More Swimming News

Eager for Bob Bowman Reunion, Leon Marchand Calls Out France’s Biggest Flaw: “Everyone Wants to Win”

Leon Marchand has called out a flaw in France's swimming culture, emphasizing the need for a more competitive mindset over small victories.
Bob Bowman Leon Marchand

Inspired by His Father, Leon Marchand Reveals Childhood Incident That Almost Stopped Swimming Career

Leon Marchand shares a personal story from his childhood that nearly ended his swimming journey, all while crediting his father
Swimming – Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final

Exposed for Infidelity, Qin Haiyang Willing to Take Major Step to Deny Accusations

Swimmer Qin Haiyang finds himself under intense scrutiny as accusations of infidelity and misconduct come to the forefront.
Qin Haiyang (2)

Escaping Near-Death, Swimming Legend Rowdy Gaines Raises Major Concerns Over Hurricane Milton

After enduring a harrowing experience during Hurricane Milton, swimming legend Rowdy Gaines has come forward to raise significant concerns
Rowdy Gaines Twitter

“Men Are Trash!”: Swimming Fans Furious Qin Haiyang Marriage Problems Get Exposed Post Paris Olympics

Qin Haiyang made history at Paris Olympics but Allegations from his fiancee have surfaced, exposing significant problems in their relationship
Qin Haiyang (1)

Disturbing News for Swimming Community as Qin Haiyang Lands in Marital Troubles After Paris Olympics

Qin Haiyang has found himself at the center of controversy following his impressive performance at the Paris Olympics.
Qin Haiyang

Angered by ‘Disempowerment’, Adam Peaty Backs Long-Term Swimming Coach’s Move to Australia

After the Paris Olympics, Adam Peaty feels his swimming coach’s decision to shift to Australia is justified.
Adam Peaty with his coach

Sacrificing Daily Life Leon Marchand Reveals Harsh Bob Bowman Training: “All Alone”

Léon Marchand might have left the world stunned with his Olympic stint in Paris, but the journey leading up to it wasn't easy by any means.
Leon Marchand

Open Water Swimming Event Witnesses Houston Swimmers Surpass $60K Mark to Achieve a Huge Goal

The swimming fans utilize the true spirit of the sport in meeting a huge Samaritan goal in Houston last Saturday.
Swim Across America

Leon Marchand Gives Honest Take on Michael Phelps Comparison Amidst World Record Chase: “Learned to Live With It”

Leon Marchand shares his honest thoughts on being compared to Michael Phelps while pursuing new goals in the pool
Leon Marchand_Michael Phelps

Chasing His Father, Léon Marchand Credits Special Figure for Swimming Career: “Lots of Sacrifices”

Léon Marchand achieved the impossible at the recently concluded Paris Olympics, but there's one person who helped make this possible.
Swimming – Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final

Leaving Father for Bob Bowman, Leon Marchand Makes Massive Admission: “I Became a Human”

Leon Marchand opens up about the pivotal moment in his career when he made the difficult decision to leave his family
Bob Bowman Leon Marchand

About Swimming

Swimming is a sport that turns tides for everyone who experiences the competition. It is an exciting sport and one of the easiest sports to practice. Although mastering it takes time, it is a sport that most people do in daily life. It is a water sport and takes its place in the Summer Olympics. There are four different strokes in the sport. The common one is freestyle, followed by backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Many swimmers have graced the swimming pool while performing well to their abilities. Along with the Olympics, the FINA World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the World Short Course Championships. The length of the swimming pool is 50 meters long and 25 meters wide. Likewise, the short course pool is 25 meters long and the world records between the short course and long course pools are kept separately.

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History of swimming

The sport originated way back when humans swam in the water to find food. Until the 1800s, they did not consider swimming to be a sport. Athletic swimming is believed to have started in Britain. Likewise, the swimming championships in the 1840s were put to the forefront by Australia. As they held the 1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece, swimming became a staple part of the competitions, henceforth. With just four swimming events at first, a Greek sailor named Ioannis Malokinis won the first competition.

Britain established swimming pools in 1837. Likewise, swimming originated in Australia in 1846. The USA established swimming in 1888. With most countries taking up the sport, FINA, or the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur was founded in 1909.

The four swimming strokes

There are four different strokes of swimming. The four disciplines have different events amongst them. The four strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Hence, these strokes are used in major swimming competitions. The first stroke is freestyle. It is the most commonly used swimming stoke as it has the most events at the Olympic Games. It is usually known as the front crawl and is one of the fastest swimming stokes in the world.

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The next stroke is the backstroke where swimmers swim with their backs inside the water. This is a stroke that enables a swimmer to breathe from above but swimmers cannot see the endpoint. The start of this stroke is inside the water and swimmers swim their way to the finishing point. After that comes the breaststroke. The breaststroke is a comfortable swimming stroke and the swimmer's head comes out of the water. It is a style in which the swimmer is on their chest and is one of the slowest strokes in the competition. The leg kicks are similar to a frog and it is a comfortable stroke.

The final stroke is the butterfly which is one of the hardest strokes in swimming. A person swims on the chest with both hands going symmetrically. The swimmer uses a dolphin kick to do this stroke. Technically, it is a hard stroke and swimmers require great physical conditioning to pull this off.

Greatest swimmers in the world

The sport has produced some of the best talents the Olympics has seen. Many of them have won an incredible number of medals and dominated the competition. These are the world's most talented swimmers to grace the swimming pool.

  • Michael Phelps:?Arguably the greatest swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps is just a phenomenon. He won 28 Olympic medals of which 23 are gold medals. He won eight gold medals at a single Olympic Games, breaking world records throughout his career.
  • Mark Spitz:?The nine-time Olympic champion once won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, which was ultimately broken by Phelps. World Magazine selected him as World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971, and 1972.
  • Ian Thorpe:?The Australian Thorpedo is the best swimmer to come out of Australia. He won five Olympic gold medals and had one of the best swimming motions, in the sport's history. He was a four-time World swimmer of the year.
  • Matt Biondi:?The American swimmer was one of the best swimmers in the world with eleven Olympic medals. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

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  • Katie Ledecky:?Still going strong, Katie Ledecky is the benchmark for women swimmers. She won seven Olympic gold medals and is one of the most decorated swimmers in the world. She won her first gold medal at the age of 15 at the 2012 London Olympics.
  • Dara Torres:?She is a 12-time Olympic medalist and held three world records during her career. She became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal at the age of 41.
  • Natalie Coughlin:?A 12-time Olympic medalist, Coughlin became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstroke (long course) in less than one minute. She won six Olympic medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
  • Adam Peaty:?Including the British swimmer on the list may raise a few eyebrows but Peaty is the breaststroke swimmer in the world. He has all the top 10 times in breaststroke.