How the Women’s Gold-Medal Performances Ranked At the Olympic Games; Kaylee McKeown Leads Way

Jul 27, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Kaylee McKeown (AUS) after winning the women's 100m backstroke final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

How the Women’s Gold-Medal Performances Ranked At the Olympic Games; Kaylee McKeown Leads Way

Which individual women’s 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.

tatjana schoenmaker, olympics, Jul 30, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) reacts after winning the women's 200m breaststroke final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

Tatjana Schoenmaker; Photo Courtesy: Grace Hollars/USA Today Sports

While South African Tatjana Schoenmaker delivered the only individual world record in the women’s competition, an effort of 2:18.95 in the 200-meter breaststroke, that performance ranked second according to the power-points table. Schoenmaker’s swim was worth 1,003 points, which trailed only the 1,005-point effort by Australian Kaylee McKeown in the 100 backstroke. On the way to gold in the 100 back, McKeown clocked 57.47 to miss her world record by only .02.

Here is a look at points-table ranking of the 14 individual women’s events from Tokyo.

1005 – Kaylee McKeown (100 Backstroke) 57.47
1003 – Tatjana Schoenmaker (200 Breaststroke) 2:18.95
997 – Ariarne Titmus (400 Freestyle) 3:56.69
994 – Maggie MacNeil (100 Butterfly) 55.59
986 – Ariarne Titmus (200 Freestyle) 1:53.50
985 – Emma McKeon (100 Freestyle) 51.96
982 – Emma McKeon (50 Freestyle) 23.81
968 – Kaylee McKeown (200 Backstroke) 2:04.68
962 – Lydia Jacoby (100 Breaststroke) 1:04.95
953 – Katie Ledecky (800 Freestyle) 8:12.57
951 – Zhang Yufei (200 Butterfly) 2:03.86
947 – Katie Ledecky (1500 Freestyle) 15:37.34
945 – Yui Ohashi (200 Medley) 2:08.52
938 – Yui Ohashi (400 Medley) 4:32.08

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