SWC75
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There was controversy over the swimming achievements of Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen at the London games. She won the women’s 400 meter medley in a time of 4:28.43, swimming the last 50 meters in freestyle in 28.93 seconds. The men’s 400 meter medley winner, Ryan Lochte, swam his last 50 meters in 29.10. This, plus some recent sizable improvements in her times provoked rumors that Ye Schwen was on performance enhancing drugs. But she’s only 16 years old so significant improvements in her times could reasonably be expected as she matures. Lochte’s overall time of 4:05.18 was 23.25 seconds better than Ye Schwen’s, (in fact she would have finished last in the men’s race.) Ye Schwen was a full body length behind in her race and “had to hit the burners hard” while Lochte had a comfortable lead and was able to coast home.
Still, the controversy caused a comment that I think I heard in the previous Olympics to surface in my mind. I recall somebody saying that the women’s times were getting closer and closer to the men’s times as we went from one Olympics to the next and that if you look at the women‘s times, they were sometimes exceeding the men‘s times from not too many Olympiads back. I decided to look at that. I looked at the occasions where men and women had swum the same race, (distance and swimming style), quoted the scores simply in seconds, rather than minutes and seconds, and divided the men’s gold medalist seconds by those of the women’s gold medalists, giving us a percentage that represents the degree of comparability of the woman‘s performance to that of the men. If a man swam the distance in 90 seconds and the woman in 100 seconds, the woman’s performance was 90% as good as the man’s. I also listed the latest previous Olympiad in which the woman’s time would have won the men’s race. (For example, Ye Schwen’s time of 4:28.3 in the 400 meter medley in 2012 would have won the men’s 400 meter medley at the 1972 Olympics.
Note: I’m not trying to “prove” anything here or score points for one sex over another. I find I enjoy watching the women’s events as much as the men’s and am glad Title IX enabled them to have the opportunities men have had. I just want to see what the records can tell us on the issue of whether the women are somehow catching up to the men in swimming.
50 METER FREE STYLE
Neither sex competed in this race until 1988. “Freestyle” means the Australian crawl that we’ve all been taught as kids. It’s the fastest form of swimming and the winner of this race is thus “The World‘s Fastest Swimmer“.
1988 Men 22.14 seconds Women 25.49 seconds, (86.9% comparable, would never have won Men‘s competition)
1992 M- 21.91 W- 24.79 (88.4%)
1996 M- 22.13 W- 24.87 (89.0%)
2000 M- 21.98 W- 24.32 (90.4%)
2004 M- 21.93 W- 24.58 (89.2%)
2008 M- 21.30 W- 24.06 (88.5%)
2012 M- 21.34 W- 24.05 (88.7%)
100 METER FREESTYLE
The men competed in this in 1896. It was not held in 1900 and in 1904 it was 100 yards because the Olympics was held in St. Louis as part of the World’s Fair. That Olympics was pretty much of a failure as few Europeans attended so they held a “special” Olympics called the “Intercalated” (inserted) games in Athens in 1906 and the 100 meter freestyle has been held ever since. The women joined in 1912.
1912 M- 63.4 W- 82.2 (77.1%, would have won in 1896)
1920 M- 60.4 W- 73.6 (82.1%, 1896)
1924 M- 59.0 W- 72.4 (81.5%, 1906)
1928 M- 58.6 W- 71.0 (82.5%, 1906)
1932 M- 58.2 W- 66.8 (87.1%, 1906)
1936 M- 57.6 W- 65.9 (87.4%, 1906)
1948 M- 57.3 W- 66.3 (86.4%, 1906)
1952 M- 57.4 W- 66.8 (85.9%, 1906)
1956 M- 55.4 W- 62.0 (89.4%, 1912)
1960 M- 55.2 W- 61.2 (90.2%, 1912)
1964 M- 53.4 W- 59.5 (89.7%, 1920)
1968 M- 52.2 W- 60.0 (87.0%, 1920)
1972 M- 51.22 W- 58.59 (87.4%, 1924)
1976 M- 49.99 W- 55.65 (89.8%, 1952)
1980 M- 50.40 W- 54.79 (92.0%, 1960)
1984 M- 49.80 W- 55.92 (89.1%, 1952)
1988 M- 48.63 W- 54.93 (88.5%, 1960)
1992 M- 49.02 W- 54.64 (89.7%, 1960)
1996 M- 48.74 W- 54.50 (89.4%, 1960)
2000 M- 48.30 W- 53.83 (89.7%, 1960)
2004 M- 48.17 W- 53.84 (89.4%, 1960)
2008 M- 47.21 W- 53.12 (88.9%, 1964)
2012 M- 47.52 W- 53.00 (89.7%, 1964)
200 METER FREESTYLE
The men swam this distance in 1900. It was 200 yards in St. Louis and, strangely, they didn’t run this race again until 1964. The women didn’t do it until 1968.
