Just two more days until the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials begin in Omaha and American swim fans, coaches and athletes will be laser-focused on what transpires in the CenturyLink Center pool over the 7-day affair. The world will also be watching to get insight into what the stars n’ stripes team will look like when stepping upon the deck in Rio.
But what’s a swim nerd to do while waiting for the extravaganza to begin? We can get pumped up for fast and possibly historic swimming by re-watching all of the men’s world record-setting races, both relay and individual. Although it’s highly unlikely a world record would fall in Omaha, there’s nothing like a little motivation in the form of Jason “The Anchor” Lezak, or IM god-like swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
Although several historic records were set by now-retired legends such as Aaron Peirsol, it only makes the prospects of seeing rising young stars carry the torch in Omaha and beyond that much more exciting.
Below are the videos of each men’s world record to watch in awe. Also check out our post on which WR we think will fall first.
Thank you to SwimSwam reader Bobo Gigi for the link compilation.
50 free
100 free
200 free
https://youtu.be/MeOw35fsltE
400 free
800 free
1500 free
https://youtu.be/T5FlDy3YmDQ
50 back
100 back
200 back
50 breast
100 breast
200 breast
50 fly
100 fly
200 fly
200 IM
400 IM
4×100 free relay
4×200 free relay
4×100 medley relay
Thanks Bobo, for the great videos. The most intriguing one to me was Yamaguchi’s BR. Swimming all by himself several body lengths ahead of his competition and six seconds by the end, his first hundred was a beautiful long stroke, the second hundred way shorter and way faster tempo but still strong and moving tons of water rather than just spinning his wheels. I wish he could find that beautiful form and speed again someday, too bad he’s not among that amazing pack all chomping at the bit to get under 2:07 in Rio.
I still can’t believe what leak pull off in that 400 free in 2008 ….just amazing to watch it over again .
That 800 Free record may last the longest. Faster on the last lap than most great 200s.
I think it will be the 200 free.
Thanks to Bobo Gigi for creating that compilation.
I don’t like talking about myself but as it’s strangely not mentioned above I’m doing it.
I’m happy that swimswam has finally made an article about these world record videos using my list of links so that a maximum of people can enjoy watching them.
Sorry, Bobo, oversight on my part. Please forgive. 🙂 Acknowledgement now included.
Do this with textile bests…
Just watch the 200 free video again. It’s so great.
The greatest swimmer ever, losing because of pride. But mostly because of money. Womp womp.
It would have been tough for Phelps to beat Biedermann, no matter what tech suit he wore… 1:42.00 is insane. No one probably benefited more from tech suits than Biedermann. I believe he failed to dip under 1:44 in textile?
He barley broke 1:45 without the suit, 1:44.8 I think. Phelps was 1:43.8 with a bodysuit. 1:44.7 with a jammer when he was in horrible shape.
Phelps took a 6 month break after 08. And he was slacking off his commitment even then. He also dropped the 400 IM which made his time closer to 2008 anyway. He lost because he had a contract with speedo. Arena x Glides practically trap air. And give support to the muscle, a lot of support. And you don’t have to focus on technique as much as muscle strength. The LZR also had this, but to a much smaller scale.
I remember reading something about him being given the option to race in a newer suit, and he chose not to. Call it the suit, call it the lack of training, call it whatever you want. Phelps chose to not give himself optimal conditions and preparation in that race.
This article talks about it http://espn.go.com/olympics/swimming/news/story?id=4368336
His training was much less dedicated than 08, and he was given the option to wear one. But he would have to break his contract, was he didn’t want to do.
I’ll try to find it one by one. Starting with 100 free textile record: 47.04 Cam McEvoy (2016)
It seems I can’t embed video. Let me try again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px_9h2LMs20
Men’s 50 free textile record Florent Manaudou 21.19 (2015)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x30vbir_men-s-50m-freestyle-final-world-championships-kazan-2015_sport
Men’s 200 freestyle textile record: 1:43.14 Yannick Agnel (2012):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD7-tKW7Qpo
Men’s 400 freestyle textile record: 3:40.08 Ian Thorpe (2002, the longest standing men’s textile record in history):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_FwRjBC8Io
800 freestyle textile WR: 7:38.57 Sun Yang (2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ7Tml8d_7w
50m backstroke: 24.07 Cammile Lacourt (Budapest, 2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiAlapnwmmQ
100m backtroke textile record: 52.08 Matthew Grevers (2012, Omaha):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMh2jT_jX9g
200m backstroke: 1:52.96 Ryan Lochte (Shanghai, 2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvNh04sPagI
Lochte 3d underwater is Monstrous – just fantastic mastery . What a Race , what a Racer he is .
50m butterfly: 22.73 Andrii Govorov (London, 2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5Inpk8K4ZQ
The scary thing, is that Cavic in the 2009 100 fly worlds, went faster than this on his first 50. Arena x Glide…
100m butterfly textile record: 50.40, Ian Crocker (Montreal, 2005, the second longest standing textile record after Thorpe’s 400 free).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYDGpB81FRU
This is still illegal. Phelps 50.45 is with jammers. Use that one instead of illegal leggings.
To this day, one of the most awesome swims I’ve ever seen! Took it out as hard as he could and hung on.
200m butterfly textile record: 1:52.09 Michael Phelps (2007, Melbourne)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlXuJP_9DjA
400 IM textile record: 4:05.18, Ryan Lochte (2012, London)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H8qJg00w5Y
4×100 freestyle textile WR: 3:09.93 France – A Leveaux, F Gilot,
C Lefert, Y Agnel (2012, London)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XI_XeoIFnI
4×200 freestyle textile record: 6:59.60 USA – R Lochte, C Dwyer, R Berens, M Phelps (2012, London)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSnkrALB1Fg
4×100 medley relay textile record: 3:29.35 USA – M Grevers, B Hansen, M Phelps, N Adrian (London, 2012)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2alP2ZlmmFA
This is the last one (funny, the video title also says “Michael Phelps’ last Olympics race” LOL).
Swimswam, or anyone, please use the links I’ve found, and please DO NOT acknowledge or thank me. I’m serious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2alP2ZlmmFA
Not to split hairs further, but some of the records in 08-09 were in legs-only. Materially (pardon the pun) different from the advantage gained from full torso-coverage. Peirsol’s 100 and Phelps’ 4IM come to mind. Not saying some poly panels didn’t help, but having a strip of material on your shin is different than full torso coverage–anyone who’s worn the different suits can testify.
Probably all 2008, 2009 WRs should be erased. Nothing like the unfair advantage of those tech suits.
Perhaps. But I still believe all of those are within the realms of human limits, and I will enjoy the greater satisfaction of them falling, hopefully within our lifetime.
That’s not right. Those tech suits were legal at the time.
What FINA should have done is recognizing and maintaining official parallel textile WR list post 2009 and merge them if the textile WR is faster than the corresponding tech suit WR.
This has been done in the past by IAAF when they changed equipment standard such as javelin.
Got to admit, just saw some & this is DEFINITELY a great idea & a great way to get pumped! Are the women’s WR’s to come too?
This is awesome