Status Report: World & Textile Records
Craig Lord
Sep 15, 2012

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