Freestyle swimming
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Freestyle is one of the official swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. However, it is technically not a style, as there are very few regulations about the way freestyle has to be swum. Most swimmers choose to swim front crawl during freestyle, as this style provides the fastest speed.
Technique
Freestyle swimming competitions can be any of the unregulated strokes such as front crawl, dog paddle, or sidestroke. Individual freestyle competitions can also be swum in one of the officially regulated strokes (breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke). The freestyle part of medley competitions, however, cannot use breaststroke, butterfly, or backstroke. Most competitive swimmers will choose to swim front crawl during freestyle competitions, as this style provides the fastest speed. Freestyle competitions have also been swum completely and partially in other styles, especially at lower ranking competitions. During the Olympic Games, front crawl is swum almost exclusively during freestyle.
Rules and Regulation
Freestyle means any style for individual distances and any style but breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke for medley competitions. The wall has to be touched at every turn and upon completion. One part of the swimmer has to be above water at any time except for the first 15 m after the start and every turn. This rule was introduced to avoid the dangers of swimmers passing out during underwater swimming. (see: History of swimming). The exact FINA rules are:
- Freestyle means that in an event so designated the swimmer may swim any style, except that in individual medley or medley relay events, freestyle means any style other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly.
- Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall upon completion of each length and at the finish.
- Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the race, except it shall be permissible for the swimmer to be completely submerged during the turn and for a distance of not more than 15 meters after the start and each turn. By that point the head must have broken the surface.
Competitions
There are eight common competitions swum in freestyle swimming, both over either a long course (50 m pool) or a short course (25 m pool). Of course, other distances are also swum on occasions.
- 50 m Freestyle
- 100 m Freestyle
- 200 m Freestyle
- 400 m Freestyle
- 800 m Freestyle
- 1500 m Freestyle
- 4×100 m Freestyle Relay
- 4×200 m Freestyle Relay
- 100 m Individual Medley (short 25 m pool only)
- 200 m Individual Medley
- 400 m Individual Medley
- 4×100 m Medley Relay
Current world records
Long course swim pools
Men
- 50 m: 21.64 - Aleksandr Popov, Russia (June 16, 2000)
- 100 m: 47.84 - Pieter van den Hoogenband, Netherlands (September 19, 2000, Sydney, Australia)
- 200 m: 1:44.06 - Ian Thorpe, Australia (July 25, 2001, Fukuoka, Japan)
- 400 m: 3:40.08 - Ian Thorpe, Australia (July 30, 2002, Manchester, United Kingdom)
- 800 m: 7:38.65 - Grant Hackett, Australia (July 27, 2005, Montreal, Canada)
- 1500 m: 14:34.56 - Grant Hackett, Australia (July 29, 2001, Fukuoka, Japan)
- Relays:
- *4×100 m: 3:13.17 - South Africa (August 15, 2004, Athens, Greece)
- **Roland Schoeman
- **Lyndon Ferns
- **Darian Townsend
- **Ryk Neethling
- *4×200 m: 7:04.66 - Australia (July 27, 2001, Fukuoka, Japan)
- **Grant Hackett
- **Michael Klim
- **Ian Thorpe
- **Bill Kirby
Women
- 50 m: 24.13 - Inge de Bruijn, Netherlands (September 22, 2000, Sydney, Australia)
- 100 m: 53.42 - Libby Lenton, Australia (January 31, 2006, Melbourne, Australia)
- 200 m: 1:56.64 - Franziska Van Almsick, Germany (August 3, 2002)
- 400 m: 4:03.03 - Laure Manaudou France (May 12, 2006)
- 800 m: 8:16.22 - Janet Evans, USA (July 27, 1988)
- 1500 m: 15:52.10 - Janet Evans, USA (March 26, 1988)
- Relays:
- *4×100 m: 3:35.94 - Australia (August 14, 2004, Athens, Greece)
- **Alice Mills
- **Libby Lenton
- **Petria Thomas
- **Jodie Henry
- *4×200 m: 7:53.42 - USA (August 18, 2004, Athens, Greece)
- **Natalie Coughlin
- **Carly Piper
- **Dana Vollmer
- **Kaitlin Sandeno
Short course swim pools
Men
- 50 m: 21.10 - Fred Bousquet, France (March 25, 2004)
- 100 m: 46.25 - Ian Crocker, USA (March 27, 2004) and Roland Schoeman, South Africa (January 22, 2005)
- 200 m: 1:41.10 - Ian Thorpe, Australia (February 6, 2000)
- 400 m: 3:34.58 - Grant Hackett, Australia (July 18, 2002)
- 800 m: 7:25.28 - Grant Hackett, Australia (August 3, 2002)
- 1500 m: 14:10.10 - Grant Hackett, Australia (August 7, 2001)
- Relays:
- *4×100 m: 3:09.57 - Sweden (March 16, 2000)
- **Johan Nystrom
- **Lars Frolander
- **Mattias Ohlin
- **Stefan Nystrand
- *4×200 m: 6:56.41 - Australia (August 7, 2001)
- **William Kirby
- **Ian Thorpe
- **Michael Klim
- **Grant Hackett
Women
- 50 m: 23.59 - Therese Alshammar, Sweden (March 18, 2000)
- 100 m: 51.70 - Libby Lenton, Australia (August 9, 2005)
- 200 m: 1:53.29 - Libby Lenton, Australia (November 19, 2005)
- 400 m: 3:56.79 - Laure Manaudou, France (December 10, 2005)
- 800 m: 8:11.25 - Laure Manaudou, France (December 9, 2005)
- Relays:
- *4×100 m: 3:34.55 - People's Republic of China (April 19, 1997)
- **Jingyi Le
- **Chao Na
- **Ying Shang
- **Yin Nian
- *4×200 m: 7:46.30 - People's Republic of China (April 3, 2002)
- **Yanvei Xu
- **Yingven Zhu
- **Jingzhi Tang
- **Yu Yang
Bibliography
External links
- [Swim.ee]: Detailed discussion of swimming techniques and speeds
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