10 fastest Men's 100m freestyle swimmers of all time in long course ft. Pan Zhanle, Caeleb Dressel

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 16, 2024 07:20 GMT

The 100 m freestyle swimming has been one of the most iconic events of all time, including at the Summer Olympics. From the likes of Caeleb Dressel to the current phenomenon Pan Zhanle, this event has seen several explosive performers.

The first official world record for the men's 100 m freestyle at the Olympics was recorded by Charles Daniels from the USA at the London Olympics in 1908. He swam the race in 1 minute, 5.6 seconds. Interestingly, the length of the entire pool at that time was 100 m, instead of the current measurement of 50 m. Since then, the record has been broken multiple times, and the world record is now well below 47 seconds.

Here are the 10 fastest Men's 100 m freestyle swimmers of all time in long course:

Top 10 fastest Men's 100 m freestyle swimmers of all time [Long Course] ft. Pan Zhanle, Caeleb Dressel

#10) James Magnussen [Australia]

James Magnussen after winning a race [Image Source: Getty]

Nicknamed 'The Missile', this former Australian Olympian from Port Macquarie, New South Wales won the 100 m freestyle as well as the 4x100 m freestyle relay at the 2011 World Championships. Before the London Olympics of 2012, Magnussen proved his mettle by clocking 47.10 seconds at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide.

James Magnussen also has 1 Olympic silver and 2 Olympic bronze medals to his credit. He had won the silver medal for the 100 m freestyle at London Olympics 2012.

#9) Jack Alexy [United States of America]

Jack Alexy of USA in action at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials [Image Source: Getty]

Jack Alexy will be giving some tough competition to his compatriot Caeleb Dressel at the Paris Olympics.

Only a couple of weeks ago at the Olympic trials, the 21-year-old swimmer came close to breaking the 47-second barrier, with a timing of 47.08 seconds.

Apart from this, Jack Alexy has 1 gold, 3 silvers, and 1 bronze from the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, to his credit.

#8) Kyle Charmers [Australia]

Kyle Charmers at the Australia Swimming National Trials [Image Source: Getty]

Nicknamed 'The Big Tuna', this Australian swimmer is one of the main contenders for a podium finish in the men's 100 m freestyle at the Paris Olympics.

Kyle Charmers has bagged 12 World Championships medals in the long course, including 5 gold medals. He also has 6 Olympic medals, including the 100m freestyle individual gold medal from the Rio Olympics.

Charmers' personal best is 47.08 seconds, which he has recorded twice, including at the Tokyo Olympics en route to a silver medal.

#7) Eamon Sullivan [Australia]

Eamon Sullivan during a training session at the London Olympics 2012 [Image Source: Getty]

Though he was not able to win Olympic gold during his time in the pool, this former 100m freestyle swimmer from Perth has recorded the 7th fastest time in 100 m freestyle swimming at the Beijing Olympics.

Eamon Sullivan recorded 47.05 seconds during the semifinals, a new world record at the time, but couldn't find a similar performance in the finals. Sullivan earned a bronze and 2 silvers at the Beijing Olympics, including a silver medal in the 100 m freestyle event.

#6) Cameron McEvoy [Australia]

Cameron McEvoy in action at Tokyo Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

He might not be a record breaker like Caeleb Dressel, but Cameron McEvoy of Australia has made a mark of his own. He will be representing Australia in the Men's 50 m freestyle event at the Paris Olympics this year.

Apart from winning 9 World Championship medals - including a gold medal in the 50m freestyle last year - McEvoy has 3 Olympic bronze medals in his kitty. He recorded a personal best of 47.04 seconds in 100 m freestyle at the Australian National Championships in Adelaide in 2016.

#5) Caeleb Dressel [United States of America]

Caeleb Dressel in action at Rio Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Amongst the currently active swimmers, Caeleb Dressel is not only one of the fastest but also one of the most decorated swimmers. He has participated in 7 Olympic races from the Rio Olympics to the Tokyo Olympics, and has won gold in every one. He is once again vying for a minimum of 3 gold medals at the Paris Olympics.

Dressel is the first American freestyle swimmer to have swum the 100 m freestyle under 47 seconds. He recorded a personal best of 46.96 seconds at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, which were held in Gwangju, South Korea.

#4) Alain Bernard [France]

Alain Bernard of France in action [Image Source: Getty]

This 100 m freestyle swimmer from France had challenged the American team for the 4x100 m freestyle relay as part of the French team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. While France lost narrowly to the Americans there, he bounced back in style to win the 100 m freestyle gold medal. Apart from that, Alain Bernard also won a gold medal as part of the 4x100 m freestyle relay team at the London Olympics in 2012.

However, Bernard wasn't done yet. He created a world record of 46.94 seconds at a swim meet in France in 2009, breaking his own record set in the semifinals of the 100m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

#3) Cesar Cielo [Brazil]

Cesar Cielo with his bronze medal from London Olympics 2012

Though he specialized more in the 50 m freestyle, Cesar Cielo of Brazil was equally proficient in the 100 m freestyle event.

Cesar Cielo has 3 Olympic medals and 7 World Championship medals to his credit in long course swimming. However, his greatest achievement was at the 2009 Aquatics World Championships in Rome, where he clocked 46.91 seconds to win the gold medal, as well as create a new world record, which remained unbroken for more than a decade.

#2) David Popovici [Romania]

David Popovici in action at the 2023 World Championships [Image Source: Getty]

Thanks to this Romanian swimmer and Pan Zhanle, the journey to an Olympic gold medal in 100 m freestyle won't be a cakewalk for Caeleb Dressel of the USA.

In 2022, the then-world champion Popovici broke the 13-year-old world record at the finals of the European Aquatics Championships in Rome. He clocked 46.86 seconds to break the record.

#1) Pan Zhanle [China]

Pan Zhanle of China in action at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships [Image Source: Getty]

He might be only 19, but Pan Zhanle is the biggest competition for Caeleb Dressel and any other swimmers aspiring to win the 100m freestyle event at Paris 2024.

This year, Zhanle participated in 4 events at the World Aquatics Championships and won gold in all of them. Before the World Championships had even begun, Zhanle broke the existing world record in the men's 100 Freestyle, clocking 46.80 seconds overall. 2024 will mark his debut at the Olympics. It will be fascinating to see if Dressel can overcome Zhanle's challenge in his push for the Olympic gold medal.