The 100 metres backstroke is an event in competitive swimming. World records are ratified by World Aquatics (formerly FINA). The current long course world record holders are the US' Aaron Peirsol and Australia's Kaylee McKeown, while the current short course world record holders are Hungary's Hubert Kós, and McKeown.
The men's event was first contested at the Olympic Games in 1900; it was removed from the 1904 program and was reinstated at the 1964 games. The women's event has been contested since 1968. The current Olympic champions are Kós and McKeown. The men's and women's events have been contested at the World Aquatics Championships since the inaugural championships in 1973; the current world champions (long course) are Kós and McKeown. The men's and women's events have been contested at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) since the inaugural championships in 1993; the current world champions (short course) are Kós, and the US' Regan Smith.
World record progression
Men long course Old regulations NoTimeNameNationalityDateLocation13'04"4Oscar Schiele Germany27 June 1909Berlin, GermanySchwimmen im Kochsee; Berliner Volkszeitung; 29 June 1909; via the European Library22'59"8George Arnold Germany3 January 1910Magdeburg, Germany32'56"4Maurice Wechesser18 October 1910Schaerbeek, Belgium42'50"6Hermann Pentz Germany11 March 1911Magdeburg, Germany52'48"4Otto Fahr Germany3 April 1912Magdeburg, Germany62'47"1Walter Laufer24 June 1926Bremen, Germany 72'44"9Walter Laufer11 July 1926Nuremberg, Germany82'38"8Walter Laufer13 July 1926Magdeburg, GermanyUued ilmarekordid; Waba Maa; 16 July 1926; via the European Library 92'37"8Toshio Irie14 October 1928Tamagawa, JapanToshio Irie at sports-reference.com102'32"2George Kojac16 June 1930New Haven, United States112'27"8Al Vande Weghe30 August 1934Honolulu, Hawaii122'24"0Adolph Kiefer11 April 1935Chicago, United States132'23"0Adolph Kiefer23 May 1941Honolulu, Hawaii142'22"9Harry Holiday18 May 1943Detroit, United States152'19"3Adolph Kiefer4 March 1944Annapolis, United States162'18"5Allen Stack4 May 1949New Haven, United States172'18"3Gilbert Bozon26 June 1953Algiers, Algeria
New regulations
Men short course
Women long course Old Regulations NoTimeNameNationalityDateLocation13'06"8Sybil Bauer4 July 1922Brighton Beach, United States23'03"8Sybil Bauer9 February 1924Miami, United States32'59"2Marie Braun24 November 1928Brussels, Belgium42'58"8Eleanor Holm1 February 1930Buffalo, United States52'58"2Eleanor Holm1 March 1930New York City, United States62'50"4Phyllis Harding19 September 1932Wallasey, United Kingdom72'49"6Rie Mastenbroek20 January 1935Amsterdam, Netherlands82'48"7Eleanor Holm3 March 1936Toledo, United States92'44"6Nida Senff2 February 1937Amsterdam, Netherlands102'41"3Ragnhild Hveger14 February 1937Århus, Denmark112'41"0Cor Kint17 April 1938Århus, Denmark122'40"6Iet van Feggelen26 October 1938Düsseldorf, Germany132'39"0Iet van Feggelen18 December 1938Amsterdam, Netherlands142'38"8Cor Kint29 November 1939Rotterdam, Netherlands152'35"3Geertje Wielema2 April 1950Hilversum, Netherlands