1968 M- 115.2 W-130.5 (88.3%)
1972 M- 112.78 W- 123.56 (91.3%)
1976 M- 110.29 W- 119.26 (92.5%)
1980 M- 109.81 W- 118.23 (92.8%)
1984 M- 107.44 W- 119.23 (90.1%)
1988 M- 107.25 W- 117.65 (91.2%)
1992 M- 106.70 W- 117.90 (90.5%)
1996 M- 107.63 W- 118.16 (91.1%)
2000 M- 105.35 W- 118.24 (89.1%)
2004 M- 104.71 W- 118.03 (88.7%)
2008 M- 102.96 W- 114.82 (89.7%, 1968)
2012 M- 103.14 W-113.61 (90.8%, 1968)
The women have actually done beteer, compared to the emn, at the logner distance.
400 METER FREESTYLE
The 400 meter freestyle dates back to the 1896 games. It wasn’t held in 1900 and the race was 440 yards in 1904, 1906 and 1908. It’s been 400 meters since 1912. The women dived in 1924.
1924 M- 304.2 W- 362.2 (88.3%)
1928 M- 301.6 W- 342.8 (91.2%)
1932 M- 288.4 W- 328.5 (88.7%)
1936 M- 284.5 W- 326.4 (88.0%)
1948 M- 281.0 W- 317.8 (88.4%, 1912)
1952 M- 270.7 W- 312.1 (86.7%, 1920)
1956 M- 267.3 W- 294.6 (90.7%, 1924)
1960 M- 258.3 W- 290.6 (88.9%, 1928)
1964 M- 252.2 W- 283.3 (89.0%, 1936)
1968 M- 249.0 W- 271.8 (91.6%, 1948)
1972 M- 240.27 W- 259.04 (92.8%, 1956)
1976 M- 231.93 W- 249.89 (92.8%, 1964- only a dozen years before)
1980 M- 231.31 W- 248.76 (93.0%, 1968)
1984 M- 231.23 W- 247.10 (93.6%, 1968)
1988 M- 226.95 W- 243.85 (93.1%, 1968)
1992 M- 225.00 W- 247.18 (91.0%, 1968)
1996 M- 227.97 W- 247.25 (92.2%, 1968)
2000 M- 220.59 W- 245.80 (89.7%, 1968)
2004 M- 223.10 W- 245.34 (89.5%, 1968)
2008 M- 221.86 W- 243.22 (91.2%, 1968)
2012 M- 220.14 W- 241.45 (91.2%, 1968)
This is the event where the women have done the best vs. the men. It’s interesting that they are more comparable at the longer distance. The men do a 1500 meter freestyle. The women do 800 meters. One wonders if the women would be closer at 800 meters or even 1500 meters. 1968 is a benchmark year because the Olympics were at elevation in Mexico City. For sprinters, that was good- less air to run through. But swimmers are going through water and the lesser air slowed them down. So that year appears a lot in the comparability section of these races. 1976 is also an important year: it was when the East German women were breaking records all over the place because they were on steroids. But the times since then have not retreated from the standards they set. They’ve continued to get better and better.
100 METER BACKSTROKE
The men raced over 100 yards in St. Louis but the first 100 meter backstroke race was in 1908. The women joined in in 1924. For reasons I have been unable to determine, there was no 100 meter backstroke for the men in 1964 but there was for the women.
1924 M- 73.2 W- 83.2 (88.0%, 1908)
1928 M- 68.2 W- 82.0 (83.2%, 1908)
1932 M- 68.6 W- 79.4 (86.4%, 1912)
1936 M- 65.9 W- 78.9 (83.5%, 1912)
1948 M- 66.4 W- 74.4 (89.2%, 1920)
1952 M- 65.4 W- 74.3 (88.0%, 1920)
1956 M- 62.2 W- 72.9 (85.3%, 1924)
1960 M- 61.9 W- 69.3 (89.3%, 1924)
1964 M- none W- 67.7 (1932)
1968 M- 58.7 W- 66.2 (88.7%, 1932)
1972 M- 56.58 W- 65.78 (86.0%, 1948)
1976 M- 55.49 W- 61.83 (89.7%, 1960)
1980 M- 56.33 W- 60.86 (92.6%, 1960)
1984 M- 55.79 W- 62.55 (89.2%, 1952- not sure why we went backwards here)
1988 M- 55.05 W- 60.89 (90.4%, 1960)
1992 M- 53.98 W- 60.68 (89.0%, 1960)
1996 M- 54.10 W- 61.19 (88.4%, 1960)
2000 M- 53.72 W- 60.21 (89.2%, 1960)
2004 M- 54.06 W- 60.37 (89.5%, 1960)
2008 M- 52.54 W- 58.96 (89.1%, 1960)
2012 M- 52.16 W- 58.33 (89.4%, 1968)
200 METER BACKSTROKE
This was held for the men in Paris in 1900 but not again until 1964, (the same year they didn’t hold the 100 meter event- maybe they thought 200 meters was more appropriate for the big strong men). The women began swimming this distance four years later.
