How Low Can They Go? Chasing the Sub-52 Barrier in Pursuit of 100 Freestyle Olympic Gold

How Low Can They Go? Chasing the Sub-52 Barrier in Pursuit of 100 Freestyle Olympic Gold

Ironically, the first-ever sub-52 performance in the women’s 100 freestyle came at a major international competition but did not result in a gold medal. Sarah Sjostrom achieved arguably her finest performance of her career at the 2017 World Championships, scoring individual gold medals in the 100 butterfly, 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle. On the first day of the meet, Sjostrom led off Sweden’s 400 free relay in 51.71, crushing the world record of 52.03 previously held by Australia’s Cate Campbell.

Five days later, however, Sjostrom would come up just short in the individual 100 free final, with American Simone Manuel overtaking the fading Swede to reach the wall in 52.27, four hundredths ahead of Sjostrom (52.31). Since then, Sjostrom’s world record has not been touched or even approached, and despite Sjostrom’s 12 long course world titles plus four individual golds at the Short Course World Championships, she has never won a gold medal at a global meet in the 100 free. She did earn 100 free world bronze in 2019 and silver in 2022.

In the six-and-a-half years since, only one other occasion has brought a swimmer to the wall in under 52 seconds, when Emma McKeon won Olympic gold in the event in 2021 in 51.96. But several others are on the doorstep of joining that exclusive club as the fight for Olympic gold heats up.

Entering 2023, only five women had ever gone 52.0 or better: Sjostrom, McKeon, Campbell, Manuel and Britta Steffen. Now, that number is seven: Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan swam as fast as 52.08 in the 100 free at this year’s World Championships on a relay leadoff, and later in the meet, she clocked 52.16 in winning her second consecutive world title in the event.

Then, in October, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, the silver medalist behind McKeon in Tokyo and again the runnerup (to O’Callaghan) at the 2023 Worlds, scorched a time of 52.02 at the Berlin stop of the World Cup, moving up to third all-time in the event.

Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden reacts after winning the gold medal in the 50m Butterfly Women Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 29th, 2023.

Sarah Sjostrom remains the world-record holder in the women’s 100 freestyle — Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Not far behind in the 2023 world rankings was Sjostrom, who skipped the 100 free at this year’s Worlds but posted a time of 52.24 on a relay leadoff. The time was the fourth-quickest of her career and her fastest mark in four years. Sjostrom, coming off a stellar year in which she captured 50 fly and 50 free world titles, has hinted at a return to the 100 free individually in 2024.

Just behind at 52.28 was Shayna Jack, an Australian who did not even race the individual 100 free at the Fukuoka World Championships thanks to the presence of O’Callaghan and McKeon. Jack also clocked her best time swimming the first leg of a relay, and she split as fast as 51.69 on relay duty. The others to post 52s last year included McKeon, the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen and Americans Kate Douglass and Abbey Weitzeil.

The numerous sizzling swims in the 100 free in 2023 suggest that one or potentially multiple swimmers could swim sub-52 in the 100 free this year in the search for Olympic gold. Heck, swimmers at the Australian Olympic Trials will need to get close to the barrier just to qualify for the individual event with O’Callaghan, Jack and McKeon as legitimate contenders while Meg Harris and potentially a returning Campbell look to play spoiler.

And in Paris, Haughey and Sjostrom will be the lead threats awaiting the Aussies, and we would not be surprised if several more women reached 52-mid territory as they seek Olympic qualification over the next several months.

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