New Regulations
Women short course
All-time top 25 Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 200 m backstroke times and the top 25 athletes:- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 200 m backstroke times- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 200 m backstroke times, by repeat athletes- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 200 m backstroke times
Men long course
Correct as of August 2026 Time Athlete Nation Date Place 1 1 1:51.92 Aaron Peirsol 31 July 2009 Rome 2 2 1:52.30 Hubert Kós 11 August 2026 Paris 3 3 1:52.51 Ryosuke Irie 31 July 2009 Rome 4 1:52.86Irie #2 10 May 2009 Canberra 4 5 1:52.96 Ryan Lochte 29 July 2011 Shanghai 6 1:53.08Peirsol #2 11 July 2009 Indianapolis Kós #2 12 August 2026 Paris 5 8 1:53.17 Mitch Larkin 7 November 2015 Dubai 9 1:53.19 Kós #3 1 August 2025 Singapore 6 10 1:53.23 Evgeny Rylov 8 April 2021 Kazan 11 1:53.26Irie #3 25 September 2014 Incheon 12 1:53.27Rylov #2 30 July 2021 Tokyo 13 1:53.34Larkin #2 29 October 2015 Tokyo 14 1:53.36Rylov #3 8 August 2018 Glasgow 7 14 1:53.36 Pieter Coetze 1 August 2025 Singapore 16 1:53.40Rylov #4 26 July 2019 Gwangju 8 17 1:53.41 Tyler Clary 2 August 2012 London 9 18 1:53.57 Ryan Murphy 12 August 2018 Tokyo 19 1:53.58Larkin #3 7 August 2015 Kazan 20 1:53.61Rylov #5 28 July 2017 Budapest 21 1:53.62Murphy #2 11 August 2016 Rio de Janeiro 22 1:53.71Rylov #6 25 April 2018 Moscow 23 1:53.72Larkin #4 15 December 2015 Brisbane 24 1:53.73Irie #4 7 December 2009 Hong Kong 25 1:53.78Irie #5 2 August 2012 London 10 1:53.81 Apostolos Siskos 12 August 2026 Paris 11 1:53.96 Thomas Ceccon 12 August 2026 Paris 12 1:53.99 Xu Jiayu 23 August 2018 Jakarta 13 1:54.07 Roman Mityukov 12 August 2026 Paris 14 1:54.23 Kosuke Hagino 10 April 2014 Tokyo 15 1:54.24 Radosław Kawęcki 2 August 2013 Barcelona 16 1:54.25 Jack Aikins 4 June 2025 Indianapolis 17 1:54.40 Jan Cejka 11 August 2026 Paris 18 1:54.43 Luke Greenbank 21 May 2021 Budapest 19 1:54.47 Yohann Ndoye Brouard 31 July 2025 Singapore 20 1:54.51 Hugo González 20 June 2024 Palma 21 1:54.59 Nick Thoman 5 August 2009 Federal Way 22 1:54.61 Keaton Jones 20 June 2024 Indianapolis 23 1:54.65 Michael Phelps 31 July 2007 Indianapolis 24 1:54.75 Arkady Vyatchanin 31 July 2009 Rome 25 1:54.77 Jacob Pebley 1 July 2016 Omaha
