 100 freestyle,” said the swimming icon, while also confessing that skeptical thoughts still didn’t leave her mind.

“I’ve done many things in my career, but I never surprised myself as much as I did here,” smiled the Swede as she went on to note that winning the 100m as a 30-year-old was something even she had little faith in. In the relay race, Sjostrom finished her part in 52.53 seconds but reduced the time to an impressive 52.16 seconds in the individual 100m race. However, this isn’t nearly the time that she’s capable of dishing out.

A list of juggernauts tamed by the Swedish icon

In 2017, Sarah bagged the world record in the women’s 100m world record at the Budapest World Championships when she finished the race in 51.71 seconds. Six years down, and this still remains the benchmark for others to look up to as the time to beat. The 2020 “Olympic Resilience Award” honoree wasn’t close to her best time in the distance at the Paris La Defense Arena and yet managed to pick a victory over swimming heavyweights such as the USA’s Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh and New Zealand’s Mollie O’Callaghan. All of these stars have also found their places on the podium at the Paris Games in various events (Huske silver in the same event as Sjostrom, Walsh silver in 100m fly, and O’Callaghan gold in women’s 200m free).

Naturally, Sjostrom’s tenacity even so late into her career deserves applause, and that’s exactly what she’ll get. When she punched the water after glancing at the scoreboard at the end of her race from hours ago, Sjostrom’s emotions are felt, and her passion isn’t likely to go unnoticed. Keeping parity with her widespread popularity, Sarah has started the ball rolling in the swimming department for her country, and now it remains to be seen if her teammates can take notes from her achievement to haul more medals for themselves in the City of Love.

Are you a fan of Sarah Sjostrom too? Are you as jubilant about her victory as we are? Share your elation in the comments!