World record progression 100 metres freestyle
The first world record in the 100 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1905. In the short course (25 metres) swimming events, the world's governing body recognizes world records since 3 March 1991. Times have consistently dropped over the years due to better training techniques, new developments in the sport and swimwear changes (e.g. goggles were not widely used until the 1970s, providing for considerable expansion of practice/training time). In the first four Olympics, competitions were not held in pools, but rather in open water (1896 – The Mediterranean Sea, 1900 – The Seine River, 1904 – an artificial lake, 1906 – The Mediterranean Sea). The 1904 Olympics freestyle race was the only one ever measured at 100 yards, instead of the usual 100 metres. A 100-metre pool was built for the 1908 Olympics and sat in the centre of the main stadium's track and field oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm...
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