Therese Alshammar
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Malin Therese Alshammar (born 26 August 1977) is a Swedish
swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
who has won three Olympic medals, 25 World Championship medals, and 43 European Championship medals. She is a specialist in short distances races in freestyle and
butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
. She is coached by former Swedish swimmer Johan Wallberg. She is the first female swimmer and the third overall (after
Lars Frölander Lars Arne Frölander (born 26 May 1974) is a Sweden, Swedish swimming (sport), swimmer. He has competed in six consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012). Biography Frölander was born in Boden, Sweden, Boden. He grew up i ...
and Derya Büyükuncu) to participate in six Olympic Games.


Biography

Alshammar was born in Solna in 1977, daughter of 7th placed Olympic breaststroke swimmer Britt-Marie Smedh and Krister Alshammar. She started swimming on the team of Sundbybergs IK. At the beginning of her career she was a backstroke swimmer and in 1991, the year Alshammar turned 14, she won her first national short course title in the 50 m backstroke at the 1991 Swedish Short Course Swimming Championships. The year after, when she was 14 years old, she won her first national long course senior title, 100 m backstroke at the 1992 Swedish Swimming Championships representing Järfälla SS. Alshammar was a part of the Swedish team at the 1993 European Championships in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
, finishing fourth in the 100 m backstroke final, and in the inaugural World Short Course Championships in
Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...
. In Palma de Mallorca she placed ninth in the individual 100 m backstroke, swum the prelims in the silver medal winning 4×100 m freestyle team and came fourth in the 4×100 m medley alongside breaststroker Hanna Jaltner, butterfly swimmer Ellenor Svensson and Linda Olofsson on the freestyle leg. She first appeared on the international scene after the
1994 World Aquatics Championships The 1994 FINA World Aquatics Championships were held in Rome, Italy between September 1 and September 11, 1994. Medal table Results Diving ;Men ;Women Open water swimming ;Men ;Women Swimming ;Men ;Women Synchronized swimmi ...
where she made the semifinals in the 100 m
backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...
. In the
1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, she participated in this event and reached the semifinals. In 1997, Alshammar moved to the United States and
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...
to study at the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...
and swim for the Nebraska Cornhuskers swimming and diving team together with Destiny Laurén under the coach Cal Bentz. The time in the United States resulted in one individual 1999 Big 12 Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championships gold medal, on the 100 yard freestyle. At the NCAA Division 1 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, she won a silver medal in the 4×200 yard relay team 1998 and fourth in 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard freestyle 1999. Under her first year she was a part of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Big 12 Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championships team. At a personal level she studied advertising. Alshammar also trained at
The Race Club The Race Club is a swimming club known for training Olympic Games swimmers with its swimming training program that is focused on specific swimming techniques, located in Islamorada, Florida. History The Race Club was founded in 2003 by Gary ...
, a swimming club founded by Olympic Swimmers Gary Hall Jr. and his father, Gary Hall Sr. The Race Club, originally known as "The World Team," was designed to serve as a training group for elite swimmers across the world in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. To be able to train with the Race Club, one must either have been ranked in the top 20 in the world the past 3 calendar years or top 3 in their nation in the past year. The Race Club included well-known swimmers as
Roland Mark Schoeman Roland Mark Schoeman OIS (born 4 July 1980) is a South African and American former swimmer was a world record holder in multiple events, and was a member of the South African swimming team at the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. He ...
, Mark Foster,
Ryk Neethling Ryk Neethling OIS (born 17 November 1977) is a South African businessman who rose to prominence as a three-time World Aquatic Champion and four-time World Record breaking Olympic swimming champion, participating in four Olympics for South Af ...
,
Ricky Busquet Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Říčky, a village and part of Orlické Podhůří in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Ri ...
. Alshammar won her first international medal, a bronze in the 50 m freestyle, at the 1997 European Championships. She developed this stroke into her speciality and won the silver at the 1999 European Championships. She broke through to the top ranks at the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
in Sydney where she won silver medals in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, both times vanquished by
Inge de Bruijn Inge de Bruijn (; born 24 August 1973) is a Dutch former competitive swimmer. She is a four-time Olympic champion and a former world record-holder in multiple swimming events. Personal De Bruijn was born in Barendrecht, Netherlands. Inge is ...
, and a bronze medal with the Swedish relay team. Since Sydney, she has been a favourite at major international events over short distances. At the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
in 2001 she won two silver medals, this time in the 50 m freestyle and 50 m butterfly. In the 2002 European Championships in Berlin she won the 50 m freestyle. In 2003, she let up to focus on the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. In her only start in the 50 m, she barely missed a medal, coming fourth in the 50 m freestyle. In the
2005 World Aquatics Championships The 2005 World Aquatics Championships () or the XI FINA World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16 to July 31, 2005. They took place in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's Island. Competition Medal standings :''o ...
in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, she won a bronze medal in the 50 m butterfly, and took the gold on the same distance at World Championships in Shanghai 2011. By winning three individual events at the
2006 Swedish Short Course Swimming Championships The 2006 Swedish Short Course Swimming Championships took place in Fyrishov, Uppsala on 23–26 November 2006. 44 champions were declared and three national records, eight national junior records, 16 championship records, and seven national club re ...
in
Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...
, she took her 73rd gold medal and became the Swedish swimmer with the most individual gold medals on the Swedish Championships, passing
Anders Holmertz Anders Holmertz (born 1 December 1968) is a Swedish retired swimmer who was a leader in freestyle (200 and 400 meters) races in the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s, though often missing personal success. He also settled a record in the 40 ...
with one. She took her first gold medal in 1991. On 17 March 2009, at the Australian Swimming Titles, she broke her own world record in the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 25.44. She was later disqualified by Swimming Australia for wearing two swimsuits. FINA, swimming's governing body, had ratified a new rule only 17 days previously that swimmers can only wear one suit. Alshammar initially appealed the disqualification but withdrew the appeal when the new rule was explained to her. On 31 July 2011 she won the gold medal at 50 meter freestyle at the
2011 World Aquatics Championships The 14th FINA World Aquatics Championships, FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming ...
, making her the oldest woman to win an individual gold medal at the long-course world championships. The day before, she had already won the silver medal in the 50 meter butterfly. During the London
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
Alshammar participated in the 50 m freestyle, where she placed 6th. In June 2016 she became the first female swimmer and the third overall (after
Lars Frölander Lars Arne Frölander (born 26 May 1974) is a Sweden, Swedish swimming (sport), swimmer. He has competed in six consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012). Biography Frölander was born in Boden, Sweden, Boden. He grew up i ...
and Derya Büyükuncu) to participate in six Olympic Games. At the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
, she competed in the 50 m freestyle event. She placed 15th in the semifinals and did not advance to the final. Alshammar was the flag bearer for Sweden at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
.


