Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
| Swimming at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad | |
|---|---|
| File:Swimming 2008.png Pictogram for swimming at the 2008 Games | |
| Venue | Beijing National Aquatics Centre (pool) Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park (open water) |
| Dates | 9–17 August 2008 (pool) 20–21 August 2008 (open water) |
| Competitors | 1,026 from 162 nations |
| Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sample picture of the event (unofficial) | ||
| Qualification | ||
| Freestyle | ||
| 50 m | men | women |
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| 800 m | women | |
| 1500 m | men | |
| Backstroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Breaststroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Butterfly | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Individual medley | ||
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| Freestyle relay | ||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women |
| 4 × 200 m | men | women |
| Medley relay | ||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women |
| Marathon | ||
| 10 km | men | women |
The swimming competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place from 9 to 17 August 2008 at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre.[1] The newly introduced open water marathon events (10 km) were held on 20 and 21 August 2008 at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.[2] Swimming featured 34 events (17 male, 17 female), including two 10 km open-water marathons. The remaining 32 were contested in a 50 m long course pool within the Olympic Park. The United States claimed a total of 31 medals (12 golds, 9 silver, and 10 bronze) in the leaderboard to maintain its standings as the most successful nation in swimming.[3] A stellar performance in the pool also made an Olympic history for Michael Phelps, who captured eight gold medals to break Mark Spitz's 1972 record, a total of seven, at a single Games.[4][5] Despite the male swimmers failing to attain a single gold in swimming, Australia managed to repeat a second-place effort on its third consecutive Olympics with 20 medals (six golds, six silver, and eight bronze).[3] Meanwhile, Great Britain finished third with a total of six medals by the benefit of a sterling long-distance freestyle double from Rebecca Adlington.[5] A total of 25 world records and 65 Olympic records were set during the competition.
Venue
All the swimming, synchronized swimming, and diving events of the 2008 Olympics were held at the Beijing National Aquatics Center (better known as the "Water Cube"), which was claimed to be built to increase the speed of the swimmers.[6] The main pool is about 10 feet (3.0 m) deep, 3 feet (0.91 m) deeper than any other Olympic pool.[6] The lane lines, nicknamed "wave eaters", buffer the waves produced by swimmers while they stroke.[6] The technological advances of the pool were enhanced by several advantages inherent to an indoor swimming venue, namely: temperature, humidity and lighting control. Even the wide decks were built to help give the swimmers a sense of space.[6]
Events
The swimming program for 2008 was expanded from 2004, with the addition of the 10 km marathon open water swimming events, bringing the total number of events to 34 (17 each for men and women). The following events were contested (all pool events were long course, and distances are in metres unless stated):[7]
- Freestyle: 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 (women), and 1,500 (men);
- Backstroke: 100 and 200;
- Breaststroke: 100 and 200;
- Butterfly: 100 and 200;
- Individual medley: 200 and 400;
- Relays: 4 × 100 free, 4 × 200 free; 4 × 100 medley
- Open water: 10 kilometres
Schedule
Unlike the previous Olympics, swimming program schedule occurred in two segments. For the pool events, prelims were held in the evening, with semifinals and final in the following morning session, spanning a day between semifinals and finals in those events with semifinals. The shift of the normal morning prelims and evening finals (to evening prelims and morning finals) occurred for these Games because of the prior request made by US broadcaster NBC (due to the substantial fees NBC has paid for rights to the Olympics, the IOC has allowed NBC to have influence on event scheduling to maximize U.S. television ratings when possible; NBC agreed to a $7.75 billion contract extension on May 7, 2014, to air the Olympics through the 2032 games[8] and is also one of the major sources of revenue for the IOC),[9] so that the finals from the event could be shown live in the United States.[10][11]
| H | Heats | ½ | Semi-finals | F | Final |
| Date → | Aug 9 | Aug 10 | Aug 11 | Aug 12 | Aug 13 | Aug 14 | Aug 15 | Aug 16 | Aug 17 | Aug 21 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event ↓ | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 50 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 100 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 400 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1500 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 100 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 100 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 100 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m individual medley | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 400 m individual medley | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 × 100 m medley relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 km open water | F | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date → | Aug 9 | Aug 10 | Aug 11 | Aug 12 | Aug 13 | Aug 14 | Aug 15 | Aug 16 | Aug 17 | Aug 20 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event ↓ | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E | M | E |
