How The Men’s Gold-Medal Performances Ranked At The Olympic Games; Caeleb Dressel On Top

fina-Aug 1, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Caeleb Dressel (USA) celebrates after winning the men's 50m freestyle final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

How The Men’s Gold-Medal Performances Ranked At The Olympic Games; Caeleb Dressel On Top

Which individual performance was the finest produced at the Olympic Games in Tokyo? That answer is not easy to discern. Arguments can be made for several swims, depending on the measurements used when analyzing the 14 solo events that were contested. Emotional impact might elevate a performance in someone’s eyes. For others, a victory over a rival may carry greater weight.

In this piece, we will use the most-recent version of the FINA power-points chart that appoints a score to each swim based on time. Using a formula, FINA has established a system that allows for the comparison of different events.

At the Tokyo Games, the 49.45 world-record swim of American Caeleb Dressel in the 100-meter butterfly was the highest-scoring performance on the men’s side. Dressel’s effort, which was needed to fend off Hungarian Kristof Milak, was worth 1,003 points. Dressel also tied for second, as his mark of 47.02 in the 100 freestyle was worth 993 points, the same total awarded to the 2:06.38 outing of Australian Zac Stubblety-Cook in the 200 breaststroke.

Here is a look at how the 14 individual men’s gold-medal performances ranked in Tokyo, and their scoring worth according to the FINA points table.

1003 – Caeleb Dressel (100 Butterfly) 49.45
993 – Caeleb Dressel (100 Freestyle) 47.02
993 – Zac Stubblety-Cook (200 Breaststroke) 2:06.38
992 – Evgeny Rylov (100 Backstroke) 51.98
986 – Kristof Milak (200 Butterfly) 1:51.25
977 – Caeleb Dressel (50 Freestyle) 21.07
974 – Adam Peaty (100 Breaststroke) 57.37
974 – Wang Shun (200 Medley) 1:55.00
970 – Bobby Finke (1500 Freestyle) 14:39.65
964 – Evgeny Rylov (200 Backstroke) 1:53.27
956 – Ahmed Hafnaoui (400 Freestyle) 3:43.36
938 – Bobby Finke (800 Freestyle) 7:41.87
937 – Tom Dean (200 Freestyle) 1:44.22
934 – Chase Kalisz (400 Medley) 4:09.42

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