Men short course Correct as of December 2025 Time Athlete Nation Date Place 1 1 1:45.12 Hubert Kós 23 October 2025 Toronto 2 2 1:45.63 Mitch Larkin 27 November 2015 Sydney 3 1:45.65Kós #2 15 December 2024 Budapest 3 4 1:46.11 Arkady Vyatchanin 15 November 2009 Berlin 4 5 1:46.37 Evgeny Rylov 21 November 2020 Budapest 6 1:46.41Vyatchanin #2 22 November 2009 Singapore 5 7 1:46.68 Ryan Lochte 19 December 2010 Dubai 8 1:46.84Kós #3 10 October 2025 Carmel 9 1:47.02Rylov #2 16 December 2018 Hangzhou 6 10 1:47.08 George Du Rand 7 November 2009 Moscow 7 11 1:47.34 Ryan Murphy 16 December 2018 Hangzhou 8 12 1:47.38 Radosław Kawęcki 7 December 2014 Doha 13 1:47.41Larkin #2 4 November 2016 Brisbane Murphy #2 21 November 2020 Budapest Murphy #3 18 December 2022 Melbourne 16 1:47.48Murphy #4 15 November 2020 Budapest 9 17 1:47.49 Thomas Ceccon 23 October 2025 Toronto 18 1:47.51Kós #4 17 October 2025 Westmont 19 1:47.63Kawęcki #2 11 August 2013 Berlin Kawęcki #3 11 December 2016 Windsor 10 21 1:47.64 Markus Rogan 11 November 2009 Stockholm 22 1:47.66Vyatchanin #3 11 November 2009 Stockholm 11 23 1:47.68 Léon Marchand 10 October 2025 Carmel 24 1:47.72Larkin #3 9 November 2014 Adelaide 25 1:47.84Rogan #2 13 April 2008 Manchester 12 1:47.89 John Shortt 3 December 2025 Lublin 13 1:48.01 Shaine Casas 18 December 2022 Melbourne 14 1:48.02 Kliment Kolesnikov 13 December 2017 Copenhagen 15 1:48.25 Masaki Kaneko 17 January 2016 Tokyo 16 1:48.32 Xu Jiayu 9 November 2018 Tokyo 17 1:48.43 Lorenzo Mora 10 December 2023 Otopeni 18 1:48.53 Luke Greenbank 10 December 2023 Otopeni 19 1:48.55 Mewen Tomac 10 December 2023 Otopeni 20 1:48.59 Jacob Pebley 29 September 2021 Naples 21 1:48.60 Tyler Clary 11 August 2013 Berlin 22 1:48.62 Stanislav Donets 10 December 2009 Istanbul 23 1:48.74 Matt Grevers 18 December 2009 Manchester 24 1:48.77 Ryosuke Irie 7 December 2014 Doha 25 1:48.97 Christian Diener 21 December 2021 Abu Dhabi
Women long course
Correct as of September 2026 Time Athlete Nation Date Place 1 1 2:03.14 Kaylee McKeown 10 March 2023 Sydney 2 2:03.30McKeown #2 13 June 2024 Brisbane 3 2:03.33 McKeown #3 2 August 2025 Singapore 2 4 2:03.35 Regan Smith 26 July 2019 Gwangju 5 2:03.69Smith #2 27 July 2019 Gwangju 6 2:03.70McKeown #4 16 June 2023 Melbourne 7 2:03.73McKeown #5 2 August 2024 Paris 8 2:03.80Smith #3 28 June 2023 Indianapolis 9 2:03.84McKeown #6 20 April 2024 Gold Coast 10 2:03.85McKeown #7 29 July 2023 Fukuoka 11 2:03.98McKeown #8 11 June 2026 Sydney 12 2:03.99Smith #4 9 March 2024 Westmont 3 13 2:04.06 Missy Franklin 3 August 2012 London 14 2:04.13Smith #5 14 August 2026 Irvine 15 2:04.18McKeown #9 14 May 2023 Sydney 16 2:04.21McKeown #10 15 March 2024 Sydney 17 2:04.26Smith #6 2 August 2024 Paris 18 2:04.27Smith #7 2 December 2023 Greensboro 19 2:04.28McKeown #11 17 June 2021 Adelaide 20 2:04.29 Smith #8 2 August 2025 Singapore 21 2:04.31McKeown #12 14 May 2021 Sydney 4 22 2:04.37 Isabelle Stadden 1 May 2026 Fort Lauderdale 23 2:04.47McKeown #13 12 June 2025 Adelaide 24 2:04.49McKeown #14 15 November 2020 Brisbane 25 2:04.57McKeown #15 21 March 2025 Sydney 5 2:04.81 Kirsty Coventry 1 August 2009 Rome 6 2:04.94 Anastasia Fesikova 1 August 2009 Rome 7 2:05.08 Phoebe Bacon 27 April 2022 Greensboro 8 2:05.09 Claire Curzan 4 June 2025 Indianapolis 9 2:05.13 Rhyan White 