ContentsContents 4 Going for Gold 6 Starting and Finishing 8 Freestyle and Butterfly 10 Breaststroke and Backstroke 12 Relays 14 Medleys 16 Long Distance Swimming 18 Open Water Swimming 20 Diving 22 Synchronized Diving 24 Synchronized Swimming 26 Water Polo 28 Gold Medal Greats 30 Glossary 31 Books and Web Sites 32 Index
4 The Olympics are the biggest single sporting event in the world Once every four years the world’s elite athletes battle it out for the coveted Olympic gold silver and bronze medals The action takes place over 17 unforgettable days watched by millions on TV the Internet or live at the stadium Swimming Start In 1896 18-year-old Alfréd Hajós from Hungary became swimming’s first Olympic gold medalist when he won the 100 meter freestyle race at the Athens games the first modern Olympics Swimming has been a part of every Olympics since joined by water polo in 1900 diving in Tony Azevedo of the U S tries to pass the ball as Hungary’s Tibor Benedek defends during the men’s water polo final at the 2008 Olympics Players are fast-moving and athletic and water polo draws loyal fans to every Olympics 1904 and synchronized swimming in 1984 All these sports are grouped together as aquatics Going for Gold FEATS AND RECORDS At the 2008 Olympics the design of the pool in Beijing meant that the water was deeper than usual The extra depth may have contributed to the amazing 25 swimming world records that were set during the 2008 Olympics
(cid:45)(cid:82)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:81)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:58)(cid:72)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:86)(cid:80)(cid:88)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:191)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:3) Olympic gold medals for swimming at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics before he played the role of Tarzan (cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:3)(cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:89)(cid:76)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:17)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:72)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:16) (cid:78)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:90)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:69)(cid:72)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:56)(cid:17)(cid:54)(cid:17)(cid:3) water polo team which won a (cid:69)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:93)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:21)(cid:23)(cid:3)(cid:50)(cid:79)(cid:92)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:86)(cid:17)(cid:3) Superstar New and Old Some aquatics events have made just one appearance at the Olympics These include an underwater swimming race the longest underwater dive and the 4,000 meter freestyle Women’s water polo and synchronized diving were introduced in 2000 and a 10 kilometer open water race came along in 2008 Aquatics Centers Most Olympic swimming diving and water polo events take place in an Olympic aquatics center Olympic pools are 50 meters 164 ft long twice as long as a regular pool Events are measured in meters since the pool is measured in meters The London 2012 aquatic center with its distinctive wave-shaped roof will hold as many as 17,500 people The outdoor pool complex at the Athens 2004 Olympics had no roof This led to complaints from competitors and spectators about the lack of shade from the blazing sun The National Aquatic Center at Beijing was the location for the swimming and diving events for the 2008 Olympics The center was nicknamed the Water Cube and held 17,000 spectators 5
