Fastest Swimmers in Olympics History

These swimmers won gold in every 100-meter freestyle event since the modern Olympics started in 1896.

Speed wins in swimming. And at the Olympics, swimmers don’t get much faster than in the 100-meter freestyle.

Since the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896, swimmers have amazed us in this event. Are they men, or fish? It’s hard to tell. The gold medal winners in the 100-meter freestyle swim better than most people walk.

These are the fastest swimmers in Olympics history in the 100-meter freestyle.

1896 Athens: Alfréd Hajós

AP Photo

Country: Hungary

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 1:22.2

World record that year: N/A

Bottom line: Alfréd Hajós’s was dubbed the “Hungarian Dolphin” by the Athenian press at the 1896 Games, but his original name was Arnold Guttman. When he was just 13, his father drowned in the Danube River. In his memory, he took the name Hajós, or sailor in Hungarian.

During his first Olympic games, the events weren’t held in a pool but in the icy Mediterranean Sea. By the time he was 18, he had won two gold medals while massive, 12-foot waves splashed over him. He tried to cover himself in a layer of grease to stay warm, but he later admitted that he had raced to escape the bitter chill of the water rather than to win.

When he was asked where he learned how to swim so well, Hajós replied, “In the water.”

1908 London: Charles Daniels

MMJYBBJWIdols / Twitter

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 1:05.6

World record that year: 1:05.6

Bottom line: Born in 1885, Charles Daniels was the first American to win an Olympic medal, winning gold in both the 220- and 440-yard freestyle races at the 1904 Olympics.

He went on to win six more Olympic medals and held the world record in two different freestyle swimming events. The six-foot champion is also credited with inventing a particular style of swimming, dubbed the “American crawl.”

When he died in 1973, Daniels was known as one of the pioneers of American swimming champions.

1912 Stockholm: Duke Kahanamoku

Duke Kahanamoku at 1912 Stockhold Olympics

the_inertia / Twitter

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 1:03.4

World record that year: 1:02.4

Bottom line: Duke Kahanamoku has a much, much longer name. His whole name is actually Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku.

The Hawaiian native was an all-around waterman and one of the first swimmers to introduce surfing to the public eye. He never graduated from high school because his help was needed to support his eight siblings, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a five-time Olympic medalist.

He went on to become an actor, volleyball player, businessman and law enforcement officer. He also saved eight men from drowning during a summer storm in Newport Beach, California. It was 1925 and a fishing boat tipped over in the heavy surf. Duke jumped on his surfboard and swam to the fishermen’s aid, making several trips to save as many lives as he could.

The Newport Beach police described Duke’s heroism as, “The most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen.”

Duke wasn’t just one of the world’s fastest swimmers. He also was a noble one.

1920 Antwerp: Duke Kahanamoku

USOPMuseum / Twitter

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 1:01.4

World record that year: 1:00.4

Bottom line: Duke was an impressive figure all-around. He was the first person to be inducted into both the Surfing Hall of Fame and the Swimming Hall of Fame.

The first significant pro surfing competition in Oahu was named after him as well: the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships. He also served 13 terms as the sheriff of Honolulu and was well-liked pretty much everywhere he went.

After his passing in 1968, he was buried at sea with a 30-man police escort.

1924 Paris: Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller, left, with Duke Kahanamoku at the 1924 Olympics in Paris

AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 59.0

World record that year: 57.4

Bottom line: Janos Peter Weissmuller, aka Johnny, was multitalented.

During his competitive swimming career, he set several world records, including the 100-meter swimming record, and won five Olympic gold medals. He also won a bronze medal in an Olympic water polo competition at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

In addition to his memorable swimming career, Johnny was a well-known actor. He played Tarzan in a 1932 series called “Tarzan the Ape Man,” which included five sequels.

1928 Amsterdam: Johnny Weissmuller

AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 58.6

World record that year: 57.4

Bottom line: Johnny Weissmuller never would have become an Olympian if it weren’t for a little white lie. When he was 11, he pretended he was 12 to meet the age requirement to join his local branch of the YMCA. It was all history from there.

