The 100 metres freestyle is often considered to be the highlight (Blue Ribbon event) of the sport of swimming, like 100 metres in the sport of athletics, symbolizing the pinnacle of speed and athleticism in swimming competitions.
The first swimmer to break the one-minute barrier (long course) was Johnny Weissmuller, in 1922. The current world record holders (long course) are China's Pan Zhanle (since 2024) and the Netherlands' Marrit Steenbergen (since 2026).
Australian Dawn Fraser won the event a record three times at the Olympics, and she is the only woman to win it more than once. Four men, American Duke Kahanamoku, Weissmuller, Russian Alexander Popov, and Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband won the event at the Olympics twice. Popov was also world champion (held since 1973) three times.
