World record progression 200 metres freestyle
This is a history of the progression of the World Record for the Swimming event: the 200 Freestyle. It is a listing of the fastest-time-ever swum in the event, in both long course (50m) and short course (25m) swimming pool. These records are maintained/recognized by FINA, which oversees international competitive swimming and Aquatics.
The drop in world record times in the 2008/2009 coincided with the introduction of polyurethane suits from Speedo (LZR, 50% polyurethane) in 2008 and by Arena (X-Glide), Adidas (Hydrofoil) and Italian swimming suit manufacturer Jaked (all 100% polyurethane) in 2009. FINA's ban on non-textile suit came into effect on January 2010.[1] FINA also release a list of approved suits.
The long course records are historically older than the short course records; the latter having only been recognized since the early 1990s.
Men
Long course
| # | TIME | SWIMMER | DATE | EVENT | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2:28.6 |  Freddy Lane
|
18 August 1902 | ? |  Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom
|
[2] |
| 0 | 2:26.8 |  Zoltan Halmay
|
28 June 1908 | ? | Budapest, Hungary
|
? |
| 1 | 2:31.6 |  Otto Scheff
|
11 November 1908 | ? | Vienna, Austria
|
? |
| 2 | 2:30.0 | Frank Beaurepaire
|
9 September 1910 | ? | Exeter, United Kingdom
|
? |
| 3 | 2:25.4 |  Charles Daniels
|
28 March 1911 | ? | Pittsburgh, United States
|
? |
| 4 | 2:21.6 | Norman Ross
|
24 November 1916 | ? | San Francisco, United States
|
? |
| 5 | 2:19.8 | Tedford Cann
|
10 April 1920 | ? | Detroit, United States
|
? |
| 6 | 2:15.6 | Johnny Weissmuller
|
26 May 1922 | ? | Honolulu, United States
|
? |
| 7 | 2:15.2 | Johnny Weissmuller
|
9 December 1925 | ? | McKeesport, United States
|
? |
| 8 | 2:08.0 | Johnny Weissmuller
|
5 April 1927 | ? | Ann Arbor, United States
|
? |
| 9 | 2:07.2 | Jack Medica
|
12 April 1935 | ? | Chicago, United States
|
? |
| 10 | 2:06.2 | Bill Smith
|
12 February 1944 | ? | Columbus, United States
|
? |
| 11 | 2:05.4 |  Alex Jany
|
20 September 1946 | ? | Marseille, France
|
? |
| 12 | 2:04.6 | John Marshall
|
31 March 1950 | Yale (?) | New Haven, United States
|
? |
| 13 | 2:03.9 | Ford Konno
|
27 February 1954 | ? | Columbus, United States
|
? |
| 14 | 2:03.4 | Jack Wardrop
|
4 March 1955 | ? | Columbus, United States
|
? |
| 15 | 2:01.5 | Dick Hanley
|
8 March 1957 | ? | Minneapolis, United States
|
? |
| 16 | 2:04.8 | John Konrads
|
18 January 1958 | ? | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 17 | 2:03.2 | John Konrads
|
5 May 1958 | ? | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 18 | 2:03.0 |  Tsuyoshi Yamanaka
|
22 August 1958 | ? | Osaka, Japan
|
? |
| 19 | 2:02.2 | John Konrads
|
16 January 1959 | ? | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 20 | 2:01.5 | Tsuyoshi Yamanaka
|
26 July 1959 | ? | Osaka, Japan
|
? |
| 21 | 2:01.2 | Tsuyoshi Yamanaka
|
24 June 1961 | ? | Osaka, Japan
|
? |
| 22 | 2:01.1 | Tsuyoshi Yamanaka
|
6 August 1961 | ? | Tokyo, Japan
|
? |
| 23 | 2:00.4 | Tsuyoshi Yamanaka
|
20 August 1961 | ? | Los Angeles, United States
|
? |
| 23= | 2:00.4 | Don Schollander
|
11 August 1962 | ? | ? | ? |
| 24 | 2:00.3 | Bob Windle
|
21 April 1963 | ? | Tokyo, Japan
|
? |
| 25 | 1:58.8 | Don Schollander
|
27 July 1963 | 5th Annual Los Angeles Invitiational | Los Angeles, United States
|
[3] |