1968 M- 67.7 W- 74.2 (89.5%, 1900)
1972 M- 64.94 W- 73.58 (88.5%, 1900)
1976 M- 63.11 W- 71.16 (89.3%, 1900)
1980 M- 63.44 W- 70.22 (92.5%, 1900)
1984 M- 61.65 W- 69.88 (93.2%, 1968)
1988 M- 62.04 W- 67.95 (92.7%, 1968)
1992 M- 61.50 W- 68.00 (91.1%, 1968)
1996 M- 60.65 W- 67.73 (92.7%, 1968)
2000 M- 60.46 W- 67.05 (91.1%, 1968)
2004 M- 60.08 W- 66.64 (89.0%, 1968)
2008 M- 58.91 W- 65.17 (91.0%, 1968)
This is another event the women have done well in. Better than the 100 meter version of the same event.
100 METER BREASTSTROKE (no jokes, please)
Neither sex competed in this event until the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
1968 M- 67.7 W- 74.2 (91.2%)
1972 M- 64.94 W- 73.58 (88.3%)
1976 M- 63.11 W- 71.16 (88.7%)
1980 M- 63.44 W- 70.22 (90.3%)
1984 M- 61.65 W- 69.88 (88.2%)
1988 M- 62.04 W- 67.95 (91.3%)
1992 M- 61.50 W- 68.00 (89.5%)
1996 M- 60.65 W- 67.73 (90.2%)
2000 M- 60.46 W- 67.05 (90.2%, 1968)
2004 M- 60.08 W- 66.64 (90.2%, 1968)
2008 M- 58.91 W- 65.17 (90.4%, 1968)
2012 M- 58.46 W- 65.47 (89.3%, 1968)
200 METER BREASTSTROKE
For some reason this has a much longer history than the 100 meter event. The men swam it from 1908, the women from 1924.
1924 M- 176.6 W- 213.2 (82.8%)
1928 M- 168.8 W- 192.6 (87.6%)
1932 M- 165.4 W- 186.3 (88.8%, 1908)
1936 M- 161.5 W- 183.6 (88.0%, 1920)
1948 M- 159.3 W- 177.2 (89.9%, 1920)
1952 M- 154.4 W- 171.7 (89.9%, 1924)
1956 M- 154.7 W- 173.1 (89.4%, 1924)
1960 M- 157.4 W- 169.5 (92.9%, 1924)
1964 M- 147.8 W- 166.4 (88.8%, 1928- not sure why the men were so much better in 1964 than 1960)
1968 M- 148.7 W- 164.4 (90.4%, 1932)
1972 M- 141.55 W- 161.71 (87.5%, 1932)
1976 M- 135.11 W- 153.35 (88.1%, 1960)
1980 M- 135.85 W- 149.54 (90.8%, 1960)
1984 M- 133.34 W- 150.38 (88.7%, 1960)
1988 M- 133.52 W- 146.71 (91.0%, 1968)
1992 M- 130.16 W- 146.65 (88.8%, 1968)
1996 M- 132.57 W- 145.41 (91.7%, 1968)
2000 M- 130.87 W- 144.35 (90.7%, 1968)
2004 M- 129.44 W- 143.37 (90.3%, 1968)
2008 M- 127.64 W- 140.22 (91.0%, 1972)
2012 M- 127.28 W- 139.59 (91.2%, 1972)
Again, the women do slightly better vs. the men at the longer distance than they did at the shorter distance.
100 METER BUTTERFLY
The women started the 100 meter butterfly before the men: in 1956. The men started running this race in 1968.
1968 M- 55.9 W-65.5 (85.3%)
1972 M- 54.27 W- 63.34 (85.7%)
1976 M- 54.35 W- 60.13 (90.4%)
1980 M- 54.92 W- 60.42 (90.9%)
1984 M- 53.08 W- 59.26 (89.6%)
1988 M- 53.00 W- 59.00 (89.8%)
1992 M- 53.32 W- 58.62 (91.0%)
1996 M- 52.27 W- 59.13 (88.4%)
2000 M- 52.00 W- 56.61 (91.9%)
2004 M- 51.25 W- 57.72 (88.8%)
2008 M- 50.58 W- 56.73 (89.2%)
2012 M- 51.21 W- 55.98 (91.4%)
Ironically, the women have never had a time in this race that would have won a previous men’s race. And the butterfly is Michael Phelps’ specialty.
200 METER BUTTERFLY
The men started with this distance in 1956, the women in 1968.
1968 M- 128.7 W- 144.7 (88.9%)
1972 M- 120.70 W- 135.57 (89.0%, 1956)
1976 M- 119.23 W- 131.41 (90.7%, 1960)
1980 M- 117.04 W- 130.44 (91.8%, 1960)
1984 M- 117.04 W- 126.90 (92.2%, 1968)
1988 M- 116.94 W- 129.51 (90.3%, 1960)
1992 M- 116.26 W- 128.67 (90.4%, 1968)
1996 M- 116.51 W- 127.76 (91.2%, 1968)
2000 M- 115.35 W- 125.88 (91.6%, 1968)
2004 M- 114.04 W- 126.05 (90.5%, 1968)
2008 M- 112.03 W- 124.18 (90.2%, 1968)
2012 M- 112.96 W- 124.06 (91.1%, 1968)
Again the women have done better at the longer distance. Apparently in 1956 it was thought the women wouldn’t have the endurance for the 200 meters. Wrong.
