List of Olympic records in swimming

Last updated

Michael Phelps holds three individual and two team Olympic swimming records. Phelpsbeijing.jpg
Michael Phelps holds three individual and two team Olympic swimming records.

The International Olympic Committee recognises the fastest performances in pool-based swimming events at the Olympic Games. Men's swimming has been part of the official program of the Summer Olympics since the Games' modern inception in 1896; it was not until 1912 that women's events were held. The swimming events at the 1896 Olympic Games were held in a bay in the Aegean Sea with swimmers being required to swim to the shore—Hungarian swimmer Alfréd Hajós won two gold medals that year, saying "My will to live completely overcame my desire to win." [1] [2] The 1900 Summer Olympic Games in Paris had the swimming events take place in the River Seine, and the events at the 1908 Summer Olympics were held in a 100-metre pool surrounded by an athletics track in the White City Stadium in London. [3]

Contents

Races are held in four swimming categories: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, over varying distances and in either individual or relay race events. Medley swimming races are also held, both individually and in relays, in which all four swimming categories are used. In the Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, both men and women competed in eighteen events in the pool. Of the 35 pool-based events, swimmers from the United States hold fourteen records, Australia seven, China four, Hungary three, Great Britain and South Africa two each, and one each to Ukraine, Russian Olympic Committee and Sweden. Twenty of the current Olympic records were set at the 2020 Summer Olympics, seven in 2016, three in 2012, and five in 2008. [4]

Men's records

Caeleb Dressel set Olympic records in 3 individual events at the 2020 Olympics Caeleb Dressel during 100 fly (42052333224).jpg
Caeleb Dressel set Olympic records in 3 individual events at the 2020 Olympics
Sun Yang set Olympic records in two events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Incheon AsianGames Swimming 34.jpg
Sun Yang set Olympic records in two events at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2020 Olympics and include only those events which are currently recognised by the IOC as Olympic events.

EventTimeNameNationGamesDateRef
50 m freestyle 21.07  Caeleb Dressel Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2020 Tokyo 1 August 2021
100 m freestyle 47.02  Caeleb Dressel Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2020 Tokyo 29 July 2021
200 m freestyle 1:42.96  Michael Phelps Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2008 Beijing 12 August 2008 [5]
400 m freestyle 3:40.14  Sun Yang Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN) 2012 London 28 July 2012 [6]
800 m freestyle 7:41.28  Mykhailo Romanchuk Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR) 2020 Tokyo 27 July 2021 [7] [B]
1500 m freestyle ♦14:31.02  Sun Yang Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN) 2012 London 4 August 2012 [8]
100 m backstroke 51.85  Ryan Murphy Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2016 Rio de Janeiro 13 August 2016 [9] [B]
200 m backstroke 1:53.27  Evgeny Rylov Flag placeholder.svg  ROC 2020 Tokyo 30 July 2021 [10]
100 m breaststroke 57.13  Adam Peaty Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain  (GBR) 2016 Rio de Janeiro 7 August 2016 [11]
200 m breaststroke 2:06.38  Zac Stubblety-Cook Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS) 2020 Tokyo 29 July 2021 [12]
100 m butterfly ♦49.45  Caeleb Dressel Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2020 Tokyo 31 July 2021 [13]
200 m butterfly 1:51.25  Kristóf Milák Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary  (HUN) 2020 Tokyo 28 July 2021 [14]
200 m individual medley 1:54.23  Michael Phelps Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2008 Beijing 15 August 2008 [15]
400 m individual medley 4:03.84 Michael Phelps Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2008 Beijing 10 August 2008 [16]
4×100 m freestyle relay♦3:08.24  Michael Phelps (47.51)
Garrett Weber-Gale (47.02)
Cullen Jones (47.65)
Jason Lezak (46.06)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2008 Beijing 11 August 2008 [17]
4×200 m freestyle relay6:58.56  Michael Phelps (1:43.31)
Ryan Lochte (1:44.28)
Ricky Berens (1:46.29)
Peter Vanderkaay (1:44.68)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2008 Beijing 13 August 2008 [18]
4×100 m medley relay♦3:26.78  Ryan Murphy (52.31)
Michael Andrew (58.49)
Caeleb Dressel (49.03)
Zach Apple (46.95)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2020 Tokyo 1 August 2021 [19]