| 26 | 1:58.5 | Don Schollander
|
17 August 1963 | 6th US-Japan swimming and diving meet | Tokyo, Japan
|
[4] |
| 27 | 1:58.4 | Don Schollander
|
24 August 1963 | ? | Osaka, Japan
|
? |
| 28 | 1:58.2 |  Hans-Joachim Klein
|
24 May 1964 | ? | Dortmund, West Germany
|
? |
| 29 | 1:57.6 | Don Schollander
|
1 August 1964 | ? | Los Altos, United States
|
? |
| 30 | 1:57.2 | Don Schollander
|
29 July 1966 | ? | Los Angeles, United States
|
? |
| 31 | 1:56.2 | Don Schollander
|
19 August 1966 | ? | Lincoln, United States
|
? |
| 32 | 1:56.0 | Don Schollander
|
29 July 1967 | Pan-American Games |  Winnipeg, Canada
|
? |
| 33 | 1:55.7 | Don Schollander
|
12 August 1967 | AAU Nationals | Oak Park, United States
|
? |
| 34 | 1:54.8 | Don Schollander
|
30 August 1968 | USA Olympic Trials (elec. 1:54.89) | Long Beach, United States
|
? |
| 35 | 1:54.3 | Don Schollander
|
30 August 1968 | USA Olympic Trials (elec. 1:54.28) | Long Beach, United States
|
? |
| 35= | 1:54.3 | Mark Spitz
|
12 July 1969 | Santa Clara Invitational | Santa Clara, United States
|
? |
| 36 | 1:54.2 | Mark Spitz
|
4 September 1971 | USAvGDR Duel |  Leipzig, East Germany
|
? |
| 37 | 1:53.5 | Mark Spitz
|
10 September 1971 | USAvUSSRvGBR Meet (1st leg relay) |  Minsk, Belorussian SSR, Soviet Union
|
? |
| 38 | 1:52.78 | Mark Spitz
|
29 August 1972 | 1972 Summer Olympics | Munich, West Germany
|
? |
| 39 | 1:51.66 | Tim Shaw
|
23 August 1974 | AAU Senior National Outdoor Swimming Championships | Concord, United States
|
? |
| 40 | 1:51.41 | Bruce Furniss
|
18 June 1975 | USA World Championship Trials | Long Beach, United States
|
? |
| 41 | 1:50.89 | Bruce Furniss
|
18 June 1975 | USA World Championship Trials | Long Beach, United States
|
? |
| 42 | 1:50.32 | Bruce Furniss
|
21 August 1975 | AAU Senior National Outdoor Swimming Championships | Kansas City, United States
|
? |
| 43 | 1:50.29 | Bruce Furniss
|
19 July 1976 | 1976 Summer Olympics | Montreal, Canada
|
? |
| 44 | 1:49.83 | Sergey Kopliakov
|
7 April 1979 | URSvGDR Junior meet | Potsdam, East Germany
|
? |
| 45 | 1:49.16 | Rowdy Gaines
|
11 April 1980 | AAU Senior National Indoor Championships | Austin, United States
|
? |
| 46 | 1:48.93 | Rowdy Gaines
|
19 July 1982 | USA World Championship Trials | Mission Viejo, United States
|
? |
| 47 | 1:48.28 | Michael Groß
|
21 June 1983 | FRG Nationals & European Championship Trials | Hanover, West Germany
|
? |
| 48 | 1:47.87 | Michael Groß
|
22 August 1983 | European Swimming Championships |  Rome, Italy
|
? |
| 49 | 1:47.55 | Michael Groß
|
8 June 1984 | FRG Olympic Trials | Munich, West Germany
|
? |
| 50 | 1:47.44 | Michael Groß
|
29 July 1984 | 1984 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles, United States
|
? |
| 51 | 1:47.25 | Duncan Armstrong
|
19 September 1988 | 1988 Summer Olympics |  Seoul, South Korea
|
? |
| 52 | 1:46.69 | Giorgio Lamberti
|
15 August 1989 | European Swimming Championships | Bonn, West Germany
|
? |
| 53 | 1:46.67 | Grant Hackett
|
23 March 1999 | Australian Championships (1st leg relay) | Brisbane, Australia
|
? |
| 54 | 1:46.34 | Ian Thorpe
|
23 August 1999 | 1999 Pan Pacific Championships | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 55 | 1:46.00 | Ian Thorpe
|
24 August 1999 | 1999 Pan Pacific Championships | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 56 | 1:45.69 | Ian Thorpe
|