200 METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Both sexes started swimming a medley from this distance in 1968. For some reason it was not held in 1976-80 for either sex.
1968 M- 132.0 W- 144.7 (91.2%)
1972 M- 127.17 W- 143.07 (88.9%)
1984 M- 121.42 W- 132.64 (91.5%)
1988 M- 120.17 W- 132.59 (90.6%)
1992 M- 120.76 W- 131.65 (91.7%, 1968)
1996 M- 119.91 W- 133.93 (89.5%)
2000 M- 118.98 W- 130.68 (91.0%, 1968)
2004 M- 117.14 W- 131.14 (89.3%, 1968)
2008 M- 114.23 W- 128.45 (88.9%, 1968)
2012 M- 114.27 W- 127.57 (91.3%, 1968)
400 METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Both sexes started this race in 1964. They started the longer race first, then the shorter one. And they did run it in 1976-80.
1964 M- 285.4 W- 318.7 (89.6%)
1968 M- 288.4 W- 308.5 (93.5%)
1972 M- 271.98 W- 302.97 (89.8%)
1976 M- 263.68 W- 282.77 (93.2%, 1968)
1980 M- 262.89 W- 276.29 (95.2% - This is the closest the women have ever come to matching the men’s time in an Olympic swimming race- they topped the 1968 men‘s time)
1984 M- 257.41 W- 276.10 (92.5%, 1968)
1988 M- 254.75 W- 277.76 (91.7%, 1968)
1992 M- 254.23 W- 276.54 (91.9%, 1968)
1996 M- 254.90 W- 279.18 (91.3%, 1968)
2000 M- 251.76 W- 273.59 (92.0%, 1968)
2004 M- 248.26 W- 274.83 (90.3%, 1968)
2008 M- 243.84 W- 269.45 (90.5%, 1972)
2012 M- 245.18 W- 268.43 (91.3%, 1972)
Again, the longer the race, the better for the women.
4 x 100 METER FREESTYLE RELAY
The women had a 100 meter free style relay as far back as 1912 but the men didn’t start running this race until 1964. Then the men didn’t run it in 1976-80 but the women still did. Go figure.
1964 M- 212.2 W- 243.8 (87.0%)
1968 M- 211.7 W- 242.5 (87.3%)
1972 M- 206.42 W- 235.19 (87.8%)
1976 M- none W- 224.82
1980 M- none W- 222.71
1984 M- 199.03 W- 223.43 (89.1%)
1988 M- 196.53 W- 220.57 (89.1%)
1992 M- 196.74 W- 219.46 (89.6%)
1996 M- 195.41 W- 219.29 (89.1%)
2000 M- 193.67 W- 216.61 (89.4%)
2004 M- 193.17 W- 215.95 (89.5%)
2008 M- 188.24 W- 213.76 (88.1%)
2012 M- 189.93 W- 213.15 (89.1%)
Not only have the women never had a faster time than any previous men’s teams in this event but it’s the only one where they’ve never achieved at least 90% of the men’s time in that Olympiad.
4 x 200 METER FREESTYLE RELAY
The men ran this in the Intercalated games in Athens in 1906 but over 250 meters. They ran it over 200 meters beginning in 1908 and didn’t skip 1976 and 1980. The women didn’t do this length until 1996.
1996 M- 434.84 W- 479.87 (90.6%, 1960)
2000 M- 407.05 W- 477.80 (85.2%, 1960)
2004 M- 407.33 W- 473.42 (86.0%, 1960)
2008 M- 398.56 W- 464.31 (85.8%, 1968)
2012 M- 399.70 W- 462.92 (86.3%, 1968)
4 x 100 METER MEDLEY RELAY
Both sexes started the medley relay in Rome in 1960.
1960 M- 245.4 W- 281.1 (87.3%)
1964 M- 238.4 W- 273.9 (87.0%)
1968 M- 234.9 W- 268.3 (87.6%)
1972 M- 228.16 W- 260.75 (87.5%)
1976 M- 222.22 W- 247.95 (89.6%)
1980 M- 225.70 W- 246.67 (91.5%)
1984 M- 219.30 W- 248.34 (88.3%)
1988 M- 216.93 W- 243.74 (89.0%, 1960)
1992 M- 216.93 W- 242.54 (89.4%, 1960)
1996 M- 214.84 W- 242.88 (88.5%, 1960)
2000 M- 213.73 W- 238.30 (89.7%, 1964)
2004 M- 210.68 W- 237.32 (88.8%, 1964)
2008 M- 209.34 W- 232.69 (90.0%, 1968)
2012 M- 209.35 W- 232.05 (90.2%, 1968)
There does not seem to be any pattern of the women “catching up to” the men. They have remained at about 90% of the men’s performance throughout the history of their combined events. The one real trend is that women seem to do better in the longer version of each event than in the shorter version(s). Why would this be true? I won’t got the Al Campanis route and talk about “buoyancy”. I have heard that women in some situations have better endurance than men. But it could be the same reason smaller performers do well in gymnastics- they are able to spin their bodies around faster. Each turn is a gymnastic move so a race with more turns will give an advantage to the smaller performer.
