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Status Report: World & Textile Records

Sep 15, 2012  - Craig Lord

File Updated on September 15, 2012

Shiny suits were banned on January 1, 2010 but the times set in them survive. Progress is being made, with a new set of standards for the sport unfolding before our eyes regardless of whether officialdom wishes to acknowledge it or not. Some are setting textile bests, a few wiping out shiny suit standards.

At the London 2012 Olympics, 10 world records, six among women, fell and a further 14 world textile bests were established by swimmers whose standards will not be officially recognised.

A month after the Olympic Games, Japan's Akihiro Yamaguchi clocked 2:07.01 over 200m breaststroke.

Here's the latest score of global standards (world records that beat a shiny suit time in bold, London textile bests in italics):

Men

21.34

Freestyle

  • 50m:  21.34 Florent Manaudou (FRA) London August 3 2012 (20th best performance all suits)
  • 100m: 47.10 James Magnussen (AUS) 2012 Adelaide AUS Olympic trials (5th)
  • 200m: 1:43.14 Yannick Agnel  (FRA) London July 30 2012 (3rd)
  • 400m: 3:40.08 Ian Thorpe (AUS) 2002 (2nd)
  • 800m: 7:38.57 Sun Yang (CHN) Shanghai 2011 (3rd)
  • 1500: 14:31.02 Sun Yang  (CHN) Aug 4, 2012 London

Backstroke

  • 50m:  24.07 Camille Lacourt (FRA) 2010 (2nd)
  • 100m: 52.08 Matt Grevers (USA) 2012 (2nd)
  • 200m: 1:52.96 Ryan Lochte  (USA) Shanghai 2011 (3rd)

Breaststroke

  • 50m:  26.87 Felipe Franca (BRA) Rio 2012 (7th)
  • 100m: 58.46 Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) London July 29 2012   
  • 200m: 2:07.01 Akihiro Yamaguchi (JPN) Gifu Prefecture Sept 15, 2012 
  • (latter inside - 2:07.28 Daniel Gyurta (HUN) 2012) 

Butterfly

  • 50m:  22.76 Cesar Cielo (BRA) Rio 2012 (10th)
  • 100m: 50.40 Ian Crocker (USA) 2005 (5th)
  • 200m: 1:52.09 Michael Phelps (USA) 2007 (3rd)

Medley

  • 200m: 1:54.00 Ryan Lochte (USA) 2010 (1st) The first event in which shiny suit standards were sunk
  • 400m: 4:05.18 Ryan Lochte (USA) London July 28, 2012 (2nd)

Relays

  • 4x100m free: 3:09.93 France London July 29, 2012 (7th)
  • 4x200m free: 6:59.70 USA London July 31, 2010 (4th)
  • 4x100m medley: 3:29.35 USA London, August 4, 2012 (5th)

Women:

Freestyle

  • 50m:  24.05 Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) Aug 4 2012, London
  • 100m: 52.75 Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) Eindhoven April 13 2012 (5th) - 52.99* Libby Lenton (AUS) 2007 (13th)
  • 200m: 1:53.61 Allison Schmitt (USA) London July 31, 2012 (2nd) 
  • 400m: 4:01.13 Camille Muffat (FRA) Dunkirk March 2012, French trials  (7th)
  • 800m: 8:14.63 Katie Ledecky (USA) August 3 2012 London (2nd)
  • 1500: 15:42.54 Kate Ziegler (USA) 2007 (WR)

*- time was never ratified as a world record because Lenton (later Trickett) raced in a lane next to Michael Phelps in a mixed relay in contravention of FINA rules governing the conditions under which world records may be established.

Backstroke

  • 50m:  27.45 Gao Chang (CHN) 2010 (10th)
  • 100m: 58.23 Emily Seebohm (AUS) London July 29 2012 (3rd)
  • 200m: 2:04.06 Melissa Franklin (USA) August 3, 2012 London 

Breaststroke

  • 50m:  30.03 Jessica Hardy (USA) 2010 (3rd)
  • 100m: 1:04.91 Rebecca Soni (USA) Shanghai 2011 (3rd) 
  • 200m: 2:19.59 Rebecca Soni (USA) London August 2, 2012 

Butterfly

  • 50m:  25.29 Jeanette Ottesen (DEN) Rio 2012 (4th)
  • 100m: 55.98 Dana Vollmer  (USA) London July 29, 2012 
  • 200m: 2:04.06 Jiao Liuyang (CHN) 2012 (4th)

Medley:

  • 200m: 2:07.57 Ye Shiwen (CHN) London, July 31, 2012 (5th)
  • 400m: 4:28.43 Ye Shiwen (CHN) London, July 28, 2012 

Relays

  • 4x100m free: 3:33.15 (AUS) London, July 28, 2012 (4th)
  • 4x200m free: 7:42.92 (USA) London, August 1, 2012 (3rd)
  • 4x100m medley: 3:52.05 (USA) Aug 4, 2012 London