100 m freestyle, women

What to remember

In 1908, the women's 100 m freestyle record stood at 1 min 35.0 s, held by Martha Gerstung. On June 27, 2026, at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, Dutch swimmer Marrit Steenbergen covered the distance in 51.68 s, in a long course pool. Between those two marks, 118 years apart, the time fell by 45.6%.

The history, which keeps one mark per decade, shows big steps: 1 min 16.2 s for Fanny Durack in 1915, 1 min 04.6 s for Willy den Ouden in 1936, then Dawn Fraser, with 1 min 01.2 s in 1958 and 58.9 s in 1964. Closer to our time, the record passed through Britta Steffen (52.07 s in 2009) and Sarah Sjöström (51.71 s in 2017). The gains came from training, from changes in the sport and from swimwear: goggles only spread in the 1970s, which allowed much longer training sessions.

Rome has suited Marrit Steenbergen, a freestyle specialist born in Ooststellingwerf: she won the 100 m and 200 m freestyle there at the 2022 European Championships. She was also world champion in the 100 m freestyle in 2024 and 2025.