Still, the controversy caused a comment that I think I heard in the previous Olympics to surface in my mind. I recall somebody saying that the women’s times were getting closer and closer to the men’s times as we went from one Olympics to the next and that if you look at the women‘s times, they were sometimes exceeding the men‘s times from not too many Olympiads back. I decided to look at that. I looked at the occasions where men and women had swum the same race, (distance and swimming style), quoted the scores simply in seconds, rather than minutes and seconds, and divided the men’s gold medalist seconds by those of the women’s gold medalists, giving us a percentage that represents the degree of comparability of the woman‘s performance to that of the men. If a man swam the distance in 90 seconds and the woman in 100 seconds, the woman’s performance was 90% as good as the man’s. I also listed the latest previous Olympiad in which the woman’s time would have won the men’s race. (For example, Ye Schwen’s time of 4:28.3 in the 400 meter medley in 2012 would have won the men’s 400 meter medley at the 1972 Olympics.
Note: I’m not trying to “prove” anything here or score points for one sex over another. I find I enjoy watching the women’s events as much as the men’s and am glad Title IX enabled them to have the opportunities men have had. I just want to see what the records can tell us on the issue of whether the women are somehow catching up to the men in swimming.
50 METER FREE STYLE
Neither sex competed in this race until 1988. “Freestyle” means the Australian crawl that we’ve all been taught as kids. It’s the fastest form of swimming and the winner of this race is thus “The World‘s Fastest Swimmer“.
1988 Men 22.14 seconds Women 25.49 seconds, (86.9% comparable, would never have won Men‘s competition)
1992 M- 21.91 W- 24.79 (88.4%)
1996 M- 22.13 W- 24.87 (89.0%)
2000 M- 21.98 W- 24.32 (90.4%)
2004 M- 21.93 W- 24.58 (89.2%)
2008 M- 21.30 W- 24.06 (88.5%)
2012 M- 21.34 W- 24.05 (88.7%)
100 METER FREESTYLE
The men competed in this in 1896. It was not held in 1900 and in 1904 it was 100 yards because the Olympics was held in St. Louis as part of the World’s Fair. That Olympics was pretty much of a failure as few Europeans attended so they held a “special” Olympics called the “Intercalated” (inserted) games in Athens in 1906 and the 100 meter freestyle has been held ever since. The women joined in 1912.
1912 M- 63.4 W- 82.2 (77.1%, would have won in 1896)
1920 M- 60.4 W- 73.6 (82.1%, 1896)
1924 M- 59.0 W- 72.4 (81.5%, 1906)
1928 M- 58.6 W- 71.0 (82.5%, 1906)
1932 M- 58.2 W- 66.8 (87.1%, 1906)
1936 M- 57.6 W- 65.9 (87.4%, 1906)
1948 M- 57.3 W- 66.3 (86.4%, 1906)
1952 M- 57.4 W- 66.8 (85.9%, 1906)
1956 M- 55.4 W- 62.0 (89.4%, 1912)
1960 M- 55.2 W- 61.2 (90.2%, 1912)
1964 M- 53.4 W- 59.5 (89.7%, 1920)
1968 M- 52.2 W- 60.0 (87.0%, 1920)
1972 M- 51.22 W- 58.59 (87.4%, 1924)
1976 M- 49.99 W- 55.65 (89.8%, 1952)
1980 M- 50.40 W- 54.79 (92.0%, 1960)
1984 M- 49.80 W- 55.92 (89.1%, 1952)
1988 M- 48.63 W- 54.93 (88.5%, 1960)
1992 M- 49.02 W- 54.64 (89.7%, 1960)
1996 M- 48.74 W- 54.50 (89.4%, 1960)
2000 M- 48.30 W- 53.83 (89.7%, 1960)
2004 M- 48.17 W- 53.84 (89.4%, 1960)
2008 M- 47.21 W- 53.12 (88.9%, 1964)
2012 M- 47.52 W- 53.00 (89.7%, 1964)
200 METER FREESTYLE
The men swam this distance in 1900. It was 200 yards in St. Louis and, strangely, they didn’t run this race again until 1964. The women didn’t do it until 1968.
1968 M- 115.2 W-130.5 (88.3%)
1972 M- 112.78 W- 123.56 (91.3%)
1976 M- 110.29 W- 119.26 (92.5%)
1980 M- 109.81 W- 118.23 (92.8%)
1984 M- 107.44 W- 119.23 (90.1%)
1988 M- 107.25 W- 117.65 (91.2%)
1992 M- 106.70 W- 117.90 (90.5%)
1996 M- 107.63 W- 118.16 (91.1%)
2000 M- 105.35 W- 118.24 (89.1%)
2004 M- 104.71 W- 118.03 (88.7%)
2008 M- 102.96 W- 114.82 (89.7%, 1968)
2012 M- 103.14 W-113.61 (90.8%, 1968)
The women have actually done beteer, compared to the emn, at the logner distance.
