Oussama "Ous" Mellouli is a Tunisian swimmer who competes in the freestyle and medley events. He is a three-time Olympic medalist, is an African record holder, and trains with the USC Trojans team based at the University of Southern California, where he studied as a computer science undergraduate and swam collegiately.
The first world record in the men's 400 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1908. In the short course (25 metres) swimming events the world's governing body recognizes world records since 3 March 1991.
Tunisia first participated at the Olympic Games in 1960, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games except when they participated in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. The nation has never participated in any Winter Olympic Games.
The first world record in the women's 800 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1931. The women's 880 yard freestyle had been a FINA-recognized world record event since 1919. However, in 1931 FINA decreed that only performances from 1931 onward would be eligible for world record consideration in the 800 metres freestyle. Thus Helene Madison's 1930 world record of 11:41.2 in the 880 yard freestyle was not considered a world record in the 800 metres freestyle even though it was over a longer distance and substantially faster than Yvonne Godard's 1931 world record of 12:18.8 in the 800 metres freestyle. In 1933, Lenore Kight swam the 880 yard freestyle in 11:44.0, which FINA recognised as a world record in the 800 metres freestyle but not in the 880 yard freestyle. This irregularity was finally resolved in 1935, when Kight's 11:34.4 in the 880 yard freestyle broke the records for both the 880 yard freestyle and the 800 metres freestyle. Because of this situation, the world records for the 880 yard freestyle for women from 1919 to 1930 are included below.
Sun Yang is a Chinese Olympic and former world-record-holding competitive swimmer. In 2012, Sun became the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in men's swimming. Sun is the first male swimmer in history to earn Olympic and World Championship gold medals at every freestyle distance from 200 to 1500 metres. A three-time Olympic gold medalist and eleven-time world champion, he is the most decorated Chinese swimmer in history. In 2017, NBC Sports described him as "very arguably the greatest freestyle swimmer of all time".
Haley Danita Anderson is an American competitive swimmer who is an Olympic silver medalist. She placed second in the 10-kilometer open water event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
David Karl Brandl is an Austrian swimmer, who specialized in freestyle events. He is a multiple-time Austrian champion, a four-time national record holder, and a current member of Perger Swimming Club in Perg. He also won a bronze medal, as a member of the Austrian swimming team, at the 2008 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Mackenzie James Horton is an Australian retired freestyle swimmer. He is an Olympic gold medallist, World Championships gold medallist, and 4-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he took the gold in the 400m freestyle, and became the first male swimmer from the state of Victoria to win an Olympic swimming gold in the Games' history.
Henrik Christiansen is a Norwegian swimmer. He is a World Championships silver medalist, two-time World Championships (25m) silver and bronze medalist, two-time European Championships silver medalist, and European Short Course Championships silver and two-time bronze medalist. Christiansen is a three-time Olympian and competed at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics. He holds the Norwegian national record in 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m freestyle in both long course and short course, and short course 4×200m freestyle relay.
Florian Wellbrock is a German swimmer. He is the world record holder in the short course 1500 metre freestyle. He is an Olympic champion, multiple World Champion and European champion, in both Long and Short Courses. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, he won gold in the 10 kilometre open water and bronze in the 1500 metre freestyle. In total, Wellbrock has won 28 medals at international competitions of which 20 are gold. This includes his gold medal at the Olympic games, six at the World Championships, six at the Swimming World Cup and six at the Open Water Swimming World Cup.
Ariarne Elizabeth Titmus is an Australian swimmer. She is the reigning Olympic champion in the women's 400-metre freestyle, having won the event at the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2024 Summer Olympics and the world record holder in the long course 200-metre freestyle and 400-metre freestyle events. In 2019 and 2020, she competed representing the Cali Condors in the International Swimming League.
Guilherme Pereira da Costa is a Brazilian swimmer. He is the 400m freestyle bronze medalist at the 2022 World Championships. At the Pan American Games, he was champion of the 400, 800 and 1500 metre freestyle. He is also currently the South American record holder in the 400, 800, and 1500 metre freestyle.
Robert Christian Finke, better known as Bobby Finke, is an American competitive swimmer. He won two gold medals for the United States in the 2020 Summer Olympics: the men's 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle swims. Finke successfully defended his title in 1500 m freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics, setting the world record and added a silver medal in the 800 m freestyle. He swam for the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida from 2018 to 2022 under Coach Anthony Nesty. He currently swims as part of the pro group at UF. Before swimming in college, Bobby swam for Coach Fred Lewis on the Saint Petersburg Aquatics club team, located in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
Eve Thomas is a representative swimmer from New Zealand. She competed for New Zealand in the women's 800 metre freestyle at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. Thomas is the daughter of British swimmer Sarah Hardcastle.
Ahmed Ayoub Hafnaoui is a Tunisian swimmer. He is the African record holder in the long course 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyle, and the short course 800-metre and 1500-metre freestyle events. He competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in the men's 400-metre freestyle. He ranked No. 16 in the world and was the slowest qualifier for the final race but won Olympic gold with a time of 3:43.36. Hafnaoui was the only Tunisian to win Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020. Olympic and World Champion Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui has accepted a voluntary provisional suspension after an assertion of an anti-doping rules violation from the International Testing Agency (ITA).
Daniel Wiffen is an Irish swimmer. He is an Olympic champion and bronze medalist, two-time world champion and three-time European short course champion.
Bar Soloveychik is an Israeli swimmer. He holds the Israeli national records in both the 400m freestyle, and the 800m free. At the 2018 European Junior Swimming Championships, he won a gold medal as part of Israel's 4×200 m freestyle relay. He attends the University of Minnesota, where he has swum sprint, mid-distance, and distance events, and holds school records in the 200 free and 500 free. He won a gold medal at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in the 400 m freestyle. He competes in freestyle and open water. Soloveychik represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's 4×200 metre freestyle relay.