14 May 2000 | 2000 Australian Olympic Swimming Trials | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 57 | 1:45.51 | Ian Thorpe
|
15 May 2000 | 2000 Australian Olympic Swimming Trials | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 58 | 1:45.35 |  Pieter van den Hoogenband
|
17 September 2000 | 2000 Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 58= | 1:45.35 | Pieter van den Hoogenband
|
18 September 2000 | 2000 Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia
|
? |
| 59 | 1:44.69 | Ian Thorpe
|
27 March 2001 | 2001 Australian Championships & World Championship Trials | Hobart, Australia
|
[5] |
| 60 | 1:44.06 | Ian Thorpe
|
25 July 2001 | 2001 FINA World Championships | Fukuoka, Japan
|
? |
| 61 | 1:43.86 | Michael Phelps
|
27 March 2007 | 2007 FINA World Championships | Melbourne, Australia
|
[6] |
| 62 | 1:42.96 | Michael Phelps
|
12 August 2008 | 2008 Summer Olympics |  Beijing, China
|
[7] |
| 63 | 1:42.00 | Paul Biedermann
|
28 July 2009 | 2009 FINA World Championships | Rome, Italy
|
Short course
| # | TIME | SWIMMER | DATE | EVENT | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:44.50 | Michael Groß
|
1 December 1981 | German Nationals | Bremen
|
? |
| 2 | 1:44.14 | Michael Groß
|
5 February 1988 | Coca-Cola Sponsored Meet | Boulogne-Billancourt
|
? |
| 3 | 1:43.64 | Giorgio Lamberti
|
11 February 1990 | World Cup | Bonn, Germany
|
? |
| 4 | 1:43.28 | Ian Thorpe
|
1 April 1999 | World SC Championships |  Hong Kong
|
? |
| 5 | 1:42.54 | Ian Thorpe
|
17 January 2000 | FINA World Cup | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|
? |
| 6 | 1:41.10 | Ian Thorpe
|
6 February 2000 | FINA World Cup | Berlin, Germany
|
? |
| 7 | 1:40.83 | Paul Biedermann
|
16 Nov 2008 | FINA World Cup | Berlin, Germany
|
? |
| 8 | 1:39.37 | Paul Biedermann
|
15 Nov 2009 | FINA World Cup | Berlin, Germany
|
[8] |
Women
Long course
| # | TIME | SWIMMER | DATE | EVENT | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:56.0 | Fanny Durack
|
4 March 1915 | ? | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|
? |
| 2 | 2:47.6 | Charlotte Boyle
|
25 August 1921 | ? | New Brighton, Minnesota, United States
|
? |
| 3 | 2:45.2 | Gertrude Ederle
|
4 April 1923 | ? | Brooklyn, New York, United States
|
? |
| 4 | 2:40.6 | Martha Norelius
|
28 February 1926 | ? | Miami, Florida, United States
|
? |
| 5 | 2:34.6 | Helene Madison
|
6 March 1930 | ? | St. Augustine, Florida, United States
|
? |
| 6 | 2:28.6 | Willy den Ouden
|
3 May 1933 | ? | Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands
|
? |
| 7 | 2:27.6 | Willy den Ouden
|
5 May 1934 | ? | Dundee, United Kingdom
|
? |
| 8 | 2:25.3 | Willy den Ouden
|
8 September 1935 | ? |  Copenhagen, Denmark
|
? |
| 9 | 2:24.6 | Rie van Veen
|
26 February 1938 | ? | Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands
|
? |
| 10 | 2:21.7 | Ragnhild Hveger
|
11 September 1938 | ? | Aarhus, Aarhus County, Denmark
|
? |
| 11 | 2:20.7 | Dawn Fraser
|
25 February 1956 | ? | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|
? |
| 12 | 2:19.3 | Lorraine Crapp
|
25 August 1956 | ? | Townsville, Queensland, Australia
|
? |
| 13 | 2:18.5 | Lorraine Crapp
|
20 October 1956 | ? | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|
? |
| 14 | 2:17.7 | Dawn Fraser
|
10 February 1958 | ? | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
|
? |
| 15 | 2:14.7 | Dawn Fraser
|