400 METER FREESTYLE
The 400 meter freestyle dates back to the 1896 games. It wasn’t held in 1900 and the race was 440 yards in 1904, 1906 and 1908. It’s been 400 meters since 1912. The women dived in 1924.
1924 M- 304.2 W- 362.2 (88.3%)
1928 M- 301.6 W- 342.8 (91.2%)
1932 M- 288.4 W- 328.5 (88.7%)
1936 M- 284.5 W- 326.4 (88.0%)
1948 M- 281.0 W- 317.8 (88.4%, 1912)
1952 M- 270.7 W- 312.1 (86.7%, 1920)
1956 M- 267.3 W- 294.6 (90.7%, 1924)
1960 M- 258.3 W- 290.6 (88.9%, 1928)
1964 M- 252.2 W- 283.3 (89.0%, 1936)
1968 M- 249.0 W- 271.8 (91.6%, 1948)
1972 M- 240.27 W- 259.04 (92.8%, 1956)
1976 M- 231.93 W- 249.89 (92.8%, 1964- only a dozen years before)
1980 M- 231.31 W- 248.76 (93.0%, 1968)
1984 M- 231.23 W- 247.10 (93.6%, 1968)
1988 M- 226.95 W- 243.85 (93.1%, 1968)
1992 M- 225.00 W- 247.18 (91.0%, 1968)
1996 M- 227.97 W- 247.25 (92.2%, 1968)
2000 M- 220.59 W- 245.80 (89.7%, 1968)
2004 M- 223.10 W- 245.34 (89.5%, 1968)
2008 M- 221.86 W- 243.22 (91.2%, 1968)
2012 M- 220.14 W- 241.45 (91.2%, 1968)
This is the event where the women have done the best vs. the men. It’s interesting that they are more comparable at the longer distance. The men do a 1500 meter freestyle. The women do 800 meters. One wonders if the women would be closer at 800 meters or even 1500 meters. 1968 is a benchmark year because the Olympics were at elevation in Mexico City. For sprinters, that was good- less air to run through. But swimmers are going through water and the lesser air slowed them down. So that year appears a lot in the comparability section of these races. 1976 is also an important year: it was when the East German women were breaking records all over the place because they were on steroids. But the times since then have not retreated from the standards they set. They’ve continued to get better and better.
100 METER BACKSTROKE
The men raced over 100 yards in St. Louis but the first 100 meter backstroke race was in 1908. The women joined in in 1924. For reasons I have been unable to determine, there was no 100 meter backstroke for the men in 1964 but there was for the women.
1924 M- 73.2 W- 83.2 (88.0%, 1908)
1928 M- 68.2 W- 82.0 (83.2%, 1908)
1932 M- 68.6 W- 79.4 (86.4%, 1912)
1936 M- 65.9 W- 78.9 (83.5%, 1912)
1948 M- 66.4 W- 74.4 (89.2%, 1920)
1952 M- 65.4 W- 74.3 (88.0%, 1920)
1956 M- 62.2 W- 72.9 (85.3%, 1924)
1960 M- 61.9 W- 69.3 (89.3%, 1924)
1964 M- none W- 67.7 (1932)
1968 M- 58.7 W- 66.2 (88.7%, 1932)
1972 M- 56.58 W- 65.78 (86.0%, 1948)
1976 M- 55.49 W- 61.83 (89.7%, 1960)
1980 M- 56.33 W- 60.86 (92.6%, 1960)
1984 M- 55.79 W- 62.55 (89.2%, 1952- not sure why we went backwards here)
1988 M- 55.05 W- 60.89 (90.4%, 1960)
1992 M- 53.98 W- 60.68 (89.0%, 1960)
1996 M- 54.10 W- 61.19 (88.4%, 1960)
2000 M- 53.72 W- 60.21 (89.2%, 1960)
2004 M- 54.06 W- 60.37 (89.5%, 1960)
2008 M- 52.54 W- 58.96 (89.1%, 1960)
2012 M- 52.16 W- 58.33 (89.4%, 1968)
200 METER BACKSTROKE
This was held for the men in Paris in 1900 but not again until 1964, (the same year they didn’t hold the 100 meter event- maybe they thought 200 meters was more appropriate for the big strong men). The women began swimming this distance four years later.
1968 M- 67.7 W- 74.2 (89.5%, 1900)
1972 M- 64.94 W- 73.58 (88.5%, 1900)
1976 M- 63.11 W- 71.16 (89.3%, 1900)
1980 M- 63.44 W- 70.22 (92.5%, 1900)
1984 M- 61.65 W- 69.88 (93.2%, 1968)
1988 M- 62.04 W- 67.95 (92.7%, 1968)
1992 M- 61.50 W- 68.00 (91.1%, 1968)
1996 M- 60.65 W- 67.73 (92.7%, 1968)
2000 M- 60.46 W- 67.05 (91.1%, 1968)
2004 M- 60.08 W- 66.64 (89.0%, 1968)
2008 M- 58.91 W- 65.17 (91.0%, 1968)
This is another event the women have done well in. Better than the 100 meter version of the same event.
