Her teammates call her the Malinator.
Now, she may be known simply as Olympian.
Malin Svahnstrom, a UCLA senior and member of the 2004 Swedish
National swimming team, qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens, Greece.
She will compete in the 800-meter freestyle relay after posting
a time of 2:02.96 in the 200m freestyle at the Swedish Nationals
last week.
“It feels great,” Svahnstrom said.Â
“It’s always a special feeling to represent your
country. I wasn’t sure I made it until they announced the
whole team at the end of the meet.”
Svahnstrom already has one Olympic Games under her belt; she
competed in the prelims of the 400m freestyle relay at the 2000
Sydney games where her team took home the bronze medal.
“I wasn’t happy with my swim there,”
Svahnstrom said, “so after that I decided that I wanted to go
to the Olympics again so that I would get another chance to perform
better.”
Svahnstrom believes that the 800m relay suits her better than
the 400m relay.
Svahnstrom had 10 months to qualify for the Swedish Olympic
team, unlike those qualifying for the U.S. team, who had to compete
at the Olympic trials this past July.
She said she had a good chance to qualify at the European
Championships in May, but failed to swim fast enough.
“I knew I had a good chance to make the team going into
the Nationals,” Svahnstrom said. “But I was in no way
sure of making the team.”
Cyndi Gallagher, Svahnstrom’s coach for three years at
UCLA, had nothing but positive things to say about her.
“Malin trained really hard, harder than anyone,”
Gallagher said. “She’s always all business about
swimming. She really deserved this. I’ve been lucky to
have her for three years.”
Svahnstrom has been swimming since she was eight years old and
has competed under the tutelage of UCLA alumna Ulrika Sandmark. In
her career at UCLA, she has set the 200m I.M. record on two
different occasions, including the time that now stands at
1:59.58.Â
Whatever the outcome of the Olympics, Svahnstrom sees making the
team as an honor in itself.
“I know there are a lot of talented athletes around the
world who work very hard but maybe do not make an Olympic team, so
I feel very privileged.”