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FastestThings

Women's 50 m Freestyle

Sarah Sjöström

The world-record progression, the all-time list and SwimHeats all print 23.61 for Sarah Sjöström in the Fukuoka semifinal on 29 July 2023.

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Race time

23.61s

Long-course women's 50 m freestyle, Fukuoka. Personal best, not a short-course time.

OfficialWikipedia (opens source in a new tab)

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

Sarah Sjöström's 100 metres is a start plus a short run at top speed. The list keeps the wind-legal personal best. A taller or shorter stride only helps if the frequency stays up, and this note does not invent a step count.

  1. The blocks

    The first steps decide a short sprint. Reaction, the drive out of the blocks and how quickly the athlete is upright all sit inside the same small piece of the clock.

  2. Top speed, briefly

    Sarah Sjöström has to be fast when the race is upright, not only explosive at the gun. The athletes packed together on this list are separated by how little they slow before the line.

  3. A legal wind

    A strong tailwind can post a startling clock that the all-time list will not use. The entry names the wind so the mark is the legal one.

Nearby on this list: Gretchen Walsh.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 23.61sRanked figure

    Long-course women's 50 m freestyle, Fukuoka. Personal best, not a short-course time.

    Official
    Wikipedia (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Country
Sweden
Event
50 m freestyle, long course
Time
23.61 s
Date
29 July 2023

Context

Background

The world-record progression, the all-time list and SwimHeats all print 23.61 for Sarah Sjöström in the Fukuoka semifinal on 29 July 2023.

The pool is 50 metres. A short-course time is a different list and is not stored.

Spot a wrong number?

Every report is read by a person, and corrections are dated on the page.