100 METER BREASTSTROKE (no jokes, please)
Neither sex competed in this event until the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
1968 M- 67.7 W- 74.2 (91.2%)
1972 M- 64.94 W- 73.58 (88.3%)
1976 M- 63.11 W- 71.16 (88.7%)
1980 M- 63.44 W- 70.22 (90.3%)
1984 M- 61.65 W- 69.88 (88.2%)
1988 M- 62.04 W- 67.95 (91.3%)
1992 M- 61.50 W- 68.00 (89.5%)
1996 M- 60.65 W- 67.73 (90.2%)
2000 M- 60.46 W- 67.05 (90.2%, 1968)
2004 M- 60.08 W- 66.64 (90.2%, 1968)
2008 M- 58.91 W- 65.17 (90.4%, 1968)
2012 M- 58.46 W- 65.47 (89.3%, 1968)
200 METER BREASTSTROKE
For some reason this has a much longer history than the 100 meter event. The men swam it from 1908, the women from 1924.
1924 M- 176.6 W- 213.2 (82.8%)
1928 M- 168.8 W- 192.6 (87.6%)
1932 M- 165.4 W- 186.3 (88.8%, 1908)
1936 M- 161.5 W- 183.6 (88.0%, 1920)
1948 M- 159.3 W- 177.2 (89.9%, 1920)
1952 M- 154.4 W- 171.7 (89.9%, 1924)
1956 M- 154.7 W- 173.1 (89.4%, 1924)
1960 M- 157.4 W- 169.5 (92.9%, 1924)
1964 M- 147.8 W- 166.4 (88.8%, 1928- not sure why the men were so much better in 1964 than 1960)
1968 M- 148.7 W- 164.4 (90.4%, 1932)
1972 M- 141.55 W- 161.71 (87.5%, 1932)
1976 M- 135.11 W- 153.35 (88.1%, 1960)
1980 M- 135.85 W- 149.54 (90.8%, 1960)
1984 M- 133.34 W- 150.38 (88.7%, 1960)
1988 M- 133.52 W- 146.71 (91.0%, 1968)
1992 M- 130.16 W- 146.65 (88.8%, 1968)
1996 M- 132.57 W- 145.41 (91.7%, 1968)
2000 M- 130.87 W- 144.35 (90.7%, 1968)
2004 M- 129.44 W- 143.37 (90.3%, 1968)
2008 M- 127.64 W- 140.22 (91.0%, 1972)
2012 M- 127.28 W- 139.59 (91.2%, 1972)
Again, the women do slightly better vs. the men at the longer distance than they did at the shorter distance.
100 METER BUTTERFLY
The women started the 100 meter butterfly before the men: in 1956. The men started running this race in 1968.
1968 M- 55.9 W-65.5 (85.3%)
1972 M- 54.27 W- 63.34 (85.7%)
1976 M- 54.35 W- 60.13 (90.4%)
1980 M- 54.92 W- 60.42 (90.9%)
1984 M- 53.08 W- 59.26 (89.6%)
1988 M- 53.00 W- 59.00 (89.8%)
1992 M- 53.32 W- 58.62 (91.0%)
1996 M- 52.27 W- 59.13 (88.4%)
2000 M- 52.00 W- 56.61 (91.9%)
2004 M- 51.25 W- 57.72 (88.8%)
2008 M- 50.58 W- 56.73 (89.2%)
2012 M- 51.21 W- 55.98 (91.4%)
Ironically, the women have never had a time in this race that would have won a previous men’s race. And the butterfly is Michael Phelps’ specialty.
200 METER BUTTERFLY
The men started with this distance in 1956, the women in 1968.
1968 M- 128.7 W- 144.7 (88.9%)
1972 M- 120.70 W- 135.57 (89.0%, 1956)
1976 M- 119.23 W- 131.41 (90.7%, 1960)
1980 M- 117.04 W- 130.44 (91.8%, 1960)
1984 M- 117.04 W- 126.90 (92.2%, 1968)
1988 M- 116.94 W- 129.51 (90.3%, 1960)
1992 M- 116.26 W- 128.67 (90.4%, 1968)
1996 M- 116.51 W- 127.76 (91.2%, 1968)
2000 M- 115.35 W- 125.88 (91.6%, 1968)
2004 M- 114.04 W- 126.05 (90.5%, 1968)
2008 M- 112.03 W- 124.18 (90.2%, 1968)
2012 M- 112.96 W- 124.06 (91.1%, 1968)
Again the women have done better at the longer distance. Apparently in 1956 it was thought the women wouldn’t have the endurance for the 200 meters. Wrong.
200 METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Both sexes started swimming a medley from this distance in 1968. For some reason it was not held in 1976-80 for either sex.
