From Olympic glory to world-record-shattering performances, the 100m breaststroke has seen some of swimming’s most electrifying moments.
Join us as we dive into the top 10 fastest times ever recorded in this thrilling event, where mere hundredths of a second separate the good from the great, and the great from the legendary.
1. Adam Peaty (Great Britain) – 56.88 seconds
Peaty blew minds at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, when he smashed this insane time.
Born on December 28, 1994, this breaststroke beast has rewritten the record books 14 times and is the first human to swim 100m breaststroke under 57 seconds.
Talk about speed!
2. Adam Peaty (Great Britain) – 57.10 seconds
Lightning struck again at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, UK.
Peaty, an eight-time World Champ and sixteen-time European Champ keeps pushing the limits of what’s possible in the pool.
This guy’s not just fast; he’s redefining the sport!
3. Adam Peaty (Great Britain) – 57.13 seconds
Peaty snagged gold with this jaw-dropping performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He became the first British dude to win Olympic swimming gold in 24 years.
As if that wasn’t enough, he defended his title in Tokyo 2020, becoming the first Brit ever to retain an Olympic swimming crown.
4. Adam Peaty (Great Britain) – 57.55 seconds
Just a day before his gold medal swim in Rio, Peaty casually dropped this time in the heats.
Imagine being so good you swim world-class times in the warm-up!
This guy’s the first swimmer ever to win both sprint breaststroke events at the same World Championships.
5. Adam Peaty (Great Britain) – 57.92 seconds
Back in 2015, Peaty shocked the swimming world at the British Championships in London by breaking the 58-second barrier.
This swim was like the four-minute mile of breaststroke – people thought it was impossible until Peaty came along and crushed it!
6. Cameron van der Burgh (South Africa) – 58.46 seconds
Van der Burgh, born May 25, 1988, made history at the 2012 London Olympics with this scorching time.
He’s Africa’s first home-trained world record holder and individual male Olympic champ.
Now he’s traded his speedos for a suit, working as a hedge fund analyst.
7. Brenton Rickard (Australia) – 58.58 seconds
Rickard, born October 19, 1983, lit up the 2009 World Championships in Rome with this killer performance.
He was so good he was named Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year.
Not too shabby for a guy who spends most of his time underwater!
8. Kosuke Kitajima (Japan) – 58.91 seconds
Kitajima, the breaststroke king born September 22, 1982, dropped jaws at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with this sub-59 second swim.
He’s the only swimmer to sweep breaststroke events at back-to-back Olympics. Double gold in 2004 and 2008? Now that’s consistency!
9. Brendan Hansen (United States) – 59.13 seconds
Hansen, born August 15, 1981, lit up the pool at the 2006 US National Championships.
This six-time Olympic medalist has a trophy case that would make anyone jealous – 25 medals from major international competitions!
10. Brendan Hansen (United States) – 59.30 seconds
Hansen’s first world record came at the 2004 US Olympic Trials, kickstarting a decade of breaststroke dominance.
He capped off his career with bronze in the 100m breaststroke and gold in the 4×100m medley relay at the 2012 London Olympics.
Talk about going out with a bang!