22 February 1958 | ? | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
|
? |
| 16 | 2:11.6 | Dawn Fraser
|
27 February 1960 | ? | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|
? |
| 17 | 2:10.5 | Lillian Watson
|
19 August 1966 | ? | Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
|
? |
| 18 | 2:09.7 | Pam Kruse
|
19 August 1967 | AAU Nationals | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
|
? |
| 19 | 2:09.5 | Susan Pedersen
|
6 July 1968 | Santa Clara Invitational | Santa Clara, California, United States
|
? |
| 20 | 2:08.8 | Edith Wetzel
|
2 August 1968 | AAU Nationals | Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
|
? |
| 21 | 2:07.9 | Linda Gustavson
|
24 August 1968 | USA Olympic Trials | Los Angeles, California, United States
|
[9] |
| 22 | 2:06.7 | Debbie Meyer
|
24 August 1968 | USA Olympic Trials (elec. 2:06.86) | Los Angeles, California, United States
|
[9] |
| 23 | 2:06.5 | Shane Gould
|
1 May 1971 | Coca Cola International | London, United Kingdom
|
? |
| 24 | 2:05.8 | Shane Gould
|
26 November 1971 | ? | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|
? |
| 25 | 2:05.21 | Shirley Babashoff
|
4 August 1972 | USA Olympic Trials | Chicago, Illinois, United States
|
? |
| 26 | 2:03.56 | Shane Gould
|
1 September 1972 | 1972 Summer Olympics | Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
|
? |
| 27 | 2:03.22 | Kornelia Ender
|
22 August 1974 | European Swimming Championships | Vienna, Austria
|
? |
| 28 | 2:02.94 | Shirley Babashoff
|
23 August 1974 | AAU Senior National Outdoor Championships | Concord, California, United States
|
? |
| 28= | 2:02.94 | Shirley Babashoff
|
31 August 1974 | USAvGDR Dual Meet | Concord, California, United States
|
? |
| 29 | 2:02.27 | Kornelia Ender
|
15 March 1975 | GDRvURS Duel | Dresden, Dresden, East Germany
|
? |
| 30 | 1:59.78 | Kornelia Ender
|
2 June 1976 | GDR Olympic Trials | East Berlin, East Germany
|
? |
| 31 | 1:59.26 | Kornelia Ender
|
22 July 1976 | 1976 Summer Olympics | Montreal, Quebec, Canada
|
? |
| 32 | 1:59.04 | Barbara Krause
|
2 July 1978 | GDR Nationals & World Championship Trials | East Berlin, East Germany
|
? |
| 33 | 1:58.53 | Cynthia Woodhead
|
22 August 1978 | FINA World Championships |  West Berlin
|
? |
| 34 | 1:58.43 | Cynthia Woodhead
|
3 July 1979 | Pan-American Games |  San Juan, Puerto Rico
|
? |
| 35 | 1:58.23 | Cynthia Woodhead
|
3 September 1979 | FINA World Cup | Tokyo, Japan
|
? |
| 36 | 1:57.75 | Kristin Otto
|
23 May 1984 | GDR Nationals | Magdeburg, Magdeburg, East Germany
|
? |
| 37 | 1:57.55 | Heike Friedrich
|
18 June 1986 | GDR Nationals & World Championship Trials | East Berlin, East Germany
|
? |
| 38 | 1:56.78 | Franziska van Almsick
|
6 September 1994 | 1994 World Championships | Rome, Lazio, Italy
|
? |
| 39 | 1:56.64 | Franziska van Almsick
|
3 August 2002 | 2002 European Championships | Berlin, Germany
|
? |
| 40 | 1:56.47 | Federica Pellegrini
|
27 March 2007 | 2007 World Championships | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
|
[6] |
| 41 | 1:55.52 | Laure Manaudou
|
28 March 2007 | 2007 World Championships | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
|
[10] |
| 42 | 1:55.45 | Federica Pellegrini
|
11 August 2008 | 2008 Summer Olympics | Beijing, China
|
|
| 43 | 1:54.82 | Federica Pellegrini
|
13 August 2008 | 2008 Summer Olympics | Beijing, China
|
|
| 44 | 1:54.47 | Federica Pellegrini
|