1968 M- 132.0 W- 144.7 (91.2%)
1972 M- 127.17 W- 143.07 (88.9%)
1984 M- 121.42 W- 132.64 (91.5%)
1988 M- 120.17 W- 132.59 (90.6%)
1992 M- 120.76 W- 131.65 (91.7%, 1968)
1996 M- 119.91 W- 133.93 (89.5%)
2000 M- 118.98 W- 130.68 (91.0%, 1968)
2004 M- 117.14 W- 131.14 (89.3%, 1968)
2008 M- 114.23 W- 128.45 (88.9%, 1968)
2012 M- 114.27 W- 127.57 (91.3%, 1968)
400 METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Both sexes started this race in 1964. They started the longer race first, then the shorter one. And they did run it in 1976-80.
1964 M- 285.4 W- 318.7 (89.6%)
1968 M- 288.4 W- 308.5 (93.5%)
1972 M- 271.98 W- 302.97 (89.8%)
1976 M- 263.68 W- 282.77 (93.2%, 1968)
1980 M- 262.89 W- 276.29 (95.2% - This is the closest the women have ever come to matching the men’s time in an Olympic swimming race- they topped the 1968 men‘s time)
1984 M- 257.41 W- 276.10 (92.5%, 1968)
1988 M- 254.75 W- 277.76 (91.7%, 1968)
1992 M- 254.23 W- 276.54 (91.9%, 1968)
1996 M- 254.90 W- 279.18 (91.3%, 1968)
2000 M- 251.76 W- 273.59 (92.0%, 1968)
2004 M- 248.26 W- 274.83 (90.3%, 1968)
2008 M- 243.84 W- 269.45 (90.5%, 1972)
2012 M- 245.18 W- 268.43 (91.3%, 1972)
Again, the longer the race, the better for the women.
4 x 100 METER FREESTYLE RELAY
The women had a 100 meter free style relay as far back as 1912 but the men didn’t start running this race until 1964. Then the men didn’t run it in 1976-80 but the women still did. Go figure.
1964 M- 212.2 W- 243.8 (87.0%)
1968 M- 211.7 W- 242.5 (87.3%)
1972 M- 206.42 W- 235.19 (87.8%)
1976 M- none W- 224.82
1980 M- none W- 222.71
1984 M- 199.03 W- 223.43 (89.1%)
1988 M- 196.53 W- 220.57 (89.1%)
1992 M- 196.74 W- 219.46 (89.6%)
1996 M- 195.41 W- 219.29 (89.1%)
2000 M- 193.67 W- 216.61 (89.4%)
2004 M- 193.17 W- 215.95 (89.5%)
2008 M- 188.24 W- 213.76 (88.1%)
2012 M- 189.93 W- 213.15 (89.1%)
Not only have the women never had a faster time than any previous men’s teams in this event but it’s the only one where they’ve never achieved at least 90% of the men’s time in that Olympiad.
4 x 200 METER FREESTYLE RELAY
The men ran this in the Intercalated games in Athens in 1906 but over 250 meters. They ran it over 200 meters beginning in 1908 and didn’t skip 1976 and 1980. The women didn’t do this length until 1996.
1996 M- 434.84 W- 479.87 (90.6%, 1960)
2000 M- 407.05 W- 477.80 (85.2%, 1960)
2004 M- 407.33 W- 473.42 (86.0%, 1960)
2008 M- 398.56 W- 464.31 (85.8%, 1968)
2012 M- 399.70 W- 462.92 (86.3%, 1968)
4 x 100 METER MEDLEY RELAY
Both sexes started the medley relay in Rome in 1960.
1960 M- 245.4 W- 281.1 (87.3%)
1964 M- 238.4 W- 273.9 (87.0%)
1968 M- 234.9 W- 268.3 (87.6%)
1972 M- 228.16 W- 260.75 (87.5%)
1976 M- 222.22 W- 247.95 (89.6%)
1980 M- 225.70 W- 246.67 (91.5%)
1984 M- 219.30 W- 248.34 (88.3%)
1988 M- 216.93 W- 243.74 (89.0%, 1960)
1992 M- 216.93 W- 242.54 (89.4%, 1960)
1996 M- 214.84 W- 242.88 (88.5%, 1960)
2000 M- 213.73 W- 238.30 (89.7%, 1964)
2004 M- 210.68 W- 237.32 (88.8%, 1964)
2008 M- 209.34 W- 232.69 (90.0%, 1968)
2012 M- 209.35 W- 232.05 (90.2%, 1968)
There does not seem to be any pattern of the women “catching up to” the men. They have remained at about 90% of the men’s performance throughout the history of their combined events. The one real trend is that women seem to do better in the longer version of each event than in the shorter version(s). Why would this be true? I won’t got the Al Campanis route and talk about “buoyancy”. I have heard that women in some situations have better endurance than men. But it could be the same reason smaller performers do well in gymnastics- they are able to spin their bodies around faster. Each turn is a gymnastic move so a race with more turns will give an advantage to the smaller performer.
