Sarah Sjostrom makes 100m fly return but says she is not "convinced" about Tokyo Olympics 

Sarah Sjostrom made a fantastic return to Women's 100-meter fly. Taking part in the 58th Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, the Swedish powerhouse clinched gold in Women's 100m fly with a timing of 57.65 seconds.

Sarah came up trumps in a tight race as Italian swimmers Elena Di Liddo and Ilaria Bianchi bagged silver and bronze, respectively. Close on Sarah's heels, Liddo clocked 57.93 seconds for silver while Bianchi got Bronze for completing the race in 57.95 seconds.

Return to butterfly with two golds

Earlier on Friday, Sarah Sjostrom won Women’s 50m fly at Sette Colli Trophy with a timing of 25.42 seconds. She followed it up brilliantly with another gold in the 100m fly the next day.

Speaking to SwimSwam after her race, Sarah said:

"I am working on my freestyle a little bit more than my fly so maybe my butterfly needs more time before I can feel stronger in the 2nd fifty. But actually my time on the second fifty is the best I have done in a long time on the way back... so feels good!"

Speaking on her decision to go for the fly event in Tokyo, Sarah said:

"I'm definitely not convinced on the fly after that race. I felt... I don't know... perhaps a little exhausted. But there were a lot of details I could have done better in on the fly."

Sarah Sjostrom's two golds at the Sette Colli Trophy bode well in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly gold medallist was pleased with her efforts. However, as shared in the interview, she is still not entirely convinced of taking part in 100m fly in Tokyo Olympics 2020. She split her 100m fly race (26.6/31.0).

Sarah had suffered an elbow injury in February 2021. The Swede broke her elbow after slipping on ice and required a surgery.

Finally, after almost a four-month hiatus that included recovery and rehabilitation, Sarah Sjostrom made a comeback in early June 2021 by participating in freestyle events at the 2021 Mare Nostrum Series.

She decided to skip the butterfly events in her comeback meet. As Sjostrom had lost four centimeters of muscle mass in her right arm, making a return to butterfly was painstaking.

In butterfly, there is a little imbalance caused if one arm is weaker than the other. Sarah has been vocal about the fact that her return to freestyle has been easier compared to butterfly.

100m fly event in Tokyo Olympics on the cards for Sarah?

Sarah, who is the world record holder in the 100-meter fly, has an important decision to make. She has to consider that she is still on the mend. Sarah won gold in the 100 m event in the Rio Olympics and will be hoping to make her country proud again in Tokyo.

For now, the only thing certain is that Sarah Sjostrom will certainly be competing in freestyle events in Tokyo. The triumphant return in Rome could get her thinking for 100m fly as well.