Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
| Swimming at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 Pictogram for swimming at the 2008 Games | |
| Venue | Beijing National Aquatics Center Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park |
| Dates | August 9–21 |
| Competitors | 1,022 from 163 nations |
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held over a thirteen day period from August 9 to August 21, with the conventional events ending on August 17 and the new marathon 10 km events being held on August 20 and 21. All swimming events (except the two marathon 10 km events) took place at the Beijing National Aquatics Center.
Venue
| Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| 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 |
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.[1] The main pool is about 10 feet (3.0 m) deep, 3 feet (0.91 m) deeper than any other Olympic pool.[1] The lane lines, nicknamed "wave eaters", buffer the waves produced by swimmers while they stroke.[1] 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.[1]
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:[2]
- Freestyle: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m (women), 1500 m (men),
- Backstroke: 100 m, 200 m
- Breaststroke: 100 m, 200 m
- Butterfly: 100 m, 200 m
- Individual Medley: 200 m, 400 m
- Relay: 4×100 m Free, 4×200 m Free; 4×100 m Medley
- Marathon: 10 km
For the order of events, please see
Qualifying criteria
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.
An NOC may enter up to 1 swimmer per sex (2 total), if they have no swimmers meeting any qualifying B standard.
For further specifics on the qualifying process, please see:
Medal summary
Medal table
Retrieved from Beijing Olympics 2008 Official Website.[3]
| 1 |  United States (USA) |
12 | 9 | 10 | 31 |
| 2 |  Australia (AUS) |
6 | 6 | 8 | 20 |
| 3 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 |  Japan (JPN) |
2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 |  Germany (GER) |
2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 |  Netherlands (NED) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 |  China (CHN) |
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 |  Zimbabwe (ZIM) |
1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 |  France (FRA) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 10 |  Russia (RUS) |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 |  Italy (ITA) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 South Korea (KOR) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 13 |  Brazil (BRA) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 |  Tunisia (TUN) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 |  Hungary (HUN) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 16 |  Norway (NOR) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 17 |  Slovenia (SLO) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Serbia (SRB) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 19 |  Austria (AUT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Canada (CAN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Denmark (DEN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 34 | 34 | 36 | 104 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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.
Records broken
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, new world swimming records were set 25 times (affecting 21 distinct world records) and new Olympic swimming records were set 65 times and one other was equalled (affecting 30 distinct Olympic records).[4] 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 remain 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 is also a world record.
Men's Olympic and world records
Also, 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's Olympic and world records
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 NASA and the Australian Institute of Sport,[5] were designed to repel water, allow oxygen to flow to the muscles, and hold the body in a more hydrodynamic position.[6] The suits had been proven to give the swimmer a lower time by 1.9 to 2.2%.[7] 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;[8] even 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.[7] In response to these complaints, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) scheduled a meeting with Speedo to discuss the suits.[8] After the meeting, FINA dismissed the claims of cheating, and endorsed the suits for future swimming meets.[8] By August 14, 2008, 62 world records had been broken by swimmers wearing the LZR Racer.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "China's Olympic Swimming Pool: Redefining Fast". National Public Radio. 2008-08-10. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ "Olympic Swimming Schedule". FINA. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
- ^ "Swimming Medal Standings". Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ "Swimming records broken by record type". Beijing 2008 Official Site. 2008-08-17. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ "Engineering the world's fastest swimsuit". Physorg. 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ "Japanese search for new swimsuits". BBC News. 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ a b "Celebrity Rules as the Olympics strays far from its ideal". The Japan Times. 2008-08-10. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ a b c "Speedo LZR Racer Swimsuit Spawns Copycats and Controversy". Gizmodo. 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ Thurow, Roger (2008-08-14). "Fast Times". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
External links
- Official Swimming Site
- Swim Rankings results
- Video record swim Video record swim from Olympic Games 2008
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