| 50 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 100 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m freestyle | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 400 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 800 m freestyle | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 100 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m backstroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 100 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m breaststroke | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 100 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m butterfly | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 200 m individual medley | H | ½ | F | |||||||||||||||||
| 400 m individual medley | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 × 100 m medley relay | H | F | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 km open water | F | |||||||||||||||||||
Qualification
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) may enter up to 2 qualified athletes in each individual event if both meet the A standard, or 1 athlete per event if they meet the B standard. An NOC may also enter a maximum of 1 qualified relay team per event. NOCs may enter swimmers regardless of time (1 swimmer per sex) if they have no swimmers meeting qualifying B standard.[12]
Participating nations
A total of 1,026 swimmers (571 men and 455 women) from 162 nations would compete in swimming events at these Olympic Games. American Samoa, Botswana, Comoros, Congo Democratic Republic, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, and Tanzania made their official debut in swimming. Meanwhile, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Netherlands Antilles, and Tajikistan returned to the sport after an eight-year absence. Nations with swimmers at the Games are (team size in parentheses):
- File:Flag of Albania.svg Albania (2)
- File:Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria (5)
- File:Flag of American Samoa.svg American Samoa (2)
- File:Flag of Andorra.svg Andorra (1)
- File:Flag of Angola.svg Angola (2)
- File:Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg Antigua and Barbuda (1)
- File:Flag of Argentina (1861–2010).svg Argentina (11)
- File:Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia (1)
- File:Flag of Aruba.svg Aruba (1)
- File:Flag of Australia.svg Australia (43)
- File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria (12)
- File:Flag of Azerbaijan (1991–2013).svg Azerbaijan (2)
- File:Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas (4)
- File:Flag of Bahrain.svg Bahrain (2)
- File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh (2)
- File:Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados (4)
- File:Flag of Belarus (1995-2012).svg Belarus (8)
- File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium (7)
- File:Flag of Benin.svg Benin (2)
- File:Flag of Bermuda.svg Bermuda (2)
- File:Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia (2)
- File:Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina (1)
- File:Flag of Botswana.svg Botswana (2)
- File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil (25)
- File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria (4)
- File:Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso (2)
- File:Flag of Burundi.svg Burundi (1)
- File:Flag of Cambodia.svg Cambodia (2)
- File:Flag of Cameroon.svg Cameroon (2)
- File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada (27)
- File:Flag of the Cayman Islands (pre-1999).svg Cayman Islands (2)
- File:Flag of Chile.svg Chile (2)
- File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China (42)
- File:Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia (5)
- File:Flag of the Comoros.svg Comoros (1)
- File:Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg Republic of the Congo (1)
- File:Flag of the Cook Islands.svg Cook Islands (1)
- File:Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica (2)
- File:Flag of Côte d'Ivoire.svg Ivory Coast (1)
- File:Civil ensign of Croatia.svg Croatia (13)
- File:Flag of Cuba (3-2).svg Cuba (2)
- File:Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus (2)
- File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic (10)
- File:Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Democratic Republic of the Congo (1)
- File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark (9)
- File:Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic (1)
- File:Flag of Ecuador (1900–2009).svg Ecuador (2)
- File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt (3)
- File:Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador (1)
- File:Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia (9)
- File:Flag of Fiji.svg Fiji (1)
- File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland (5)
- File:Flag of France.svg France (35)
- File:Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia (2)
- File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany (25)
- File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg Great Britain (37)
- File:Flag of Greece.svg Greece (18)
- File:Flag of Guam.svg Guam (1)
- File:Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala (1)
- File:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea (2)
- File:Flag of Guyana.svg Guyana (1)
- File:Flag of Honduras (before 2022).svg Honduras (2)
- File:Flag of Hong Kong.svg Hong Kong (4)
- File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary (28)
- File:Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland (8)
- File:Flag of India.svg India (4)
- File:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia (2)
- File:Flag of Iran.svg Iran (1)
- File:Flag of Ireland (3-2).svg Ireland (3)
- File:Flag of Israel.svg Israel (7)
- File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy (34)
- File:Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica (3)
- File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan (31)
- File:Flag of Jordan (3-2).svg Jordan (2)
- File:Flag of Kazakhstan (3-2).svg Kazakhstan (12)
