Therese Alshammar: "Nuoto per superare i miei limiti" [ITA/ENG]

ENGLISH VERSION

43 years old, two kids, We didn’t expect you coming back to competition since your last race in 2016. What or who gives you the strength to be back in the water? What have you done in the five years far from the pool?

I love swimming, and I believe one should never stop exercising. My life is of course very different now from when I swam full time and didn’t have children or work.

Since I retired I’ve written two children’s books that mix fact with fiction which I hope inspire children and adults to go to the pool and try some of the exercises in the book and get to feel the wonderful feeling of floating and swimming. I also have learn to swim program and was in the middle of expanding that business last year and held back by Covid-19.

An important part of my story is that I’m married to a swim coach ( Johan Wallberg ) who now coaches the Swedish team so when I had time to increase my healthy training as work took less of my time, I knew where to go…

I started swimming a little with his team and I realised much of the pain I had when I retired 2016 was gone (I have worked a lot of rehab and treatment as I had two slipped discs in my back/neck  (one two weeks before Olympic Games 2012, and one in 2015) so I thought I’d try to see how it would be to get fit in the pool again!

To be honest I haven’t missed the feeling of racing at all, but I’ve missed being in good enough shape to go hard and to get very tired (I will not say this after a race;) but it’s those things that are so far from everyday life with kids. You have to be quite fit in order to train hard and that’s a blessing to feel!

It took me many weeks to get there and it was a very steep hill... As kids get sick, stuff happens and you can’t “save” training. If you miss one week or two it’s almost like starting new. (When you’re older!)

How is your workout changed since your being back?

I have since October tried to swim 4 swim sessions per week (that was what my schedule permitted as our children come first and I still had some work I could do)

I’ve had to be careful with my gym sessions as my recovery is much slower these days, so if I go as hard as I can in the gym I can’t swim the next day… so I’ve experimented with different sets with the main goal to get stronger and get some explosiveness back. (That has been hard)

On average I’ve done 2-3 gym sessions and 1 pilates session per week.

So compared to the 8 swim sessions per week plus 3gym and 2 pilates sessions I used to do, I’d say it’s very different now!

How is your relationship with Italy?

I love Italy! The people, the food, coffee, weather. I love it all. Many of my holidays have been in Italy. And when I during a dark winter day in Sweden thought maybe I’ll try to race again I knew I had to pick a place that would mean more to me than just the time in the pool, as the children come with us and it’s more of a journey than an end result. So I thought my favourite places to race at was Canet, France and Sette Colli, Rome!

To be honest I haven’t missed the feeling of racing at all, but I’ve missed being in good enough shape to go hard and to get very tired (I will not say this after a race;) but it’s those things that are so far from everyday life with kids. You have to be quite fit in order to train hard and that’s a blessing to feel!

It took me many weeks to get there and it was a very steep hill.. as kids get sick, stuff happens and you can’t “save” training. If you miss one week or two it’s almost like starting new. (When you’re older!!)

Which was your aim when you went back in the water?

When I started training this winter I didn’t really have a goal with my swimming, but I thought maybe I could be a fourth or fifth member of the relay team in Tokyo as sweden has three great strong girls, and the fourth has been quite open.

I though I could always be a reserve for the team as I will be in Tokyo as a candidate for the IOC athletes commission…

And in the training I’ve done the soles was the issue and the endurance back end speed felt better, but then I raced in Canet and it was the total opposite! I had some speed and no backend endurance.. So I guess it’s like with everything- you never know what will happen!

I will race the 50 and the 100 free in Rome but unfortunately there are straight finals, and as I’ve only done one other race before this I think it’ll be tough for me to make the team, the one thing I would have needed is more race practice now but in one way Covid made it possible for me to swim more and now Covid rules and regulations makes it hard for me to race more so it’s full circle in the wonderful crazy way that is life…

W hat do you think about Sarah Sjöström injury? Do you think she will be ready for the olympics?

I think Sarah can show some good race form in Tokyo, it’s of course hard and unfortunate to have injury break up your season leading up to the Olympics but she’s had great help, support and she’s very physically strong in the water so I think every week she’ll be improving every week now.

What are you teaching your kids about sport? Do they swim? Would you like them to become professional swimmers?

I hope I teach our kids to be brave and try their best, to never give up and have a lot of fun and be curious all through their lives!

That sports is about trying and failing, to embrace failing often and failing forward. To be kind and humble and to do their best to their own unique abilities!

I would be so happy if they became swimmers as swimming has brought so much happiness to my life and I will try to be a gentle breeze helping them lean forward and learn as much as they can.

But sports is just as wonderful as it is cruel, as we are all born with different abilities and qualities that sometimes can give us an advantage, but we can all strive to be the best we can be and leave the comparison behind.

I am so happy the days I work with kids and see them learn something new and gain confidence in the pool!