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." 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.
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 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, both men and women competed in eighteen events in the pool. Of the 35 pool-based events, swimmers from the United States hold fifteen records, Australia five, France four, China, Canada and South Africa two each, and one each to Ireland, Great Britain, Russian Olympic Committee, Hungary, and Sweden. Nineteen of the current Olympic records were set at the 2024 Summer Olympics, seven in 2020, five in 2016, one in 2012, and three in 2008. __TOC__
Men's records
♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2024 Olympics and include only those events which are currently recognised by the IOC as Olympic events. EventTimeNameNationGamesDateRef21.07 2020 Tokyo1 August 2021♦46.40 2024 Paris31 July 20241:42.96 2008 Beijing12 August 20083:40.14 2012 London28 July 20127:38.19 2024 Paris30 July 202414:30.67 Bobby Finke2024 Paris4 August 202451.85 2016 Rio de Janeiro13 August 20161:53.27 2020 Tokyo30 July 202157.13 2016 Rio de Janeiro7 August 20162:05.85 2024 Paris31 July 2024♦49.45 2020 Tokyo31 July 20211:51.21 2024 Paris31 July 20241:54.06 2024 Paris2 August 20244:02.95 2024 Paris28 July 2024♦3:08.24 (47.51)Garrett Weber-Gale (47.02)Cullen Jones (47.65)Jason Lezak (46.06)2008 Beijing11 August 20086:58.56 (1:43.31)Ryan Lochte (1:44.28)Ricky Berens (1:46.29)Peter Vanderkaay (1:44.68)2008 Beijing13 August 2008♦3:26.78 (52.31) (58.49) Caeleb Dressel (49.03)Zach Apple (46.95)2020 Tokyo1 August 2021
Women's records
♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2024 Olympics and include only those events which are currently recognised by the IOC as Olympic events. EventTimeNameNationGamesDateRef23.66 2024 Paris3 August 202451.96 2020 Tokyo30 July 20211:53.27 2024 Paris29 July 20243:56.46 2016 Rio de Janeiro7 August 20168:04.79 2016 Rio de Janeiro12 August 201615:30.02 2024 Paris31 July 202457.28 Regan Smith2024 Paris4 August 20242:03.73 2024 Paris2 August 20241:04.82 2020 Tokyo25 July 20212:18.95 2020 Tokyo30 July 202155.38 27 July 20242:03.03 Summer McIntosh2024 Paris1 August 20242:06.56 2024 Paris3 August 20244:26.36 2016 Rio de Janeiro6 August 20163:28.92 Mollie O'Callaghan (52.24)Shayna Jack (52.35)Emma McKeon (52.39)Meg Harris (51.94)2024 Paris27 July 20247:38:08 (1:53.52)Lani Pallister (1:55.61)Brianna Throssell (1:56.00)Ariarne Titmus (1:52.95)2024 Paris1 August 20243:49.63 (57.28)Lilly King (1:04.90)Gretchen Walsh (55.03)Torri Huske (52.42)2024 Paris4 August 2024
Mixed records ♦ denotes a performance that is also a current world record. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2024 Olympics and include only those events which are currently recognised by the IOC as Olympic events. EventTimeNameNationGamesDateRef3:37.43 Ryan Murphy (52.08)Nicolas Fink (58.29)Gretchen Walsh (55.18)Torri Huske (51.88)2024 Paris3 August 2024
Footnotes
References General World Aquatics: Olympic Records 4 August 2024 updated Specific