European Championships: Flash! Alain Bernard Lowers 100 Free World Record

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, March 22. A day after wiping out Pieter van den Hoogenband's 100 free global standard of 47.84 set in 2000, France's Alain Bernard set the bar even lower heading into Beijing with another world record performance at the European Championships.

Bernard dropped his newly-minted record of 47.60 down even further with an astonishing 47.50.

Sweden's Stefan Nystrand finished second in 48.40, while Italy's Filippo Magnini took third in 48.53.

Bernard is the first person to lower the 100 free record successively since Matt Biondi of the U.S. did it four times in a row from 1985 to 1988. Biondi also owns the record for the quickest turnaround to reset the record when he went 49.24 and 48.95 in the same day on Aug. 6, 1985.

Bernard took it out in 22.53 and came home in 24.97. This compared to his global standard from yesterday when he went out in 22.88 and came home in 24.72.

Event Results

World Record Progression
Courtesy of USA Swimming
1:05.80 Zoltan Halmay HUN Vienna 12/3/1905
1:05.60 Charles Daniels USA London 7/1/1908
1:02.80 Charles Daniels USA New York 4/15/1910
1:02.40 Kurt Bretting FRG Brussels 4/6/1912
1:01.60 Duke Kahanamoku USA Hamburg 7/20/1912
1:01.40 Duke Kahanamoku USA New York 8/9/1918
1:00.40 Duke Kahanamoku USA Antwerp 8/24/1920
58.6 Johnny Weissmuller USA Alameda 7/9/1922
57.4 Johnny Weissmuller USA Miami 2/17/1924
56.8 Peter Fick USA New Haven 3/2/1934
56.6 Peter Fick USA New Haven 3/5/1935
56.4 Peter Fick USA New Haven 2/11/1936
55.9 Alan Ford USA New Haven 4/13/1944
55.8 Alex Janey FRA Mentone 9/15/1947
55.4 Alan Ford USA New Haven 6/29/1948
54.8 Dick Cleveland USA New Haven 4/1/1954
55.4^ John Hendricks AUS Melbourne 11/11/1956
55.2 John Devitt AUS Sydney 1/19/1957
54.6 John Devitt AUS Brisbane 1/28/1957
54.4 Stephen Clark USA Los Angeles 8/18/1961
53.6 Manuel dos Santos BRA Rio de Janeiro 9/20/1961
52.9e Steve Clark USA Tokyo 1964
52.9 Alain Gottvalles FRA Budapest 9/13/1964
52.6 Kenneth Walsh USA Winnipeg 7/27/1967
52.6e Zachary Zorn USA Long Beach 9/2/1968
52.2 Michael Wenden AUS Mexico City 10/19/1968
51.9 Mark Spitz USA Los Angeles 8/23/1970
51.47 Mark Spitz USA Chicago 8/5/1972
51.22 Mark Spitz USA Munich 9/3/1972
51.12 James Montgomery USA Long Beach 6/21/1975
51.11 Andrew Coan USA Ft.Lauderdale 8/3/1975
50.59 James Montgomery USA Kansas City 8/23/1975
50.39 James Montgomery USA Montreal 7/24/1976
49.99 James Montgomery USA Montreal 7/25/1976
49.44 Jonty Skinner SAF Philadelphia 8/14/1976
49.36 Ambrose 'Rowdy' Gaines USA Austin 4/3/1981
49.24 Matt Biondi USA Mission Viejo 8/6/1985
48.95 Matt Biondi USA Mission Viejo 8/6/1985
48.74 Matt Biondi USA Orlando 6/24/1986
48.42 Matt Biondi USA Austin 8/10/1988
48.21 Alexander Popov RUS Monte Carlo 6/18/1994
48.18r Michael Klim AUS Sydney 9/16/2000
47.84sf Pieter van den Hoogenband NED Sydney 9/19/2000
47.60sf Alain Bernard FRA Eindhoven 3/21/2008
47.50 Alain Bernard FRA Eindhoven 3/22/2008

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