Kristianstads Sim- & Livräddningssällskap, commonly known as Kristianstads SLS or KSLS, is a swimming club based in

Kristianstad Kristianstad (, ; older spelling from Danish language, Danish ''Christianstad'') is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 40,145 inhabitants in 2016. During the last 15 years, it has ...

History

Kristiantads SLS was founded on 28 August 1928. From the beginning they swam outdoors in

Helge å The river Helge or, in Swedish, Helgeån, alternatively Helge å, ''(lit. 'The Holy river)'' is a river which flows through Småland and Skåne in southern Sweden. The course of the river takes it through Kristianstad and out to the Han� ...

. Kristianstads SLS was for several years in the 1970s and 1980s Sweden's most successful swimming club. It was under the leadership of Tommy Malmsten, swimmer and in the 1980s coach of the national team that the successes were won. The first swimmer in the national elite was Eva Folkesson. Folkesson won 7 Swedish championship gold medals in 100 metre and 200 metre backstroke 1969–1971, five at the long course championships and two at the short course championships. The next swimmer in the Swedish elite was long-distance swimmer Else Gunsten. She participated at the 1969 Swedish Swimming Championships at the age of twelve. She became the Swedish champion in the 800 metre freestyle six times in the early 1970s. One of the big stars was Eva-Marie Håkansson, a breaststroke swimmer who participated in the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

and

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

, and won a bronze medal at the

1977 European Aquatics Championships The 1977 European Aquatics Championships were held at the swimming complex Rosenlundsbadet in the southern Swedish city of Jönköping, from 14 August to 21 August. Besides swimming, there were titles contested in diving, the women's event of syn ...

in 200 metre breaststroke Another of the big stars was Ann-Sofi Roos who were a breaststroke and individual medley swimmer. She won 24 individual Swedish championship medals 1975–1980 in 100 metre breaststroke, 200 metre breaststroke, 200 metre individual medley and 400 metre individual medley. Kristianstads SLS had won 78 Swedish championship titles in women's events until 1985. A later successful swimmer was Maria Kardum, who won Swedish championship gold in the 100 metre freestyle and 200 metre individual medley. Kardum also participated in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. On the men's side, they have won fewer, but still about twenty Swedish Championship golds. Tommy Malmsten now runs a very successful company in the swimming industry in Åhus.

Swimmers

''Swimmers that have participated in the Summer Olympics while representing Kristianstads SLS:'' * Eva-Marie Håkansson * Maria Kardum * Ove Nylén *

Mikael Örn Mikael Gustaf Örn (born 29 November 1961) is a Swedish freestyle and medley swimmer whose notability, during the 1980s, stems from winning a bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles. A native of the southwestern coastal cit ...

* Ann-Sofi Roos

References

{{Swedish swim clubs Swimming clubs in Sweden Sports clubs and teams in Skåne County Sport in Kristianstad Sports clubs and teams established in 1928