Worldwide, educational and sport systems were largely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Upper-secondary students were faced with school closures and distance education. For many student-athletes closed training facilities added additional challenges. The objective of the study was to explore Swedish upper-secondary school student-athletes’ experiences of getting through the pandemic in relation to both schoolwork and sport during 2020 –2021. Focus group interviews (FGI) were used to generate data for the study. Four FGI were conducted seven months after the outbreak (October 2020), and four FGI were performed 14 months after the outbreak (May 2021). In total, 47 student-athletes (25 females and 22 males) participated. The mean age of the student-athletes was about 18 years, and 37 represented team sports (e.g., soccer) and 10 individual sports (e.g., golf). The data analysis was based on an inductive thematic analytic strategy using a six-phase procedure. Four themes appeared when the students described their experiences of getting through the pandemic: Reevaluating and longing for social life, Speeding up the transition to adulthood, Management of everyday life, and Responsibility and problem-solving. The students experienced challenges in handling school, sports, and social life, such as maintaining motivation over time, but they also experienced increased responsibility, maturity, and awareness of the importance of nurturing social relationships. A recurring theme among the student-athletes was the experience of balancing everyday life in a constructive way, but this challenge seems to positively develop over time. Student-athletes are a common responsibility between schools and sports, and lessons learned from student athletes’ experiences of the double lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, are important to acknowledge to increase readiness for action when major societal challenges may occur. Possible risk scenarios for this group in the footsteps of COVID-19 are impaired future academic chances, youth dropping out of sports, and decreased psychosocial health.