About

• Men and women now compete in 16 different swimming events each.

• Freestyle races cover 7 different distances.

• Each race has a maximum of 8 swimmers.

• The first Olympic swimming races were held in the ocean, but have since moved to temperature-controlled 50-meter pools.

• The 4 x 200m freestyle and 4 x 100m medley relays always complete the swimming program.

• Freestyle is not specifically defined the way other strokes are - it is generally thought of as front crawl, but any style could be used, including those not considered competitive strokes.

Nado livre
Photo Courtesy of Confederação Brasileira de Desportos Aquáticos
Credit: Sátiro Sodré


Rules

• The freestyle stroke that swimmers will use is an alternating arm action, an alternating leg action, and a breath to the side.

• Swimmers use a forward start off a starting block, with a flip turn at each wall.

• Freestyle swimmers must finish the race by touching the wall with some part of their body.

• During a freestyle swim, the swimmer’s head must break the surface at or before 15-meters from the start and from each turn.


List of Events

• Men’s 50 m freestyle
• Men’s 100 m freestyle
• Men’s 200 m freestyle
• Men’s 400 m freestyle
• Men’s 1500 m freestyle
• Men’s 4x100 m freestyle relay
• Men’s 4x200 m freestyle relay
• Women’s 50 m freestyle
• Women’s 100 m freestyle
• Women’s 200 m freestyle
• Women’s 400 m freestyle
• Women’s 1500 m freestyle
• Women’s 4x100 m freestyle relay
• Women’s 4x200 m freestyle relay

Nado livre
Photo Courtesy of Confederação Brasileira de Desportos Aquáticos
Credit: Sátiro Sodré


Medals for 2004 Summer Olympics

Men

 Event  Gold  Silver  Bronze
 50 m  Gary  Hall, USA  Duje Draganja, CRO  Roland Mark Schoeman, RSA
 100 m  Pieter van den Hoogenband, NED  Roland Mark Schoeman, RSA  Ian Thorpe, AUS
 200 m  Ian Thorpe, AUS  Pieter van den Hoogenband, NED  Michael Phelps, USA
 400 m  Ian Thorpe, AUS  Grant Hackett, AUS  Klete Keller, USA
 1.500 m  Grant Hackett, AUS  Larsen Jensen, EUA  David Davies, GBR
 4 x 100 m  Republic of South Africa  Netherlands  United States
 4 x 200 m  United States  Austrália  Italy


Woment

 Event  Gold  Silver  Bronze
 50 m  Inge de Bruijn, NED  Malia Metella, FRA  Lisbeth Lenton, AUS
 100 m  Jodie Henry, AUS  Inge de Bruijn, NED  Natalie Coughlin, USA
 200 m Camelia Potec, ROM  Federica Pellegrini, ITA  
Solenne Figues, FRA
 400 m  Laure Manadou, FRA  Otylia Jedrzejczak, POL   Kaitlin Sandeno, USA
 1.500 m  Ai Shibata, JPN  Otylia Jedrzejczak, POL  Kaitlin Sandeno, USA
 4 x 100 m  Australia  United States  Netherlands
 4 x 200 m  United States  China  Germany



World Record Holders – Long course (50m)

- Eamon Sullivan of Australia set the men’s world record for the 50m freestyle with a time of 31.28 on March 28, 2008.

- Alain Bernard of France set the men’s world record for the 100m freestyle with a time of 47.50 on March 22, 2008.

- Michael Phelps of the USA set the men’s world record for the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:43.86 on March 27, 2007.

- Ian Thorpe of Australia set the men’s world record for the 400m freestyle with a time of 3:40.08 on July 30, 2002.

- Grant Hackett of Australia set the men’s world record for the 800m freestyle with a time of 7:38.65 on July 27, 2005.

- Grant Hackett of Australia set the men’s world record for the 1500m freestyle with a time of 14:34.56 on July 29, 2001.

- The USA team of Michael Phelps, Neil Walker, Cullen Jones, and Jason Lezak set the men’s world record for the 4x100m freestyle relay with a time of 3:12.46 on August 19, 2006.

- The USA team of Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Klete Keller, and Peter Vanderkaay set the men’s world record for the 4x200m freestyle relay with a time of 7:03.24 on March 20, 2007.

- Libby Trickett of Australia set the women’s world record for the 50m freestyle with a time of 23.97 on March 29, 2008.

- Libby Trickett of Australia set the women’s world record for the 100m freestyle with a time of 52.88 on March 27, 2008.

- Laure Manaudou of France set the women’s world record for the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:55.52 on March 28, 2007.

- Federica Pellegrini of Italy set the women’s world record for the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:01.53 on March 24, 2008.

- Janet Evans of the USA set the women’s world record for the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:16.22 on August 20, 1989.

- Kate Ziegler of the USA set the women’s world record for the 1500m freestyle with a time of 15:42.54 on June 17, 2007.


- The Netherlands team of Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk, and Marleen Veldhuis set the women’s world record for the 4x100m freestyle relay with a time of 3:33.62 on March 18, 2008.

- The USA team of Natalie Coughlin, Dana Vollmer, Lacey Nymeyer, and Katie Hoff set the women’s world record for the 4x200m freestyle relay with a time of 7:50.09 on March 29, 2007.

Olympic Record Holders

- Alexander Popov of The Unified Team set the men’s Olympic record for the 50m freestyle with a time of 21.91 on July 30, 1992.

- Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands set the men’s Olympic record for the 100m freestyle with a time of 47.84 on September 19, 2000.

- Ian Thorpe of Australia set the men’s Olympic record for the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:44.71 on August 16, 2004.

- Ian Thorpe of Australia set the men’s Olympic record for the 400m freestyle with a time of 3:40.59 on September 16, 2000.

- Grant Hackett of Australia set the men’s Olympic record for the 1500m freestyle with a time of 14:43.40 on August 21, 2004.

- Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands set the women’s Olympic record for the 50m freestyle with a time of 24.13 on September 22, 2000.

- Jodie Henry of Australia set the women’s Olympic record for the 100m freestyle with a time of 53.52 on August 18, 2004.

- Heike Friedrich of the German Democratic Republic of set the women’s Olympic record for the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:57.65 on September 21, 1988.

- Janet Evans of the USA set the women’s Olympic record for the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:03.85 on September 22, 1988.

- Brooke Bennett of the USA set the women’s Olympic record for the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:19.67 on September 22, 2000.

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