100 m butterfly, men

What to remember

Tokyo, July 31, 2021: at the Olympic Games, Caeleb Dressel swam the 100 m butterfly in 49.45 s. The swim came in a long course pool, the 50-metre format, and like every swimming world record it was ratified by World Aquatics, the body formerly known as FINA.

The butterfly was one piece of a crowded week for the American sprinter, who specialises in freestyle, butterfly and individual medley. In Tokyo he won five gold medals, including the individual 50 m and 100 m freestyle titles. Five golds at a single Games put him alongside Mark Spitz, Michael Phelps, Eric Heiden and Matt Biondi among American swimmers. Before Tokyo, he had already collected seven gold medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.

The men's 100 m butterfly first appeared at the Olympics in 1968, while the women's race had been introduced at the 1956 Games. Both have been swum at the World Aquatics Championships since the first edition in 1973.