GW men's swimming and diving's rising junior captain Gustav Hokfelt became a Swedish National Champion after winning the 400 medley relay in a four-medal performance at the five-day 2016 Swedish National Championships in Norrkoping, Sweden, from July 6-10.
Hokfelt swam the opening backstroke leg of the 400-meter medley relay in 55.86 to help his squad claim gold and a national title in 3:42.73.
"Becoming a National Champion was a great feeling," said Hokfelt. "It's something I've been working towards for a long time and standing on top of that podium seemed to make it all worth it. The fact it was a relay and I got to share the gold with my teammates made it even better."
Hokfelt also excelled in the 100-meter backstroke, touching the wall in 56.15 to take second.
The Stockholm, Sweden, native went on to swim the opening leg of the 800-meter freestyle relay to help his team take third with a time of 7:38.79. His final medal came in the form of a bronze in the 200-meter backstroke (2:04.35).
Hokfelt credits much of his success at Swedish Nationals to his training at GW under head coach James Winchester and his staff.
"In previous years at national meets, I have swum the finals and have done decently well, but nothing special," said Hokfelt. "However, since James's arrival to GW I have managed to improve a great deal, which meant that this year I was among the top guys in the backstroke in Sweden. This made the meet a bit different compared to my past experiences at Nationals, but it was definitely for the better! Standing behind the blocks and knowing that you're fighting for the medals makes competing a lot more challenging, I was more nervous than I usually am, but my time at GW has prepared me well and I had a lot of fun racing at this meet."
During his 2015-16 season at GW, Hokfelt served as one of GW's top performers, earning Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team honors and finished the year ranked No. 81 in the nation in the 100-yard backstroke after posting an NCAA 'B" Cut time at the A-10 Championships.
"It's been an impressive sophomore year for Gustav and his performances and improvement have been well deserved," said Winchester. "His performances this spring and summer have put him on the radar to make his first national team selection for Sweden. His dedication to his academics and swimming sets a great example within our program, and I look forward to seeing him thrive inside and outside the pool as captain this coming year."
Hokfelt was named a 2016-17 team captain for GW for his junior year and is the Colonials' record holder in the 100-yard back. He also helped set program-record marks in the 200-yard free relay, 400-yard free relay, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay all at the 2016 A-10 Championships.
"I am definitely happy with my overall performance at Nationals," said Hokfelt. "I swam faster than I have ever before and showed that I am among the top guys in Sweden. None of my races were perfect - I made quite a few mistakes - but the fact that I'm swimming faster without getting perfect races just motivates me even further for the future, and I can't wait to get back to GW to keep on working!"
