| Lars Frölander | |
| Fullname: | Lars Arne Frölander |
| Strokes: | Butterfly, freestyle |
| Club: | Linköpings ASS |
| Coach: | Eddie Sinnott SMU Mustangs |
| Collegeteam: | Southern Methodist University (1996–1998) |
| Birth Date: | 26 May 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Boden, Sweden |
Lars Arne Frölander (born 26 May 1974) is a Swedish swimmer. He has competed in six consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012).
Frölander was born in Boden. He grew up in Ornäs in Borlänge Municipality.
In the 1992 Summer Olympics, he competed in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay along with Christer Wallin, Anders Holmertz and Tommy Werner. The Swedish team finished second behind the Unified Team.
In the 1996 Summer Olympics, Frölander again finished second in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay with the Swedish team. The team consisted of Christer Wallin, Anders Holmertz, Frölander, and Anders Lyrbring. This time the United States was the winning team. Frölander also competed in the 100 metre freestyle, where he finished ninth in the heats but scratched the B-final, and in the 100 metre butterfly event, where he finished 19th.
The highlight of his career was when he won the gold in the 100 metre butterfly event at the Sydney Olympic Games in September 2000. A couple of months earlier, he twice broke the world record in the men's 100 m butterfly (short course). Frölander was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 2000 as a result of his gold medal victory in Sydney.[1]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Frölander, at the age of 38, posted a 52.47 in the opening heats of the 100 m butterfly, less than 1 second slower than top qualifier Chad le Clos, but 0.12 seconds too slow to advance to the semifinals.