He was naturally athletic and won race after race. He went on to join the prestigious Illinois Athletic Club swim team, and won two gold medals at the Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

After winning gold, he became an advocate for nutrition and health. He became a vegetarian, and his green diet didn’t limit his strength in the slightest. He was the first man to swim the 440-yard freestyle in less than five minutes, and the first to swim the 100-meter in under a minute — the most exciting 100-meter swimming record of his era.

During his entire career, he never lost a race. The Associated Press even declared him the best swimmer of the first half of the 20th century.

1932 Los Angeles: Yasuji Miyazaki

aniketmishra299 / Twitter

Country: Japan

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 58.2

World record that year: 57.4

Bottom line: Yasuji Miyazaki went to the Olympics when he was only 15 years old.

Despite being one of the youngest members of the Japanese Olympic team, he set the 100-meter Olympic freestyle record and won a gold medal in one fell swoop. He broke another record the next day in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay, with a time of just 58.4 seconds.

Competition wasn’t his sole purpose in life, however. After retiring from swimming, he went to a university in Japan and led a normal life.

1936 Berlin: Ferenc Csik

Playing_Pasts / Twitter

Country: Hungary

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 57.6

World record that year: 56.4

Bottom line: Ferenc Csik was a Hungarian swimmer who won both a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle and a bronze in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay.

He was coached by a famous Olympic water polo player, Jozsef Vertesy, who was a gold medalist himself. After Csik retired as one of the fastest swimmers in the world, he became a medical doctor.

He was killed during an air raid in World War II while he ran to give aid to an injured man. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Keszthely, Hungary, in a memorial sports park near the pool where he first learned to swim.

1948 London: Wally Ris

Wally Ris, center, on winner's podium in London

AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 57.3

World record that year: 55.4

Bottom line: Olympic swimming journeys often have humble beginnings. Walter Steven Ris started swimming at Crane Technical High in Chicago. He went on to attend the University of Iowa, becoming a star member of the Iowa Hawkeyes swimming and diving team.

He was the nationwide collegiate champion for two years in a row, in addition to winning two Olympic medals at the 1948 Games in London.

In 1966, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

1952 Helsinki: Clarke Scholes

Michigan State

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 57.4

World record that year: 55.4

Bottom line: Clarke Scholes started out swimming for the Michigan State Spartans. With the help of his coach, Charles McCaffree, Scholes became a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion, and a five-time All-American champion. Scholes was also the subject of an intense Olympic debate.

His time in the 100-meter freestyle was exactly the same as that of another competitor, and it came down to a judge’s call. In the end, Scholes was awarded the gold medal.

In 1980, he joined the ranks of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

1956 Melbourne: Jon Henricks

Sport Australia Hall of Fame

Country: Australia

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 55.4

World record that year: 55.4

Bottom line: Most people go to college right after high school, but Jon Henricks went to the Olympics instead.

After a series of successes at the Australian national championships, he set his eyes on Olympic gold. A severe ear infection kept him from competing in the 1952 games, but he didn’t give up. In 1956, he won gold and set a new 100-meter swimming record.

After that, he attended the University of Southern California and became a member of their swim team. With his help, the team broke the New Haven Swim Club’s winning streak at the Amateur Athletic Union championships.

1960 Rome: John Devitt

AP Photo

Country: Australia

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 55.2

World record that year: 54.6

Bottom line: You don’t have to be rich to become a champion, and John Devitt is proof. He learned to swim as part of a government-sponsored swim program for kids at the Granville Olympic Pool.

His first coach there, Tom Penny, encouraged his students to swim against the current of the waters discharged from a nearby powerplant, which he believed would help them develop resilience and adaptability to adverse conditions.

Devitt’s 100-meter freestyle win was controversial since the timekeepers actually recorded a faster time for the silver medalist, Lance Larson. Whoever won, Devitt was an incredible swimmer.

