Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is a fun and flexible way to swim in competitions. In freestyle races, swimmers can use almost any style they like, as long as they follow a few simple rules set by World Aquatics. These races are very popular and can be as short as 50 meters (55 yards) or as long as 1,500 meters (1,600 yards), which is also called the mile.

Many people think of the front crawl when they hear "freestyle" because it is the fastest way to swim on the surface. This stroke is used in most freestyle races. The front crawl was also the very first swimming style ever included in the first Olympics when closed water swimming events began.

Technique

Freestyle swimming means using both your arms and legs to swim quickly, except in special races called individual medley or medley relay. Swimmers usually choose the front crawl because it is the fastest way to swim. In a race, swimmers move their arms forward one after the other and kick their legs up and down, called a flutter kick.

Sometimes swimmers can use other strokes like breaststroke, butterfly, or backstroke in freestyle races, but not in the freestyle part of medley races. The front crawl stroke was improved by a man named Richmond Cavill from Australia after he saw a boy from the Solomon Islands swim. Cavill and his brothers shared this way of swimming with other countries. In the Olympic Games, swimmers almost always use the front crawl for freestyle races. There are a few rules, like touching the end of the pool after each length, but otherwise swimmers can use any style they like. If a swimmer starts the race too early, they may be disqualified.

New developments in the sport

Swimming times have kept getting better because of improved training and new ideas in the sport. In the first few Olympics, races were not held in pools but in open water like rivers and lakes. Over time, special pools were built for swimming, and rules and tools were improved to make swimming faster and fairer.

Swimmers used to wear full body suits that made them slower, but now they wear special swimwear. Pools were made deeper and wider, and new designs help reduce water movement. Swimmers also started using diving blocks and special turns, which made races quicker and more exciting.

Rules and regulation

In freestyle swimming, swimmers can use any style except breaststroke, butterfly, or backstroke in certain races like the individual medley and medley relay. They must touch the wall at each turn and at the finish line. Swimmers need to have part of their body above water during the race, except for the first 15 meters after the start and during each turn. This rule helps make the race fair by stopping swimmers from staying underwater the whole time.

The exact rules are:

• In freestyle events, swimmers can use any style except backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly in individual medley or medley relay races.
• Swimmers must touch the wall at each turn and at the end of the race.
• Swimmers must be partly above water during the race, but they can stay underwater for up to 15 meters after the start and each turn. After that, their head must be above water.

Main article: History of swimming

Competitions

There are nine freestyle swimming competitions, held in both long (50 meter) and short (25 meter) pools. In the United States, swimmers often use a 25-yard pool during Fall, Winter, and Spring, then switch to a 50-meter pool in Summer.

The events include:

• 50 m freestyle (50 yards for short time yards)
• 100 m freestyle (100 yards for short time yards)
• 200 m freestyle (200 yards for short time yards)
• 400 m freestyle (500 yards for short time yards)
• 800 m freestyle (1000 yards for short time yards)
• 1500 m freestyle (1650 yards for short time yards)
• 4 × 50 m freestyle relay (4 x 50 yards for short time yards)
• 4 × 100 m freestyle relay (4 × 100 yards for short time yards)
• 4 × 200 m freestyle relay (4 × 200 yards for short time yards)

Young swimmers aged 8 and under can also compete in a 25 yard/meter freestyle event.

Freestyle is also part of medley events over these distances:

• 100 m individual medley (short 25 m pool only)
• 200 m individual medley (200 yard individual medley in short time yards)
• 400 m individual medley (400 yards individual medley in short time yards)
• 4 × 100 m medley relay (4 × 100 yard medley relay in short time yards)
• 4 × 200 m medley relay (4 × 200 yard medley relay in short time yards)

In long-distance races of 800 and 1,500 meters, some major meets like the Olympics offer the 800 meters for women and the 1,500 meters for men. However, records are kept for both distances for both sexes, and many meets, including the FINA World Championships, feature both distances for everyone.

Olympic or long course world champions in freestyle

Men

Women