The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 2004 Summer Olympics was contested at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. The event took place on 15 and 16 August. There were 59 competitors from 53 nations, with each nation having up to two swimmers.
The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2004 Summer Olympics was contested at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece on August 17 and 18. There were 69 competitors from 62 nations. Nations had been limited to two swimmers each since the 1984 Games.
The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 1996 Summer Olympics took place on 22 July at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, United States. There were 60 competitors from 54 nations. Nations had been limited to two swimmers each since the 1984 Games. The event was won by Alexander Popov of Russia, the third man to successfully defend an Olympic title in the 100 metre freestyle. Gary Hall, Jr. returned the United States to the podium in the event after a one-Games absence. Gustavo Borges, the silver medalist in 1992, earned bronze. Popov and Borges were the 9th and 10th men to earn multiple medals in the event.
The men's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 21–22 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.
The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 19–20 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia. There were 73 competitors from 66 nations. Nations have been limited to two swimmers each since the 1984 Games.
The men's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 14–16 August at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China.
Rafed Ziad El-Masri is a German former swimmer of Syrian origin, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He is also a four-time national champion for Germany, and a gold medalist for the men's 50 m freestyle event at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, representing his ancestral homeland Syria.
Apostolos Tsagkarakis is a Greek former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Regarding as one of Greece's most popular swimmers in a global standard, Tsagkarakis is a 13-time swimming champion, 12-time All-American honoree, and a 20-time national record holder in both freestyle and butterfly. He is also one of two Greek swimmers, alongside Spyridon Bitsakis, who trained for the Alabama Crimson Tide, under head coach Don Gambril, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Ravil Nachaev is an Uzbek former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle and butterfly events. He is a three-time Olympian, and a gold medalist in the 50 m freestyle at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.
Arwut Chinnapasaen is a Thai former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He claimed two gold medals in the 50 m freestyle at the Southeast Asian Games, before losing out to Daniel Coakley of the Philippines in 2007.
Allen Ong Hou Ming is a Malaysian former swimmer, who specialised in sprint freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian, a double gold medalist in the 100 m freestyle at the Southeast Asian Games, and a varsity swimmer for the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Rodrigo Eduardo Díaz Alarcón is a retired Guatemalan swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Diaz qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by achieving a FINA B-standard of 23.60 from the Central American and Mexican Championships in Panama City, Panama. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat four, including two-time Olympian Gregory Arkhurst of Côte d'Ivoire. He raced to third place by 0.11 of a second behind winner José Mafio of Uruguay, outside his entry time of 23.69. Diaz failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed fifty-third out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Cole Shade Sule is a Cameroonian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Sule qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by receiving a Universality place from FINA, in an entry time of 25.96. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat three, including 16-year-old Chris Hackel of Mauritius. He raced to second place by less than 0.17 of a second behind winner Hackel in 26.16. Sule failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed sixty-fourth out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Johnathan Andrew Steele is a Grenadian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He held numerous age group titles for Grenada in the 50, 100, and 200 m freestyle, and was also chosen as the nation's student athlete for the Olympic Youth Camp, when Australia hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Khaled Ghezzawi is a Libyan swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Ghezzawi qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by receiving a Universality place from FINA, in an entry time of 27.00. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat three, including 16-year-old Chris Hackel of Mauritius. He raced to sixth place in 27.55, just 0.55 of a second off his entry time. Ghezzawi failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed seventy-first overall out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Bounthanom Vongphachanh is a Laotian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Vongphachanh qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by receiving a Universality place from FINA in an entry time of 28.45. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat two, including 15-year-old Malique Williams of Antigua and Barbuda. He posted a lifetime best of 28.17 to earn a third spot by a 1.42-second margin behind winner Anderson Bonabart of Micronesia. Vongphachanh failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed seventy-seventh overall out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Mohamed Saad is a Yemeni former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Saad qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by receiving a Universality place from FINA in an entry time of 29.82. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat two, including 15-year-old Malique Williams of Antigua and Barbuda. He raced to fifth place in 29.97, just 0.15 of a second off his entry time. Saad failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed eightieth overall out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Mamadou Ouedraogo is a Burkinabé former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Ouedraogo was elected by the Burkinabé National Olympic and Sports Committee to carry the nation's flag in the opening ceremony. He qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle, as a 37-year-old, by receiving a Universality place from FINA in an entry time of 29.08. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat two, including 15-year-old Malique Williams of Antigua and Barbuda. Ouedraogo raced to sixth place in 30.36, more than two seconds off his entry time. Ouedraogo failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed eighty-first overall out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Yona Walesi is a Malawian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Walesi became one of the first Malawian swimmers to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle, by receiving a Universality place from FINA in an entry time of 32.08. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat two, including 15-year-old Malique Williams of Antigua and Barbuda. He rounded out the field to last place in 34.11, more than 12 seconds off the top-seeded time set by U.S. swimmer and defending Olympic champion Gary Hall, Jr. Walesi failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed eighty-third overall out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Donnie Defreitas is a former swimmer from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. Defreitas qualified for the men's 50 m freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, without having an entry time. He challenged five other swimmers in heat one, including 16-year-old Emile Rony Bakale of Congo. He posted a lifetime best of 27.72 to earn a fourth spot by a 2.65-second margin behind winner Bakale. Defreitas failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed seventy-fourth overall out of 86 swimmers in the preliminaries.
