Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Event	Swimming
Games	2012 Summer Olympics
Caption	The London Aquatics Centre during the Games.
Dates	28 July – 4 August 2012
Competitors	950
Nations	166
Events	34
Prev	Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Next	Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics was held from 28 July to 4 August at the London Aquatics Centre within the Olympic Park. The program featured 34 events, matching the schedule from the Beijing Games. The competition was highlighted by historic performances from athletes like Michael Phelps and Missy Franklin, and saw the continued rise of stars such as Sun Yang and Katie Ledecky.

Competition format

The competition followed the standard FINA long course (50-meter pool) format. Individual events ranged from the 50-meter freestyle to the 1500-meter freestyle, encompassing all four competitive strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. The program also included the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley, as well as relay events for both men and women. Heats were held in the morning sessions, with semifinals and finals contested in the evening, a schedule designed for prime-time television audiences in key markets like North America. The top 16 times from the heats advanced to semifinals for 100-meter and 200-meter events, with the top eight from semifinals progressing to the final; for longer events and relays, the top eight from heats moved directly to the final.

Venue

All swimming events were held at the newly constructed London Aquatics Centre in Stratford. Designed by renowned architect Zaha Hadid, the venue's distinctive wave-like roof became an iconic image of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The main competition pool was 50 meters in length with ten lanes, though only the center eight were used for competition to minimize wave interference. A separate 50-meter warm-up pool was located adjacent to the main arena. Following the Games, the venue was reconfigured for public use and later hosted the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m).

Schedule

Preliminary heats began each day at 10:00 BST, with finals sessions starting at 19:30. The first day of competition, 28 July, featured heats for the men's 400-meter individual medley and the women's 400-meter freestyle, with finals in those events held that evening. The schedule was densely packed, with multiple event finals each night. Key sessions included the men's 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay on 29 July and the women's 4 × 100-meter medley relay on 4 August, which concluded the swimming program. The schedule allowed for the presentation of 34 gold medals over eight days of competition.

Medal summary

The United States topped the medal table, winning 16 golds and 31 total medals, a dominant performance led by Michael Phelps and a deep team. Phelps added four gold and two silver medals to his career tally, becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time. China finished second with five golds, highlighted by Sun Yang's victories in the men's 400-meter and 1500-meter freestyle. Missy Franklin of the United States won four golds, while Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands claimed the women's 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle titles. Other multiple gold medalists included Dana Vollmer of the U.S. and Camille Muffat of France.

Participating nations

A record 166 National Olympic Committees entered swimmers, surpassing the previous record set at the 2008 Beijing Games. The United States fielded the largest team. Notable participation included independent athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles and a unified team from South Sudan, which had recently gained independence. Several nations, including Lithuania with Rūta Meilutytė's surprise win in the women's 100-meter breaststroke, earned their first-ever Olympic swimming medals.

Records

The Games witnessed a total of 25 world records, aided by the fast pool at the London Aquatics Centre and the final widespread use of high-tech body suits before their ban was fully enforced. Michael Phelps set his first individual world record since 2009 as part of the U.S. team in the 4 × 100-meter medley relay. Sun Yang broke his own world record in the men's 1500-meter freestyle. American Missy Franklin set a world record in the 200-meter backstroke, while the U.S. women's 4 × 100-meter medley relay team also set a new global standard. Many Olympic records were also shattered across nearly every event.

Category:Swimming at the Summer Olympics Category:2012 Summer Olympics events Category:2012 in swimming