The men's 50 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 19 and 20.
Thomas Allen Shields is an American competitive swimmer. He is a two-time Olympian and the current American record-holder in the short course 50-meter and 200-meter butterfly events. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Shields won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay for swimming the butterfly leg of the relay in the prelims. Later the same year he became the first American to swim faster than 44 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly, setting a new American record of 43.84. For the 2020 Summer Olympics, he swam the butterfly leg of the 4x100-meter medley relay in the prelims, and won a gold medal in the event when the finals relay finished in first place. At the Kazan stop of the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup, Shields was the one and only swimmer representing the United States to compete in the international swimming competition, winning two gold medals and one silver medal in individual events. For the whole 2021 World Cup, Shields was the highest scoring American competitor and second-highest scoring male competitor.
Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky is an American competitive swimmer. Having won 6 Olympic individual gold medals and 14 world championship individual gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer, she is considered one of the greatest Olympians and the greatest female swimmer of all time. Ledecky is the world record holder in the women's 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle as well as the former world record holder in the women's 400-meter freestyle. She also holds the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events.
Kosuke Hagino is a Japanese former competitive swimmer who specialized in the individual medley and 200 m freestyle. He is a four-time Olympic medalist, most notably winning gold in the 400 m individual medley at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Vladimir Viktorovich Morozov is a Russian competitive swimmer and Olympic medalist. He is the former world record holder in the short course 100-metre individual medley, the current textile world record, World Cup record and Russian national record holder in the 100-metre individual medley and 100-metre freestyle, and Russian record holder in the 50-metre freestyle. He also holds the European record for the 100-metre individual medley. Formerly he held the Russian national record in the 50-metre backstroke and the 50-metre butterfly, and held the European and Russian records in the 50-metre breaststroke.
Hali Flickinger is an American professional swimmer who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley events. She represents the Cali Condors of the International Swimming League.
Emma Jennifer McKeon, is an Australian competitive swimmer. She is a four-time world record holder, one current and three former, in the 4x100 metre freestyle relay. Her total career haul of 11 Olympic medals following the 2020 Olympic Games made her Australia's most decorated Olympian and included one gold medal from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and four gold medals from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. With four gold and three bronze medals she was the most decorated athlete across all sports at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and tied for the most medals won by a woman in a single Olympic Games. She has also won 17 medals, including four gold medals, at the World Aquatics Championships; and twelve medals, including eight gold, at the 2014 Glasgow and 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Kyle Chalmers, is an Australian competitive swimmer who specialises in freestyle and butterfly events. He is the world record holder in the short course 100 metre freestyle. He is also the Oceanian record and the Australian record holder in the short course 50 metre butterfly and 50 metre freestyle events.
Lillia Camille King is an American swimmer who specializes in breaststroke. She currently represents the Cali Condors, a team that is part of the International Swimming League. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she won the gold medal in the 100 meter breaststroke competition and also won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay, in which she swam the breaststroke leg. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, King won a silver medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay for her efforts in the prelims, the silver medal in the 200 meter breaststroke, and the bronze medal in the 100 meter breaststroke. She is the current world record holder in the long course 100 meter breaststroke.
Ryan Held is an American freestyle swimmer who specializes in the sprint events, and is currently sponsored by Arena. He holds the U.S. Open record in the long course 100 meter freestyle and three world records in short course relay events. At the 2016 Summer Olympics he won a gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, swimming in both the prelims and the final of the event. In 2021, he won silver medals in the 50 meter freestyle and the 100 meter freestyle at the 2021 World Short Course Championships. At his first FINA World Aquatics Championships, the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, he won a gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay.
Blake John Pieroni is an American professional swimmer who specializes in freestyle events. He is a two time Olympian and gold medalist in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at both the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics. On the relay in 2016, he swam in the prelims of the race, on the 2020 Olympics 4x100-meter freestyle relay he swam in both the prelims and the final. He also won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay at the 2020 Olympic Games, swimming the freestyle leg of the relay in the prelims.
Zachary "Zach" Douglas Apple is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in the sprint freestyle events. He currently swims for DC Trident in the International Swimming League. He won his first Olympic gold medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, swimming in the prelims and the final of the event, and later in the same Olympic Games won a gold medal and helped set a new world record and Olympic record in the 4x100-meter medley relay, swimming the freestyle leg of the relay in the final.
Kieran Smith is an American swimmer specializing in freestyle and individual medley events. He is the American record and US Open record holder in the 500 yard freestyle. He won a gold medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. At the 2021 World Short Course Championships, Smith won a gold medal and set an American record as part of the 4×200 metre freestyle relay. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze Olympic medal in the 400 meter freestyle, placing sixth in the 200 meter freestyle and fourth in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay. At the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, he won the silver medal in the 200 meter individual medley. He competes collegiately for the Florida Gators.
Andrew "Drew" Kibler is an American competition swimmer who specializes in freestyle events. He is an American record holder in the 4×200 yard freestyle relay. He is a three-time Pan American Games medalist, winning silver medals in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay and the 4×100 meter freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 200 meter freestyle at the 2019 Pan American Games. He is also a three-time NCAA champion in the 4×200 yard freestyle relay, winning NCAA titles in the event in 2019, 2021, and 2022. In 2022, he also won the NCAA title in the 200 yard freestyle and the 4×100 yard freestyle relay. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, he placed fourth in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay. In 2022, he won a gold medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay, a bronze medal in the 4×100 meter mixed freestyle relay, and placed fourth in the 200 meter freestyle at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
