Men 50m Freestyle Swimming XXIV Olympic Games 1988 Seoul, South Korea - Saturday, 24th September - Matthew Biondi, United States
Final time gap L Y 1. Matthew Biondi 22.14s WR 4 22 2. Tom Jager 22.36s +0.22s - 23 3. Gennady Prigoda 22.71s +0.57s 5 23 4. Dano Halsall 22.83s +0.69s - 25 5. Stefan Volery 22.84s +0.70s 8 27 6. Vladimir Tkachenko 22.88s +0.74s 2 23 7. Frank Henter 23.03s +0.89s 7 24 8. Andrew Baildon 23.15s +1.01s 1 17
World Record: Peter Williams, South Africa 22.12s Indianapolis, United States 10 Aprol 1988 Olympic Record: New Event
Final B time gap L Y 9. Goran Titus 23.28s 7 21 10.Per Johansson 23.37s +0.09s 5 25 11.Peng Siong Ang 23.39s +0.11s 4 25 12.Jianqiang Shen 23.40s +0.12s 6 23 13.Christophe Kalfayan 23.45s +0.17s 8 19 14.Stephan Gusgen 23.55s +0.27s 3 26 15.Mark Andrews 23.64s +0.36s 2 23 16.Hilton Woods 23.65s +0.37s 7 20
24.90s LCM-time done since Jan 1, 198724.20s SCM-time done since Sep 1, 1987
This was the first time that 50 metre freestyle was contested at the Olympics, although there had been a 50 yard freestyle back in 1904. The winner of that event, Hungarian Zoltan von Halmay was not in Seoul to defend his title.
The two favorites were the American Tom Jager and Matt Biondi, who had traded the world record between them since Jager first swam 22.40 in 1985. Biondi broke the mark in 1986 with 22.33, equaling that in 1987, but then Jager swam 22.32 to win the 1987 Pan Pacs, and improved to 22.23 at the 1988 US Nationals. Jager was a slight favorite, having won not only those two races, but also the 1986 Worlds. One swimmer not challenging was South African Peter Williams, who could not be in Seoul because the IOC did not recognize South Africa, and also could not technically hold the world record, although he had the world's best ever time of 22.18.
The final saw Biondi lead off the blocks, which was an upset in itself, as Jager had always been the faster starter. Biondi always finished faster, and with that start, he could not be caught, winning in a world record 22.14, with Jager finishing second in 22.36. Bronze went to Soviet Gennady Prigoda, runner-up at the 1987 Europeans, edging out Switzerland's Dano Halsall, runner-up at the 1986 Worlds. This was Biondi's sixth medal, and fourth gold, of the Seoul Olympics.
Heats - Saturday, 24nd September
Heat 9 time gap L Y Rk. 2. Gennady Prigoda 22.57s Q +0.18s - 23 1. 3. Tom Jager 22.61s Q +0.22s - 23 2. 9. Peng Siong Ang 23.08s q +0.69s - 25 3. 11.Stephan Gusgen 23.22s q +0.83s - 26 4. 13.Tzvetan Golomeev 23.41s WD +1.02s - 27 5. 13.Jianqiang Shen 23.41s q +1.02s - 23 5. 18.Qiangbiao Feng 23.47s WD +1.08s - 23 7. 20.Hans Kroes 23.50s +1.11s - 23 8.
Heat 8 time gap L Y Rk. 1. Matthew Biondi 22.39s OR - 22 1. 7. Andrew Baildon 22.99s Q +0.60s - 17 2. 8. Stefan Volery 23.04s Q +0.65s - 27 3. 10.Per Johansson 23.12s q +0.73s - 25 4. 15.Goran Titus 23.44s q +1.05s - 21 5. 17.Hilton Woods 23.46s q +1.07s - 20 6. 26.Peter Rohde 23.70s +1.31s - 23 7. 29.Rodrigo Gonzalez 24.01s +1.62s - 20 8.
Heat 7 time gap L Y Rk. 3. Dano Halsall 22.61s OR +0.22s - 25 1. 5. Vladimir Tkachenko 22.81s Q +0.42s - 23 2. 6. Frank Henter 22.98s Q +0.59s - 24 3. 11.Stephan Caron 23.22s WD +0.83s - 22 4. 20.Vagn Hogholm Pedersen 23.50s +1.11s - 23 5. 22.Mark Foster 23.51s +1.12s - 18 6. 23.Petr Kladiva 23.53s +1.14s - 21 7. 33.Jose Moreira Filho 24.26s +1.87s - 27 8.