- File:Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya (2)
- File:Flag of South Korea (1997-2011).svg South Korea (16)
- File:Flag of Kuwait (3-2).svg Kuwait (1)
- File:Flag of Kyrgyzstan (1992–2023).svg Kyrgyzstan (3)
- File:Flag of Laos.svg Laos (2)
- File:Flag of Latvia (3-2).svg Latvia (2)
- File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon (2)
- File:Flag of Libya (1977–2011).svg Libya (2)
- File:Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania (9)
- File:Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg (4)
- File:Flag of Macedonia.svg Macedonia (2)
- File:Flag of Madagascar.svg Madagascar (2)
- File:Flag of Malawi.svg Malawi (2)
- File:Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia (5)
- File:Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives (2)
- File:Flag of Mali.svg Mali (2)
- File:Flag of Malta.svg Malta (2)
- File:Flag of the Marshall Islands.svg Marshall Islands (2)
- File:Flag of Mauritius.svg Mauritius (2)
- File:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico (6)
- File:Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg Federated States of Micronesia (2)
- File:Flag of Moldova (3-2).svg Moldova (3)
- File:Flag of Mongolia.svg Mongolia (2)
- File:Flag of Montenegro.svg Montenegro (1)
- File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco (1)
- File:Flag of Mozambique.svg Mozambique (2)
- File:Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg Myanmar (1)
- File:Flag of Nepal.svg Nepal (2)
- File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands (18)
- File:Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986–2010).svg Netherlands Antilles (1)
- File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand (15)
- File:Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua (2)
- File:Flag of Niger.svg Niger (2)
- File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria (2)
- File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway (4)
- File:Flag of Oman.svg Oman (4)
- File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan (2)
- File:Flag of Palau.svg Palau (1)
- File:Flag of Palestine.svg Palestine (2)
- File:Flag of Panama.svg Panama (2)
- File:Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Papua New Guinea (2)
- File:Flag of Paraguay (1990-2013).svg Paraguay (2)
- File:Flag of Peru.svg Peru (2)
- File:Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines (5)
- File:Flag of Poland.svg Poland (15)
- File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal (10)
- File:Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico (4)
- File:Flag of Qatar (3-2).svg Qatar (1)
- File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania (6)
- File:Flag of Russia.svg Russia (35)
- File:Flag of Rwanda.svg Rwanda (2)
- File:Flag of Saint Lucia.svg Saint Lucia (1)
- File:Flag of San Marino (before 2011).svg San Marino (2)
- File:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia (1)
- File:Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal (2)
- File:Flag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Serbia (9)
- File:Flag of Seychelles.svg Seychelles (2)
- File:Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore (5)
- File:Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia (3)
- File:Civil Ensign of Slovenia.svg Slovenia (10)
- File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa (24)
- File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain (23)
- File:Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka (2)
- File:Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan (1)
- File:Flag of Suriname.svg Suriname (2)
- File:Flag of Swaziland.svg Swaziland (1)
- File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden (18)
- File:Civil Ensign of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland (7)
- File:Flag of Syria.svg Syria (3)
- File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei (5)
- File:Flag of Tajikistan.svg Tajikistan (2)
- File:Flag of Tanzania.svg Tanzania (2)
- File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand (2)
- File:Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago (3)
- File:Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia (2)
- File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey (11)
- File:Flag of Turkmenistan.svg Turkmenistan (2)
- File:Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda (2)
- File:Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine (23)
- File:Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg United Arab Emirates (1)
- File:Flag of the United States.svg United States (43)
- File:Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay (3)
- File:Flag of Uzbekistan (3-2).svg Uzbekistan (7)
- File:Flag of Venezuela.svg Venezuela (13)
- File:Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam (1)
- File:Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg Virgin Islands (1)
- File:Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen (2)
- File:Flag of Zambia.svg Zambia (2)
- File:Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Zimbabwe (2)
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Medal summary
Medal table
Retrieved from 2008 NBC Olympics website.[13]
Men's events
* Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Women's events
* Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Olympic and world records broken
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, new world records were set 25 times (affecting 21 distinct world records) and new Olympic records were set 65 times and one other was equalled (affecting 30 distinct Olympic records).[14] Only Ian Thorpe's 3:40.59 in the 400 metres freestyle and Inge de Bruijn's 56.61 in the 100 metres butterfly, both set in Sydney, remained Olympic records. Michael Phelps of the United States also broke the record for the most gold medals ever won by an Olympian with a total of 14; 8 of which were won during the 2008 Summer Olympics - this was also a world record.