1964 Tokyo: Don Schollander

AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 53.4

World record that year: 52.9

Bottom line: Donald Schollander was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and learned to swim from his Uncle Newt. After Schollander’s family moved to Oregon, he tried to take up football, but soon realized that he was too small to become a serious competitor.

He switched to the swim team and ended up helping the team win the state championship when he was just a freshman. He moved again to train with a professional coach in California who helped him win three events at the AAU national championships.

When he made it to the 1964 Olympics, he was ready. One of the fastest swimmers ever, he won four gold medals; the most on record by an American during a single Olympic Games since Jesse Owens. Schollander also was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in America.

1968 Mexico City: Michael Wenden

Michael Wenden swims to victory in 100-meter freestyle

AP Photo

Country: Australia

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 52.2

World record that year: 52.6

Bottom line: Michael Wenden represented Australia in two Summer Olympics, winning six medals.

He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1979 and helped carry the Olympic Flag during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney. He was also invited to be a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006

Fun fact: His daughter, Karen Baildon, followed in his footsteps. She became a skilled swimmer, competing at the state level before winning the title of 1989 Miss Universe Miss Photogenic.

1972 Munich: Mark Spitz

The Sports Time Machine / Facebook

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 51.22

World record that year: 51.22

Bottom line: When Mark Spitz was just 2 years old, his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. He swam at Waikiki beach daily and began competing when he moved back to California at age 6.

By the time he was 9, he was being coached by Sherm Chavoor, who had trained six other Olympians. In high school, Spitz joined the Santa Clara Swim Club and became a national champion at the high school level in every stroke. He won a total of 24 AAU titles.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics, Spitz won seven gold medals, a world record that stood for 36 years until it was broken in 2008 by Michael Phelps. Spitz dominated in the water during his era was named World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine for three years in a row.

1976 Montreal: Jim Montgomery

Jim Montgomery, right, and Jack Babashoff on a parade route

AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 49.99

World record that year: 49.44

Bottom line: For years, competitive swimmers struggled to beat the so-called 50-second barrier in the 100-meter freestyle event. Jim Montgomery was the first to make it happen. He broke the record at the 1976 Olympics, in addition to claiming three gold medals and a bronze. He did all of this between his junior and senior years of college at Indiana University.

He later founded the Dallas Masters swim program. It changed names several times, eventually becoming the Dallas Aquatic Masters club team. He coached there and at a high school in Texas until 2015, when he launched his own swim school.

1980 Moscow: Jörg Woithe

Prabook

Country: East Germany

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 50.40

World record that year: 49:44

Bottom line: Jörg Woithe’s success at the 1980 Summer Olympics was only the start of his swimming career. Sure, he won a gold and a silver medal, but he wasn’t finished.

Over the course of the next eight years, he won an additional five bronze, seven silver and two gold medals at the European and world championships.

Even when his days of competitive swimming were behind him, his passion for the sport continued. He earned a degree from the German Institute of Physical Education and Sport and became a professional coach. He was eventually hired by the Iranian swimming national team.

1984 Los Angeles: Rowdy Gaines

Sintay / AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 49.80

World record that year: 49.36

Bottom line: Rowdy Gaines is a retired competitive swimmer who is a member of the U.S Olympic Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Gaines didn’t start swimming until the age of 17 in his hometown of Winter Haven, Florida. However, he got on quickly and went to Auburn University with a scholarship. He went to break 11 world records and was the favorite going into the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

After the U.S boycotted the 1980 games, Gaines thought his career might be over and took a year-long hiatus. His time out of the spotlight wasn’t for long, though, as he returned to swimming in 1981 and soon after qualified for the U.S team that competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Gaines had his dreams come true from that point on and not only became a world-renowned three-time gold medalist, but he also earned the nickname “Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador.”

1988 Seoul: Matt Biondi

Rusty Kennedy / AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 48.63

World record that year: 48.42

Bottom line: Matt Biondi won 11 Olympic medals during his career. He was 5 when he first started racing, and during his first competition, his swim shorts fell off.

