Within a few years she became a world top freestyle swimmer, and won a bronze medal at the 1958 Swedish Junior Swimming Championships. She finished second in the 400 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and a few days later set a new world record in the 1500 m freestyle in Sweden.
She quickly gained international recognition as one of the world's top freestyle swimmers, earning a bronze medal at the 1958 Swedish Junior Swimming Championships. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she finished second in the 400 m freestyle event, and then made history by setting a new world record just days later in Sweden.