Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The swimming competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place from 9 to 17 August 2008 at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre. The newly introduced open water marathon events (10 km) were held on 20 and 21 August 2008 at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.[1]
| Swimming at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| 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 |
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.[2] 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.[3][4] 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).[2] Meanwhile, Great Britain finished third with a total of six medals by the benefit of a sterling long-distance freestyle double from Rebecca Adlington.[4]
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.[5] The main pool is about 10 feet (3.0 m) deep, 3 feet (0.91 m) deeper than any other Olympic pool.[5] The lane lines, nicknamed "wave eaters", buffer the waves produced by swimmers while they stroke.[5] 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.[5]
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):[6]
- 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,[7] is also one of the major sources of revenue for the IOC),[8] so that the finals from the event could be shown live in the United States.[9][10]
| H | Heats | ½ | Semifinals | 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.[11]
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):
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Medal summary
Medal table
Retrieved from 2008 NBC Olympics website.[12]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Serbia (SRB) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Slovenia (SLO) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 19 |  Austria (AUT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Denmark (DEN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (21 nations) | 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.
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).[13] 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,[14] were designed to repel water, allow oxygen to flow to the muscles, and hold the body in a more hydrodynamic position.[15][16] The suits had been proven to give the swimmer a lower time by 1.9 to 2.2%.[17] 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;[18] 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.[17] In response to these complaints, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) scheduled a meeting with Speedo to discuss the suits.[18] After the meeting, FINA dismissed the claims of cheating, and endorsed the suits for future swimming meets.[18] By August 14, 2008, 62 world records had been broken by swimmers wearing the LZR Racer.[19][16]
References
- "BBC 2008 Olympic Coverage: Swimming". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- 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. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
- "Phelps wins historic eighth gold". BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- "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.
- "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.
- "Swimming: Results and Schedule". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. 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.
- Roberts, Jacob (2017). "Winning Skin". Distillations. 2 (4): 8–15. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- "Celebrity Rules as the Olympics strays far from its ideal". The Japan Times. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
- "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.
