Men's 100m Freestyle Swimming at the Olympic Games
The men's 100m freestyle swimming race has been on the Olympic Program since the first Olympic Games in 1896. Many people consider it the blue riband swimming event, and over the years it has provided many highlights and many celebrities and personalities. See more about Olympic Swimming Events.
There was no 100m freestyle event in 1900, and in 1904 it was raced over 100 yards.
There have been four athletes who have won the event twice. The most successful country is the USA, though Australia and Hungary have also provided a few winners.
| Year | Winner | Country | Winning Time (secs) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | Alfréd Hajós | Hungary | 82.2 | The race was held in the Mediterranean Sea, with swimmers having to battle the elements to get to shore. Hajós went on to play in the Hungarian national football team, and also became a world renowned architect, winning another Olympic medal in 1924 for architecture. |
| 1900 | - | There was no 100 freestlye event on the program. A 200m freestyle was the closest event. | ||
| 1904 | Zoltán Halmay | Hungary | 62.8 | Halmay also came second in 1906 and 1908. This event was raced over 100 yards, the only time it was done so. |
| 1906 | Charles Daniels | USA | 73.0 | |
| 1908 | Charles Daniels | USA | 65.6 | |
| 1912 | Duke Kahanamoku | USA | 63.4 | Kahanamoku nearly missed the final, as the American swimmers did not turn up for the semis, believing that they had already qualified for the final. Luckily the officials allowed an extra race for him to qualify. Later he went to Hollywood to be an actor. One of his films triggered the boom of surfing. His bronze monument can be seen at the Waikiki beach in Honolulu. |
| 1920 | Duke Kahanamoku | USA | 60.4 | Kahanamoku won his second Olympic title in 1920 on his 30th birthday. The final was re-run after a protest, with Kahanamoku winning both races. |
| 1924 | Johnny Weissmuller | USA | 59.0 | The USA had a clean sweep of the medals, with brothers Duke and Sam Kahanamoku filling the places. |
| 1928 | Johnny Weissmuller | USA | 58.6 | Weissmuller later became known for playing Tarzan at the movies. |
| 1932 | Yasuji Miyazaki | Japan | 58.2 | Miyazaki was only 15 years old. |
| 1936 | Ferenc Csik | Hungary | 57.6 | A medical doctor, Csik died at the age of 32 in Sopron in an allied bombing raid while he was tending patients. |
| 1948 | Wally Ris | USA | 57.3 | |
| 1952 | Clarke Scholes | USA | 57.4 | In a close finish, second placed Hiroshi Suzuki was given the same time. |
| 1956 | Jon Henricks | Australia | 55.4 | It was a clean sweep for Australia – the first time ever Australia had swept any Olympic event. Interestingly, the USA filled the next three places. |
| 1960 | John Devitt | Australia | 55.2 | A controversial result, many believe the winner should have been Lance Larson who was awarded the silver. |
| 1964 | Don Schollander | USA | 53.4 | |
| 1968 | Michael Wenden | Australia | 52.2 | |
| 1972 | Mark Spitz | USA | 51.22 | This was one of Spitz's seven gold medals at the Munich Games, all won in world record time. |
| 1976 | Jim Montgomery | USA | 49.99 | Won in world record time, the first man to swim 100 metres in under 50 seconds |
| 1980 | Jörg Woithe | Germany | 50.40 | |
| 1984 | Rowdy Gaines | USA | 49.80 | |
| 1988 | Matt Biondi | USA | 48.63 | |
| 1992 | Alexander Popov | Unified Team | 49.02 | Pre-race favorite Biondi finished 5th |
| 1996 | Alexander Popov | Russia | 48.74 | |
| 2000 | Pieter van den Hoogenband | Netherlands | 48.30 | There was just as much fanfare for "Eric the Eel" Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea, who took 112.72 seconds in his heat. Popov finished second. |
| 2004 | Pieter van den Hoogenband | Netherlands | 48.17 | |
| 2008 | Alain Bernard | France | 47.21 | reigning champion van den Hoogenband finished 5th |
| 2012 | Nathan Adrian | USA | 47.52 | |
| 2016 | Kyle Chalmers | Australia | 47.90 | 18 year-old Kyle Chalmers become Australia's first Olympic champion in this event since Michael Wenden in 1968. |
Related Pages
- Anthropometric comparison of the Olympic champions in the 100m freestyle.
- About Swimming at the Olympic Games
- Olympic Games Swimming Quiz
- More information about the sport of swimming
- See more on the Greatest Swimmers at the Olympics.
- See also information about swimming at the Commonwealth Games
- About swimming at the FINA World Swimming Championships
- Olympic Highlights: Eric the Eel
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Current Events