Would you be surprised if we said Sarah Sjöström is on world record watch? Of course not. The Swedish sensation currently has a combined six to her name already (four long course meters and two short course meters) heading into the 2017 LEN European Short Course Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, this week.

However, she isn't the only one gunning for glory. Newly minted SCM 50 free world-record holder Ranomi Kromowidjojo will be looking to hold off Sjöström in a tight battle. Oh yeah, you can bet the house Katinka Hosszu will be out in full force to reclaim her 400m IM world record from Spain's Mireia Belmonte Garcia. The two of them have been trading this one back and forth since 2013.

2017 LEN European Short Course Championships

December 13-17

Copenhagen, Denmark

Royal Arena

Short Course Meters (25m)

WATCH LIVE (North America Only)

LIVE RESULTS

Women’s Sprint Free & Fly

Sarah Sjöström (SWE) vs. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED)

World Records

50m Free: 22.93 – Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED)

100m Free: 50.25 – Cate Campbell (AUS)

200m Free: 1:50.43 – Sarah Sjöström (SWE)

50m Butterfly: 24.38 – Therese Alshammar (SWE)

100m Butterfly: 54.61 – Sarah Sjöström (SWE)

Anytime Sarah Sjöström jumps into the water, we can expect something fast from her. Fast, as in world-record pace. She is already the fastest in history in the short course 100m fly and 200m free, and for a period of time in August she also had the 50m and 100m free records too. 

Enter 2012 Olympic champ Ranomi Kromowidjojo, who blasted a 22.93 in Berlin to be the fastest woman in history. Sjöström and Kromowidjojo are also knocking at the door of Therese Alshammar’s 50m fly WR from 2009 too.

Women’s 400m IM

Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP) vs. Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

World Record

400m IM: 4:18.94 – Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP)

As mentioned, these two have been trading this world record for the past four years. Hosszu broke it in 2013 and 2014 at the World Cup before Belmonte Garcia stole it back to win the world title later that year. Hosszu then nabbed it at the 2015 Europeans and most recently Belmonte Garcia brought it down to a 4:18 in August this year. A battle worth watching…

Belmonte holds five — yes, FIVE — individual world records in the SCM pool: 400m-800m-1500m free, 200m fly, and 400m IM. That’s some serious range and ability. Hosszu currently holds four, over the 100m-200m backstroke and 100m-200m IM events. Together they have half the women’s book. Any of these can go down this week in Copenhagen. 

World Records

400m Freestyle: 3:54.52 – Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP) 

800m Freestyle: 7:59.34 – Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP)

1500m Freestyle: 15:19.71 – Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP)

200m Butterfly: 1:59.61 – Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP)

100m Backstroke: 55.03 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

200m Backstroke: 1:59.23 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

100m IM: 56.51 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

200m IM: 2:01.86 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

By Bobby Hurley