Sweden's Stefan Nystrand on Sprinting, Straight Arm Freestyle, and Making a Comeback

Sweden’s Stefan Nystrand on Sprinting, Straight Arm Freestyle, and Making a Comeback

The #sprintrevolution continues with Sweden’s fastest ever swimmer, Stefan Nystrand!

Stefan Nystrand is a former current Swedish competitive swimmer who specializes in sprint freestyle. A lengthy career spanning over a decade, Stefan gained recognition in the swimming world for his exceptional speed using the straight arm freestyle technique.

He swam in 4x Olympics (2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012). In Athens, he placed 4th in the 50 Freestyle. In 2007, he became the 2nd person to break 48 in the 100 Freestyle.

He was also a short course menace, breaking the 50 Free (20.93) & 100 Free World Records at the 2007 Paris Open. He became the first man to break 46, going 45.83.

He was in both heats of Cesar Cielo’s 50 and 100 LCM World Records in 2009 Rome, posting best times of 21.45 and 47.37.

In 1998, about to quit, his longtime coach, Anne Forsell, decided to make swim practice fun for Stefan. They went against the grain in terms of training - doing less than 20,000 meters per week, focusing on sprinting, and plenty of power racks.

At 42 years old, he is back in the pool sprinting away. Here he is last week going sub 22 from the blocks SCM!

Enjoy!

Listen on Apple Podcasts here.

Watch on YouTube here.

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Welcome Stefan Nystrand!
01:17 - Witnessing the Evolution of Racing Suits
03:20 - Getting Into Swimming
06:48 - Going Against the Grain
09:47 - Mastering Freestyle
15:38 - The Details Matter the Most
20:43 - The Suit Era
27:42 - A Comeback at 42
32:50 - The State of Swedish Swimming
34:16 - Being Free of Thought When Racing & Longevity

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