Heat 6 time gap L Y Rk. 18.Christophe Kalfayan 23.47s q +1.08s - 19 1. 25.Mike Fibbens 23.67s +1.28s - 20 2. 27.Thomas Stachewicz 23.72s +1.33s - 22 3. 28.Yves Clausse 23.99s +1.60s - 19 4. 30.Paulo Manuel Trindade 24.02s +1.63s - 21 5. 36.Markus Opatril 24.32s +1.93s - 23 6. 38.Alexander Pilhatsch 24.42s +2.03s - 25 7. 45.Urbano Zea 24.86s +2.47s - 19 8.
Heat 5 time gap L Y Rk. 24.Manuel Guzman 23.61s +1.22s - 18 1. 31.Sergio Esteves 24.24s +1.85s - 20 2. 35.Khai-Kam Li 24.30s +1.91s - 22 3. 37.Jorge Fernandes 24.40s +2.01s - 26 4. 39.Michael Wright 24.47s +2.08s - 22 5. 40.Magnus Olafsson 24.50s +2.11s - 21 6. 42.Mohamed El Azoul 24.64s +2.25s - 22 7. 48.Mohamed Hassan 25.11s +2.72s - 16 8.
Heat 4 time gap L Y Rk. 15.Mark Andrews 23.44s OR +1.05s - 23 1. 33.Joseph Eric Buhain 24.26s +1.87s - 18 2. 41.Richard Bera 24.63s +2.24s - 16 3. 42.Murat Tahir 24.64s +2.25s - 24 4. 44.Hans Foerster 24.72s +2.33s - 23 5. 50.Hakan Eskioglu 25.24s +2.85s - 17 6. -. Pedro Lima Barata DSQ - 17 -. Mouhamedou Diop DSQ - 24
Heat 3 time gap L Y Rk. 45.Jin-Gee Oon 24.86s +2.47s - 21 1. 47.Ronald Pickard 25.01s +2.62s - 19 2. 51.Chi-Li Chiang 25.26s +2.87s - 17 3. 52.Vaughan Smith 25.29s +2.90s - 19 4. 53.Graham Lewis Thompson 25.38s +2.99s - 24 5. 54.Kwang-Sun Song 25.40s +3.01s - 18 6. 55.Wirmandi Sugriat 25.55s +3.16s - 17 7. 56.Bruno N'diaye 25.63s +3.24s - 19 8.
Heat 2 time gap L Y Rk. 57.Warren Sorby 25.64s +3.25s - 23 1. 58.Rodolfo Barahona 25.79s +3.40s - 18 2. 60.Plutarco Castellanos Dusavage 26.00s +3.61s - 17 3. 61.Hasan Al-Shammari 26.27s +3.88s - 21 4. 62.Jason Chute 26.46s +4.07s - 16 5. 63.Michele Piva 26.60s +4.21s - 23 6. 63.Ahmad Faraj 26.60s +4.21s - 22 6. 65.Trevor Ncala 26.88s +4.49s - 23 8.
Heat 1 time gap L Y Rk. 32.Garvin Ferguson 24.25s OR +1.86s - 20 1. 49.Paul Yelle 25.15s +2.76s - 24 2. 59.Sergio Fafitine 25.97s +3.58s - 19 3. 66.Filippo Piva 26.96s +4.57s - 21 4. 67.Amin El Domyati 27.34s +4.95s - 26 5. 68.Mubarak Faraj Bilal 27.60s +5.21s - 6. 69.Yul Mark Du Pont 27.93s +5.54s - 17 7.