That didn’t stop him. He continued swimming, setting a national record in high school and competing for several years before he won his first gold in the Los Angeles Olympics.

1992 Barcelona: Alexander Popov

Alexander Popov, right, shows his gold medal

Thomas Kienzle / AP Photo

Country: Unified Team

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 49.02

World record that year: 48.42

Bottom line: Aleksandr Vladimirovich Popov, more commonly known as Alexander Popov, is often recognized as the fastest sprint swimmer in the world. He won gold in both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events two Olympic games in a row.

When he started swimming at age 8, he was afraid of water. At his father’s insistence, he continued with lessons until he recognized his passion for the sport.

All that hard work paid off.

1996 Atlanta: Alexander Popov

Denis Paquin / AP Photo

Country: Russia

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 48.74

World record that year: 48.21

Bottom line: Alexander Popov’s first international competition was in 1991. He quickly became known as the one to beat. Throughout most of the 1990s, however, beating him was practically impossible.

His success earned him several nicknames, including “Ice Man,” “The Russian Rocket,” “Big Dog,” and, simply, “Sasha.”

2000 Sydney: Pieter van den Hoogenband

Doug Mills / AP Photo

Country: Netherlands

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 48.30

World record that year: 47.84

Bottom line: Pieter Cornelis Ruud van den Hoogenband, usually shortened to Pieter van den Hoogenband, is a three-time Olympic champion.

Nicknamed the “Flying Dutchman,” he was particularly skilled at sprint swimming. His mom was a former European Junior Champion, coaching the Dutch swim team for years.

His father was also heavily involved in sports, building a foundation to raise money for Pieter’s coaching.

2004 Athens: Pieter van den Hoogenband

itorres76miami / Twitter

Country: Netherlands

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 48.17

World record that year: 47.84

Bottom line: Pieter van den Hoogenband’s breakout performance took place around the turn of the century at the 1999 European Championships. At the Summer Olympics the following year, he snagged the world record in the 100-meter swim.

His record stood untouched until Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps hit the scene. Van den Hoogenband was very gracious when Thorpe eventually beat him. He even cheered for him, lifting his rival’s arm over his head in celebration.

2008 Beijing: Alain Bernard

Greg Baker / AP Photo

Country: France

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 47.21

World record that year: 47.05

Bottom line: Alain Bernard trained at a club near his home in France until he was 16. He ended up switching to the prestigious Club Marseille where he steadily progressed until his breakout year in 2007. It was then that he set the French record for the 100-meter freestyle.

Less than a year later, he set world records for both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle at the European Championships.

Interestingly, Bernard’s gold-winning time of 47.21 at the 2008 Beijing Games was not the fastest 100-meter freestyle time at those Olympics. Eamon Sullivan swam a 47.05 in a preliminary race, and that time remains the Olympic record in the 100-meter freestyle.

Sullivan won silver with a 47.32 time in the final race that year.

2012 London: Nathan Adrian

Matt Slocum / AP Photo

Country: United States

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 47.52

World record that year: 46.91

Bottom line: Nathan Adrian is an American five-time Olympic gold medalist.

He came from a family of swimmers. His older sister, Donella, swam competitively at Arizona State, and his older brother swam at the University of Washington. Adrian himself began swimming at just 2 and joined a swim team when he was in kindergarten.

He first went to the Olympics in 2008 and returned in 2012. He competed in several events and held the record for the 50-meter freestyle for some time.

2016 Rio de Janeiro: Kyle Chalmers

Kyle Chalmers in men's 100 freestyle in Rio

Matt Slocum / AP Photo

Country: Australia

Winning time in 100-meter freestyle: 47.58

World record that year: 46.91

Bottom line: Kyle Chalmers wasn’t always always destined to be a swimmer. His dad, Brett, was a professional Australian rules football player, and Kyle almost took the same path.

He played several sports while he was a kid, until eventually he had to choose a single sport to focus on seriously.

He chose swimming, and it was the right call. He became the Olympic champion in 2016 and the Vice World Champion in 2019, making him one of the fastest Olympic swimmers of all time.