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Swimming
at the Games of the XIX Olympiad
Venue Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez
Dates17 – 26 October 1968
No. of events29
Competitors468 from 51 nations
←  1964
1972 →

The swimming competitions at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City took place from 17 to 26 October at the Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez. [1] Swimming featured a record total of 29 events. There was a total of 468 participants from 51 countries competing. [2] The United States dominated the competition, winning 52 of 87 possible medals. 15-year-old American phenom Debbie Meyer from Maryland won three gold medals.

Events

Swimming at the 1968 Olympics featured a total of 29 events (15 for men and 14 for women). This was a significant increase from the 18 events contested in the previous Olympic Games. The following events were contested (all pool events are long course, and distances are in meters): [1]

Participating nations

468 swimmers from 51 nations competed. [2]

Medal table

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  United States21151652
2  Australia3238
3  East Germany2316
4  Yugoslavia1102
5  Mexico1012
6  Netherlands1001
7  Soviet Union0448
8  Canada0314
9  Great Britain0101
10  West Germany0022
11  France0011
Totals (11 entries)29292987

Medal summary

Men's events

Games Gold Silver Bronze
100 m freestyle
details
Michael Wenden
  Australia
52.2 WR Ken Walsh
  United States
52.8 Mark Spitz
  United States
53.0
200 m freestyle
details
Michael Wenden
  Australia
1:55.2 OR Don Schollander
  United States
1:55.8 John Nelson
  United States
1:58.1
400 m freestyle
details
Mike Burton
  United States
4:09.0 OR Ralph Hutton
  Canada
4:11.7 Alain Mosconi
  France
4:13.3
1500 m freestyle
details
Mike Burton
  United States
16:38.9 OR John Kinsella
  United States
16:57.3 Greg Brough
  Australia
17:04.7
100 m backstroke
details
Roland Matthes
  East Germany
58.7 OR Charlie Hickcox
  United States
1:00.2 Ronnie Mills
  United States
1:00.5
200 m backstroke
details
Roland Matthes
  East Germany
2:09.6 OR Mitch Ivey
  United States
2:10.6 Jack Horsley
  United States
2:10.9
100 m breaststroke
details
Don McKenzie
  United States
1:07.7 OR Vladimir Kosinsky
  Soviet Union
1:08.0 Nikolai Pankin
  Soviet Union
1:08.0
200 m breaststroke
details
Felipe Muñoz
  Mexico
2:28.7 Vladimir Kosinsky
  Soviet Union
2:29.2 Brian Job
  United States
2:29.9
100 m butterfly
details
Doug Russell
  United States
55.9 OR Mark Spitz
  United States
56.4 Ross Wales
  United States
57.2
200 m butterfly
details
Carl Robie
  United States
2:08.7 Martyn Woodroffe
  Great Britain
2:09.0 John Ferris
  United States
2:09.3
200 m individual medley
details
Charlie Hickcox
  United States
2:12.0 OR Greg Buckingham
  United States
2:13.0 John Ferris
  United States
2:13.3
400 m individual medley
details
Charlie Hickcox
  United States
4:48.4 Gary Hall, Sr.
  United States
4:48.7 Michael Holthaus
  West Germany
4:51.4
4×100 m freestyle relay
details
  United States (USA)
Zac Zorn
Stephen Rerych
Ken Walsh
Mark Spitz
3:31.7 WR   Soviet Union (URS)
Georgi Kulikov
Viktor Mazanov
Semyon Belits-Geiman
Leonid Ilyichov
3:34.2   Australia (AUS)
Greg Rogers
Robert Cusack
Bob Windle
Michael Wenden
3:34.7
4×200 m freestyle relay
details
  United States (USA)
John Nelson
Stephen Rerych
Mark Spitz
Don Schollander
7:52.3   Australia (AUS)
Greg Rogers
Graham White
Bob Windle
Michael Wenden
7:53.7   Soviet Union (URS)
Vladimir Bure
Semyon Belits-Geiman
Georgi Kulikov
Leonid Ilyichov
8:01.6
4×100 m medley relay
details
  United States (USA)
Charlie Hickcox
Don McKenzie
Doug Russell
Ken Walsh
3:54.9 WR   East Germany (GDR)
Roland Matthes
Egon Henninger
Horst-Günter Gregor
Frank Wiegand
3:57.5   Soviet Union (URS)
Yuri Gromak
Vladimir Nemshilov
Vladimir Kosinsky
Leonid Ilyichov
4:00.7

Women's events

Games Gold Silver Bronze
100 m freestyle
details
Jan Henne
  United States
1:00.0 Susan Pedersen
  United States
1:00.3 Linda Gustavson
  United States
1:00.3
200 m freestyle
details
Debbie Meyer
  United States
2:10.5 OR Jan Henne
  United States
2:11.0 Jane Barkman
  United States
2:11.2
400 m freestyle
details
Debbie Meyer
  United States
4:31.8 OR Linda Gustavson
  United States
4:35.5 Karen Moras
  Australia
4:37.0
800 m freestyle
details
Debbie Meyer
  United States
9:24.0 OR Pam Kruse
  United States
9:35.7 Maria Teresa Ramírez
  Mexico
9:38.5
100 m backstroke
details
Kaye Hall
  United States
1:06.2 WR Elaine Tanner
  Canada
1:06.7 Jane Swagerty
  United States
1:08.1
200 m backstroke
details
Lillian Watson
  United States
2:24.8 OR Elaine Tanner
  Canada
2:27.4 Kaye Hall
  United States
2:28.9
100 m breaststroke
details
Đurđica Bjedov
  Yugoslavia
1:15.8 OR Galina Prozumenshchikova
  Soviet Union
1:15.9 Sharon Wichman
  United States
1:16.1
200 m breaststroke
details
Sharon Wichman
  United States
2:44.4 OR Đurđica Bjedov
  Yugoslavia
2:46.4 Galina Prozumenshchikova
  Soviet Union
2:47.0
100 m butterfly
details
Lyn McClements
  Australia
1:05.5 Ellie Daniel
  United States
1:05.8 Susan Shields
  United States
1:06.2
200 m butterfly
details
Ada Kok
  Netherlands
2:24.7 OR Helga Lindner
  East Germany
2:24.8 Ellie Daniel
  United States
2:25.9
200 m individual medley
details
Claudia Kolb
  United States
2:24.7 OR Susan Pedersen
  United States
2:28.8 Jan Henne
  United States
2:31.4
400 m individual medley
details
Claudia Kolb
  United States
5:08.5 OR Lynn Vidali
  United States
5:22.2 Sabine Steinbach
  East Germany
5:25.3
4×100 m freestyle relay
details
  United States (USA)
Jane Barkman
Linda Gustavson
Susan Pedersen
Jan Henne
4:02.5 OR   East Germany (GDR)
Gabriele Wetzko
Roswitha Krause
Uta Schmuck
Martina Grunert
4:05.7   Canada (CAN)
Angela Coughlan
Marilyn Corson
Elaine Tanner
Marion Lay
4:07.2
4×100 m medley relay
details
  United States (USA)
Kaye Hall
Catie Ball
Ellie Daniel
Susan Pedersen
4:28.3 OR   Australia (AUS)
Lynne Watson
Judy Playfair
Lyn McClements
Janet Steinbeck
4:30.0   West Germany (FRG)
Angelika Kraus
Uta Frommater
Heike Hustede
Heidemarie Reineck
4:36.4

Gallery of the medalists

Some of the Olympic medalists in Mexico City:

References

  1. ^ a b "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1968 Summer Olympics". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Swimming at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2016.