8 March 2009 | Italian Championships | Riccione, Italy
|
[11] |
| 45 | 1:53.67 | Federica Pellegrini
|
28 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Roma, Italy
| |
| 46 | 1:52.98 | Federica Pellegrini
|
29 July 2009 | 2009 World Championships | Roma, Italy
|
Short course
| # | TIME | SWIMMER | DATE | EVENT | PLACE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:55.84 | Franziska van Almsick
|
9 January 1993 | World Cup | Beijing, PR China
|
? |
| 2 | 1:55.42 |  Claudia Poll
|
1 December 1995 | World SC Championships |  Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|
? |
| 3 | 1:54.17 | Claudia Poll
|
18 April 1997 | World SC Championships |  Gothenburg, Västergötland, Sweden
|
? |
| 4 | 1:54.04 | Lindsay Benko
|
7 April 2002 | 2002 Short Course World Championships |  Moscow, Central Federal District, Russia
|
? |
| 5 | 1:53.29 | Libby Lenton
|
19 November 2005 | 2005/2006 FINA Swimming World Cup Series | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|
[12] |
| 6 | 1:53.18 | Coralie Balmy
|
6 December 2008 | 2008 French Short Course Championships | Angers, France
|
[13] |
| 7 | 1:51.85 | Federica Pellegrini
|
14 December 2008 | 2008 European Short Course Championships |  Rijeka, Croatia
|
[14] |
| 8 | 1:51.17 | Federica Pellegrini
|
13 December 2009 | 2009 European Short Course Championships |  Istanbul, Turkey
|
[15] |
References
- ^ "Hi-tech suits banned from January". BBC News/BBC Sport. 2009-07-31. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ "World Record Progression". Ishof.org. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
- ^ "Schollander sets world swim mark". The New York Times. Associated Press. 1963-07-28. p. 16 of sports.
- ^ "U.S. swimmers set 2 world records". The New York Times. UPI. 1963-08-18. pp. 1 and 12 of sports.
- ^ Hanson, Ian (2001-03-27). "1:44.69 - 200m world record to Ian Thorpe". Swimming Australia. Archived from the original on 2007-09-16. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
- ^ a b Paxinos, Stathi (2007-03-28). "Jones and Phelps lead the way in records deluge". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-08-12 http://www.smh.com.au/news/swimming/three-down-five-to-go-for-us-superfish/2008/08/12/1218306830824.html.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Word Cup 2009 Berlin Results Men's 200m Freestyle" (PDF). omegatiming.com. 2009-11-15. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ a b "Two U.S. women set swim marks in Olympic Trials". The New York Times. 1968-08-25. pp. 1 and 11 of sports.
- ^ Paxinos, Stathi (2007-03-29). "King of the pool does it again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "Pellegrini improves her 200 free world record". Associated Press. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08. [dead link]
- ^ Hanson, Ian (2005-11-19). "Lenton's slashing world record swim in Sydney". Swimming Australia. Archived from the original on 2007-09-08. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "Lane 9 News Archive: French Short Course Nationals: Pair of World Records Fall During Second Night". Swimmingworldmagazine.com. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
- ^ http://www.omegatiming.com/swimming/racearchives/2008/rijeka2008/C73A1_Res1Heat_135_Finals_1_Women_200_Free.pdf
- ^ http://www.omegatiming.com/swimming/racearchives/2009/Istanbul/C73A1_Res1Heat_135_Finals_1_Women_200_Free.pdf