
#418 How Emma Igelström is Helping to Transform Swimming in Saudi Arabia
From Inside with Brett Hawke by Brett Hawke
March 4, 2025 · 32 min
About this episode
Emma Igelström discusses her efforts to develop swimming programs for women in Saudi Arabia.
Emma Igelström never expected to find herself in Saudi Arabia, pioneering swimming programs in a country where female competition only began three years ago. But the former world champion breaststroker and the first woman to ever break 30 seconds in the 50 SCM Breaststroke, has always been drawn to challenges. “I went into those clubs, I saw the pool is empty. I mean, there was no people in the pool. And for me, coming from Sweden, I mean, we have a lack of facilities. We’re fighting for having, you know, times in the pool, more lanes and everything. That was like, you know, a dream.” Now, she’s on a mission to change that. Become a part of the Sprint Revolution ! Get access to our growing collection of workouts, seminars, and exclusive content. New items added every month. ✓ 1 Month of Sprint Workouts (24 New Workouts Each Month) ✓ Online Educational Seminar ✓ Live Q & A with Brett Once a Month SWIMNERD: Check out our new timing equipment! INTL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME: Keep our sport's history alive by joining the 1 in 1000 Club…
People in this episode
Host: Brett Hawke
Guest: Emma Igelström
Topics covered
- swimming programs
- female competition
- sports development
- Saudi Arabia
- Emma Igelström
Keywords
- Emma Igelström
- swimming
- Saudi Arabia
- female competition
- sports development
- breaststroke
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sprint Revolution, SWIMNERD, INTL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
Places: Saudi Arabia, Sweden
More episodes of Inside with Brett Hawke
- Quantum Leaps in Swimming: Remembering Hall of Fame Coach Don Swartz · February 9, 2026 · 53 min
- #420 Andrii Govorov on Enhanced Games, Olympic TUE's, & the Future of Sport · June 2, 2025 · 36 min
- Sprinters Rule the World: 50's of Stroke Added to LA 2028 Olympic Games · April 11, 2025 · 48 min
- #419 Be a Dog, Not a Puppy: Lessons from Coach Sabrina Parr · March 11, 2025 · 40 min
- #417 French Sprinter Marie Wattel on Injury, Olympic Pressure, & Her Move to ASU · February 24, 2025 · 33 min
- #416 The Swimmer's Doc: Injury Prevention Strategies and Performance Enhancement · January 15, 2025 · 54 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Inside with Brett Hawke podcast page.