Final time gap L Y 1. Matthew Biondi 22.14s WR 4 22 2. Tom Jager 22.36s +0.22s - 23 3. Gennady Prigoda 22.71s +0.57s 5 23 4. Dano Halsall 22.83s +0.69s - 25 5. Stefan Volery 22.84s +0.70s 8 27 6. Vladimir Tkachenko 22.88s +0.74s 2 23 7. Frank Henter 23.03s +0.89s 7 24 8. Andrew Baildon 23.15s +1.01s 1 17 Final B time gap L Y 9. Goran Titus 23.28s 7 21 10.Per Johansson 23.37s +0.09s 5 25 11.Peng Siong Ang 23.39s +0.11s 4 25 12.Jianqiang Shen 23.40s +0.12s 6 23 13.Christophe Kalfayan 23.45s +0.17s 8 19 14.Stephan Gusgen 23.55s +0.27s 3 26 15.Mark Andrews 23.64s +0.36s 2 23 16.Hilton Woods 23.65s +0.37s 7 20 Heats time gap L Y 1. Matthew Biondi 22.39s OR - 22 2. Gennady Prigoda 22.57s Q +0.18s - 23 3. Dano Halsall 22.61s OR +0.22s - 25 3. Tom Jager 22.61s Q +0.22s - 23 5. Vladimir Tkachenko 22.81s Q +0.42s - 23 6. Frank Henter 22.98s Q +0.59s - 24 7. Andrew Baildon 22.99s Q +0.60s - 17 8. Stefan Volery 23.04s Q +0.65s - 27 9. Peng Siong Ang 23.08s q +0.69s - 25 10.Per Johansson 23.12s q +0.73s - 25 11.Stephan Caron 23.22s WD +0.83s - 22 11.Stephan Gusgen 23.22s q +0.83s - 26 13.Tzvetan Golomeev 23.41s WD +1.02s - 27 13.Jianqiang Shen 23.41s q +1.02s - 23 15.Mark Andrews 23.44s OR +1.05s - 23 15.Goran Titus 23.44s q +1.05s - 21 17.Hilton Woods 23.46s q +1.07s - 20 18.Qiangbiao Feng 23.47s WD +1.08s - 23 18.Christophe Kalfayan 23.47s q +1.08s - 19 20.Vagn Hogholm Pedersen 23.50s +1.11s - 23 20.Hans Kroes 23.50s +1.11s - 23 22.Mark Foster 23.51s +1.12s - 18 23.Petr Kladiva 23.53s +1.14s - 21 24.Manuel Guzman 23.61s +1.22s - 18 25.Mike Fibbens 23.67s +1.28s - 20 26.Peter Rohde 23.70s +1.31s - 23 27.Thomas Stachewicz 23.72s +1.33s - 22 28.Yves Clausse 23.99s +1.60s - 19 29.Rodrigo Gonzalez 24.01s +1.62s - 20 30.Paulo Manuel Trindade 24.02s +1.63s - 21 31.Sergio Esteves 24.24s +1.85s - 20 32.Garvin Ferguson 24.25s OR +1.86s - 20 33.Jose Moreira Filho 24.26s +1.87s - 27 33.Joseph Eric Buhain 24.26s +1.87s - 18 35.Khai-Kam Li 24.30s +1.91s - 22 36.Markus Opatril 24.32s +1.93s - 23 37.Jorge Fernandes 24.40s +2.01s - 26 38.Alexander Pilhatsch 24.42s +2.03s - 25 39.Michael Wright 24.47s +2.08s - 22 40.Magnus Olafsson 24.50s +2.11s - 21 41.Richard Bera 24.63s +2.24s - 16 42.Mohamed El Azoul 24.64s +2.25s - 22 42.Murat Tahir 24.64s +2.25s - 24 44.Hans Foerster 24.72s +2.33s - 23 45.Urbano Zea 24.86s +2.47s - 19 45.Jin-Gee Oon 24.86s +2.47s - 21 47.Ronald Pickard 25.01s +2.62s - 19 48.Mohamed Hassan 25.11s +2.72s - 16 49.Paul Yelle 25.15s +2.76s - 24 50.Hakan Eskioglu 25.24s +2.85s - 17 51.Chi-Li Chiang 25.26s +2.87s - 17 52.Vaughan Smith 25.29s +2.90s - 19 53.Graham Lewis Thompson 25.38s +2.99s - 24 54.Kwang-Sun Song 25.40s +3.01s - 18 55.Wirmandi Sugriat 25.55s +3.16s - 17 56.Bruno N'diaye 25.63s +3.24s - 19 57.Warren Sorby 25.64s +3.25s - 23 58.Rodolfo Barahona 25.79s +3.40s - 18 59.Sergio Fafitine 25.97s +3.58s - 19 60.Plutarco Castellanos Dusavage 26.00s +3.61s - 17 61.Hasan Al-Shammari 26.27s +3.88s - 21 62.Jason Chute 26.46s +4.07s - 16 63.Michele Piva 26.60s +4.21s - 23 63.Ahmad Faraj 26.60s +4.21s - 22 65.Trevor Ncala 26.88s +4.49s - 23 66.Filippo Piva 26.96s +4.57s - 21 67.Amin El Domyati 27.34s +4.95s - 26 68.Mubarak Faraj Bilal 27.60s +5.21s - 69.Yul Mark Du Pont 27.93s +5.54s - 17 -. Pedro Lima Barata DSQ - 17 -. Mouhamedou Diop DSQ - 24
Prepared and maintained by Todor Krastev
todor1966@yahoo.com Last updated: 15 Apr 2023Facebook Todor Krastev
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