27 April 2022 Greensboro 10 2:05.42 Kylie Masse 31 July 2021 Tokyo 11 2:05.56 Margherita Panziera 31 March 2021 Riccione 12 2:05.68 Emily Seebohm 29 July 2017 Budapest 13 2:05.77 Peng Xuwei 22 September 2026 Tokyo 14 2:05.85 Katinka Hosszú 29 July 2017 Budapest 15 2:05.99 Maya DiRado 12 August 2016 Rio de Janeiro Leah Shackley 18 July 2025 Berlin 17 2:06.05 Maggie Wanezek 19 June 2026 Indianapolis 18 2:06.06 Belinda Hocking 30 July 2011 Shanghai 19 2:06.09 Margaret Hoelzer 29 June 2008 Omaha 20 2:06.13 Katie Shanahan 11 August 2026 Paris 21 2:06.14 Kathleen Baker 9 August 2018 Tokyo 22 2:06.18 Elizabeth Beisel 2 August 2012 London 23 2:06.29 Elizabeth Pelton 25 June 2013 Indianapolis 24 2:06.36 Taylor Ruck 2 March 2018 Atlanta 25 2:06.46 Zhao Jing 13 November 2010 Guangzhou
Women short course Correct as of October 2025 Time Athlete Nation Date Place 1 1 1:57.33 Kaylee McKeown 25 October 2025 Toronto 2 2 1:57.86 Regan Smith 25 October 2025 Toronto 3 1:57.87McKeown #2 19 October 2025 Westmont 4 1:57.91Smith #2 19 October 2025 Westmont 5 1:58.04Smith #3 15 December 2024 Budapest 6 1:58.83Smith #4 2 November 2024 Singapore 7 1:58.86McKeown #3 12 October 2025 Carmel 8 1:58.94McKeown #4 28 November 2020 Brisbane 3 9 1:59.23 Katinka Hosszú 5 December 2014 Doha 4 10 1:59.25 Minna Atherton 23 November 2019 London 11 1:59.26McKeown #5 18 December 2022 Melbourne 5 12 1:59.35 Daryna Zevina 26 August 2016 Chartres 13 1:59.48Atherton #2 26 October 2019 Budapest McKeown #6 25 August 2022 Sydney 6 15 1:59.49 Emily Seebohm 26 November 2015 Sydney 16 1:59.60Smith #5 26 October 2024 Incheon 17 1:59.75Hosszú #2 11 December 2015 Indianapolis 18 1:59.84Hosszú #3 4 December 2015 Netanya 19 1:59.94Seebohm #2 6 October 2018 Budapest 20 1:59.95Hosszú #4 4 December 2015 Netanya 7 21 1:59.96 Summer McIntosh 15 December 2024 Budapest 8 22 2:00.03 Missy Franklin 22 October 2011 Berlin 23 2:00.05Hosszú #5 11 August 2017 Eindhoven 24 2:00.07Smith #6 12 October 2025 Carmel 25 2:00.13Seebohm #3 5 December 2014 Doha 9 2:00.15 Anastasiya Shkurdai 10 November 2023 Brest 10 2:00.18 Shiho Sakai 14 November 2009 Berlin 11 2:00.27 Beata Nelson 21 November 2020 Budapest 12 2:00.53 Claire Curzan 18 December 2022 Melbourne 13 2:00.69 Kathleen Baker 6 October 2018 Budapest 14 2:00.71 Lisa Bratton 13 December 2018 Hangzhou 15 2:00.76 Phoebe Bacon 15 December 2024 Budapest 16 2:00.83 Elizabeth Simmonds 16 December 2011 Atlanta 17 2:00.91 Kirsty Coventry 11 April 2008 Manchester 18 2:01.24 Belinda Hocking 22 October 2011 Berlin 19 2:01.26 Kira Toussaint 4 November 2021 Kazan Kylie Masse 18 December 2022 Melbourne 21 2:01.29 Amy Bilquist 30 October 2020 Budapest 22 2:01.33 Courtney Bartholomew 11 December 2015 Indianapolis 23 2:01.45 Margherita Panziera 6 December 2019 Glasgow 24 2:01.57 Daria Ustinova 4 December 2015 Netanya 25 2:01.58 Rhyan White 19 December 2021 Abu Dhabi
Olympic champions Men