Men
* World record split from the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay Note: At the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay final, anchor Jason Lezak swam the fastest 100 m split (46.06); however, this is not considered an official FINA record, as he did not swim the first leg.
Women
LZR Racer suits
Another big change to swimming occurred when Speedo launched the LZR Racer swim suits on February 13, 2008. The suits, developed by the Australian Institute of Sport,[15] were designed to repel water, allow oxygen to flow to the muscles, and hold the body in a more hydrodynamic position.[16][17] The suits had been proven to give the swimmer a lower time by 1.9 to 2.2%.[18] Due to the advantage provided by the suits, some swimmers complained about the fairness in its use, because some people used multiple swimsuits to improve buoyancy and compressing of body;[19] the official blog for the National Collegiate Athletic Association pondered whether they were "technology doping" and what was the difference between gaining advantage from a swimsuit and gaining advantage from performance-enhancing drugs.[18] In response to these complaints, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) scheduled a meeting with Speedo to discuss the suits.[19] After the meeting, FINA dismissed the claims of cheating, and endorsed the suits for future swimming meets.[19] By August 14, 2008, 62 world records had been broken by swimmers wearing the LZR Racer.[20][17]
See also
References
- ↑ "Olympedia – Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ↑ "BBC 2008 Olympic Coverage: Swimming". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Staff (18 August 2008). "Recap: Phelps eight golds more than any other country". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ↑ "Phelps claims Olympic-record eighth gold medal with relay win". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 17 August 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Phelps wins historic eighth gold". BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "China's Olympic Swimming Pool: Redefining Fast". National Public Radio. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
- ↑ "Olympic Swimming Schedule". FINA. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ↑ "Olympics on NBC through 2032". USA Today. Gannett Company. May 7, 2014. Archived from the original on May 7, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ↑ "Fewer Russians Could Be a Windfall for U.S. Olympic Business". The New York Times. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ↑ Longman, Jeré (12 February 2018). "For Olympic Figure Skaters, a New Meaning to Morning Routine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Swimming: Results and Schedule". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ↑ "FINA – Swimming" (PDF). FINA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ↑ "Swimming: 200 Medal Standings by Nation". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ↑ "Swimming records broken by record type". Beijing 2008 Official Site. 17 August 2008. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
- ↑ "Engineering the world's fastest swimsuit". Physorg. 28 February 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
- ↑ "Japanese search for new swimsuits". BBC News. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Roberts, Jacob (2017). "Winning Skin". Distillations. 2 (4): 8–15. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Celebrity Rules as the Olympics strays far from its ideal". The Japan Times. 10 August 2008. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Speedo LZR Racer Swimsuit Spawns Copycats and Controversy". Gizmodo. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
- ↑ Thurow, Roger (14 August 2008). "Fast Times". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
External links
- Official Swimming Site at the Wayback Machine (archived 23 June 2008)
- NBC 2008 Olympics Coverage at the Wayback Machine (archived 3 January 2014)
- Swimming – Official Results Book