Women's records

Emma McKeon holds the Olympic record in the 50 and 100 m freestyle. Emma McKeon.jpg
Emma McKeon holds the Olympic record in the 50 and 100 m freestyle.
Katie Ledecky set the Olympic records in the 400 and 800 m freestyle in 2016. Katie Ledecky Olympics 2016b.jpg
Katie Ledecky set the Olympic records in the 400 and 800 m freestyle in 2016.

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2020 Olympics and include only those events which are currently recognised by the IOC as Olympic events.

EventTimeNameNationGamesDateRef
50 m freestyle 23.81  Emma McKeon Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS) 2020 Tokyo 1 August 2021
100 m freestyle 51.96  Emma McKeon Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS) 2020 Tokyo 30 July 2021 [20]
200 m freestyle 1:53.50  Ariarne Titmus Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS) 2020 Tokyo 28 July 2021 [21]
400 m freestyle 3:56.46  Katie Ledecky Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2016 Rio de Janeiro 7 August 2016 [22]
800 m freestyle ♦8:04.79  Katie Ledecky Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2016 Rio de Janeiro 12 August 2016 [23]
1500 m freestyle 15:35.35  Katie Ledecky Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2020 Tokyo 26 July 2021 [24]
100 m backstroke 57.47  Kaylee McKeown Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS) 2020 Tokyo 27 July 2021 [25]
200 m backstroke 2:04.06  Missy Franklin Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA) 2012 London 3 August 2012 [26]
100 m breaststroke 1:04.82  Tatjana Schoenmaker Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA) 2020 Tokyo 25 July 2021 [27] [F]
200 m breaststroke 2:18.95  Tatjana Schoenmaker Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA) 2020 Tokyo 30 July 2021 [28]
100 m butterfly ♦55.48  Sarah Sjöström Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE) 2016 Rio de Janeiro 7 August 2016 [29]
200 m butterfly 2:03.86  Zhang Yufei Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN) 2020 Tokyo 29 July 2021 [30]
200 m individual medley 2:06.58  Katinka Hosszú Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary  (HUN) 2016 Rio de Janeiro 9 August 2016 [31]
400 m individual medley 4:26.36  Katinka Hosszú Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary  (HUN) 2016 Rio de Janeiro 6 August 2016 [32]
4×100 m freestyle relay3:29.69 Bronte Campbell (53.01)
Meg Harris (53.09)
Emma McKeon (51.35)
Cate Campbell (52.24)
Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS) 2020 Tokyo 25 July 2021 [33]
4×200 m freestyle relay7:40.33  Yang Junxuan (1:54.37)
Tang Muhan (1:55.00)
Zhang Yufei (1:55.66)
Li Bingjie (1:55.30)
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN) 2020 Tokyo 29 July 2021 [34]
4×100 m medley relay3:51.60  Kaylee McKeown (58.01)
Chelsea Hodges (1:05.57)
Emma McKeon (55.91)
Cate Campbell (52.11)
Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS) 2020 Tokyo 1 August 2021

Mixed records

♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2020 Olympics and include only those events which are currently recognised by the IOC as Olympic events.

EventTimeNameNationGamesDateRef
4×100 m medley relay♦3:37.58  Kathleen Dawson (58.80)
Adam Peaty (56.78)
James Guy (50.00)
Anna Hopkin (52.00)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 2020 Tokyo 31 July 2021

Footnotes

  1. ^ Romanchuk set the Olympic record in the first heat of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
  2. ^ Murphy broke the Olympic and world record for the men's 100 m backstroke in the men's 4×100 m medley relay final of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
  3. ^ Schoenmaker broke the Olympic record for the women's 100 m breaststroke in the fifth heat of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

References

General
Specific
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