Personal life

Alshammar is in a relationship with her coach Johan Wallberg. In June 2013 they became parents of a son.http://hd.se/sport/2013/06/04/alshammar-har-blivit-mamma HD Retrieved 26 June 2013 She participated in Let's Dance 2018, broadcast on TV4. She grew up in Duvbo, a part of
Sundbyberg Municipality Sundbyberg Municipality ( or ''Sundbybergs stad'') is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, just north of the capital Stockholm. Sundbyberg is wholly within the Stockholm urban area and has a 100% urban population. Sundbybe ...
.


Awards

* Radiosportens Jerringpris: 2010 *
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal (, but usually simply called ''Bragdguldet'', "The Feat Gold") is an annual award "for the most significant Sweden, Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning ...
: 2011 * Victoria Scholarship: 2000 * FINA Swimmer of the Year: 2010 * H. M. The King's Medal 8:e with ribbon


Personal bests


Long course (50 m)


Short course (25 m)


Clubs

* Sundbybergs IK * Stockholmspolisens IF * Järfälla SS (−1992) * SK Neptun (1993–1995, 1996–2008) * Helsingborgs SS (1996) *
Täby Sim Täby () was previously a trimunicipal locality, with 76,700 inhabitants in 2024. However, as from 2016, Statistics Sweden has amalgamated this locality with the Stockholm urban area. It is the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Sw ...
(2008–)


See also

*
World record progression 50 metres butterfly This is a history of the progression of the World Record for the Swimming (sport), swimming event: the 50 Butterfly stroke, butterfly. It is a listing of the fastest-time-ever in the event, in both long course (50m) and Short course (swimming), ...
* World record progression 50 metres freestyle *
World record progression 100 metres freestyle The first world record in the 100 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1905. In the short course (25 metres) swimming events, the world's governin ...


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alshammar, Therese 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Solna Municipality Swedish female backstroke swimmers Swedish female butterfly swimmers Swedish female freestyle swimmers Swedish female medley swimmers Olympic swimmers for Sweden Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Sweden Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden Olympic bronze medalists in swimming World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Nebraska Cornhuskers women's swimmers Swedish expatriate swimmers in the United States University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Sundbybergs IK swimmers Stockholmspolisens IF swimmers Järfälla SS swimmers SK Neptun swimmers Helsingborgs SS swimmers Täby Sim swimmers World record setters in swimming Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in swimming 21st-century Swedish sportswomen 20th-century Swedish sportswomen