Therese Alshammar

Infobox Swimmer
swimmername=Therese Alshammar


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fullname = Malin Therese Alshammar
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nationality = SWE
strokes = butterfly, freestyle
club = SK Neptun
collegeteam = Nebraska Cornhuskers (1997-1999)
birthdate = birth date and age|mf=yes|1977|8|27
birthplace = Solna, Sweden
deathdate =
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Therese Alshammar (born August 26, 1977 in Solna) is a Swedish swimmer. Standing at 1.80 m, she is a specialist of fast races in freestyle and butterfly stroke.

She first appeared on the international scene after the 1994 World Aquatics Championships where she made the semifinals in the 100 m backstroke. In the 1996 Olympics, she also participated in this event but did not reach beyond the semifinals.

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 in Sydney where she won silver medals in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, both times vanquished by Inge de Bruijn, 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 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 in Montreal, she won a bronze medal in the 50 m butterfly, and took the gold on the same distance at World Championships in Shanghai 2006.

By winning three individual events at the 2006 Swedish Short Course Swimming Championships in Uppsala, she took her 73rd gold medal and became the Swedish swimmer with the most individual gold medals on the Swedish Championships, passing Anders Holmertz with one. She took her first gold medal in 1991.

Personal bests

Long course

* 50 m freestyle – 24.23
* 50 m butterfly – 25.46 (World record)
* 100 m freestyle – 54.33

hort course

* 50 m freestyle – 23.59
* 50 m butterfly – 25.36
* 100 m freestyle – 52.17

Clubs

* Sundbybergs IK
* Stockholmspolisens IF
* Järfälla SS (-1992)
* Helsingborgs SS (1996)
* SK Neptun (1993-1995, 1996-)

See also

* World record progression 50 metres freestyle

References

External links

* [http://www.alshammar.nu Homepage of Therese Alshammar]
* Swim Rankings [http://www.swimrankings.net/index.php?page=athleteDetail&athleteId=1541905 profile]
* [http://www.fina.org/bios/archives/bio_Alshammar.html Profile on FINA-website]
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