Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle

Did You Know?

• The competition consisted of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final.
• Swim-offs were used as necessary to break ties for advancement.

Summary

The men's 100 metre freestyle final at the 2008 Olympics saw France's Alain Bernard take gold in 47.21, his country's first ever win in the event. Australia's Eamon Sullivan, the world record holder, led at the halfway mark but settled for silver in 47.32, just 0.11 seconds back. Americans Jason Lezak and Brazil's César Cielo shared bronze with identical 47.67 finishes. Pieter van den Hoogenband, the two-time defending champion, came fifth in 47.75, making history as the first swimmer to reach an Olympic final in four separate Games; he retired four months later with seven medals, three of them gold. South Africa's Lyndon Ferns took sixth (48.04), Australia's Matt Targett seventh (48.20), and Sweden's Stefan Nystrand eighth (48.33). The semifinals featured a world record exchange: Bernard clocked 47.20 in the first heat, only for Sullivan to respond with 47.05 in the second. 2007 world champions Brent Hayden and Filippo Magnini missed the final despite posting times faster than their title-winning mark.

Background

The men's 100 metre freestyle at the 2008 Summer Olympics marked the event's 25th edition, having been contested at every Games except 1900 and the yard-based 1904 race. Four swimmers from the 2004 final returned, including two-time gold medalist Pieter van den Hoogenband. The top contenders were France's Alain Bernard, who had broken van den Hoogenband's world record, and Australia's Eamon Sullivan, who came within 0.02 seconds of that mark. Five nations—Armenia, Aruba, the Cayman Islands, Kenya, and Serbia—made their debut. The United States competed for the 24th time, the most of any country, missing only the 1980 boycott.

Qualification

To get into the men's 100 metre freestyle at the 2008 Olympics, a nation could send two swimmers if both hit the A cut of 49.23 seconds, or just one if he reached the B standard of 50.95 seconds. Only results from approved meets between 15 March 2007 and 15 July 2008 counted. Countries without any qualified male swimmer could use a universality spot for one entry. This two-athlete limit had been the rule since 1984.