# Swimming at the 1979 Pan American Games

The Swimming Tournament at the 1979 Pan American Games took place in the Piscina Olimpica del Escambron in San Juan, Puerto Rico from July 2 to July 8, 1979.
Three world records were broken at this edition of the Games, all by U.S. swimmers.

## Men’s events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 m freestyle details | David McCagg (USA) | 50.77 | Fernando Cañales (PUR) | 51.25 | John Newton (USA) | 51.45 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Rowdy Gaines (USA) | 1:51.22 | David Larson (USA) | 1:52.24 | Djan Madruga (BRA) | 1:52.34 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Brian Goodell (USA) | 3:53.01 | Djan Madruga (BRA) | 3:57.46 | Peter Szmidt (CAN) | 3:58.34 |
| 1500 m freestyle details | Brian Goodell (USA) | 15:24.36 | Djan Madruga (BRA) | 15:41.74 | Bobby Hackett (USA) | 15:46.83 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Bob Jackson (USA) | 56.66 | Rômulo Arantes (BRA) | 57.20 | Steve Pickell (CAN) | 57.89 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Peter Rocca (USA) | 2:00.98 | Jesse Vassallo (USA) | 2:02.07 | Djan Madruga (BRA) | 2:04.74 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Steve Lundquist (USA) | 1:03.82 | Greg Winchell (USA) | 1:04.76 | Graham Smith (CAN) | 1:05.66 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Steve Lundquist (USA) | 2:21.97 | John Simmons (USA) | 2:22.45 | Pablo Restrepo (COL) | 2:23.13 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Robert Placak (USA) | 55.54 | Dan Thompson (CAN) | 55.56 | Clay Evans (CAN) | 56.63 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Craig Beardsley (USA) | 2:00.49 | George Nagy (CAN) | 2:02.15 | Bill Sawchuk (CAN) | 2:02.93 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Jesse Vassallo (USA) | 2:03.29 WR | Graham Smith (CAN) | 2:05.86 | Scott Spann (USA) | 2:06.29 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Jesse Vassallo (USA) | 4:21.63 | Bill Sawchuk (CAN) | 4:30.21 | Alex Baumann (CAN) | 4:32.42 |
| 4×100 m freestyle relay details | UNITED STATES Rowdy Gaines Jack Babashoff John Newton David McCagg | 3:23.71 | CANADA Graham Welbourn Alan Swanston Bill Sawchuk Peter Szmidt | 3:29.64 | BRAZIL Cyro Marques Djan Madruga Marcus Mattioli Rômulo Arantes | 3:30.86 |
| 4×200 m freestyle relay details | UNITED STATES Brian Goodell David Larson Kris Kirchner Rowdy Gaines | 7:31.28 | BRAZIL Cyro Marques Djan Madruga Jorge Fernandes Marcus Mattioli | 7:38.92 | CANADA Peter Szmidt Graham Welbourn Rob Bayliss Bill Sawchuk | 7:39.27 |
| 4×100 m medley relay details | UNITED STATES Bob Jackson Steve Lundquist Bob Placak David McCagg | 3:47.20 | CANADA Steve Pickell Graham Smith Dan Thompson Bill Sawchuk | 3:50.02 | PUERTO RICO Carlos Berrocal Orlando Catinchi Arnaldo Pérez Fernando Cañales | 3:54.63 |

## Women's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 m freestyle details | Cynthia Woodhead (USA) | 56.22 | Jill Sterkel (USA) | 56.24 | Gail Amundrud (CAN) | 57.79 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Cynthia Woodhead (USA) | 1:58.43 WR | Kim Linehan (USA) | 2:01.92 | Gail Amundrud (CAN) | 2:03.38 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Cynthia Woodhead (USA) | 4:10.56 | Tracy Caulkins (USA) | 4:16.13 | Wendy Quirk (CAN) | 4:17.34 |
| 800 m freestyle details | Kim Linehan (USA) | 8:39.82 | Jennifer Hooker (USA) | 8:50.71 | Barbara Shockey (CAN) | 8:54.82 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Linda Jezek (USA) | 1:03.33 | Cheryl Gibson (CAN) | 1:05.17 | Teresa Rivera (MEX) | 1:06.87 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Linda Jezek (USA) | 2:16.07 | Cheryl Gibson (CAN) | 2:17.58 | Libby Kinkead (USA) | 2:20.19 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Tami Paumier (USA) | 1:12.20 | Tracy Caulkins (USA) | 1:12.52 | Anne Gagnon (CAN) | 1:14.38 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Anne Gagnon (CAN) | 2:35.75 | Joanne Bédard (CAN) | 2:40.22 | Patricia Speeds (USA) | 2:40.79 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Jill Sterkel (USA) | 1:00.53 | Lisa Buese (USA) | 1:00.59 | Nancy Garapick (CAN) | 1:02.96 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Mary T. Meagher (USA) | 2:09.77 WR | Karinne Miller (USA) | 2:15.05 | Nancy Garapick (CAN) | 2:16.40 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Tracy Caulkins (USA) | 2:16.11 | Nancy Garapick (CAN) | 2:19.36 | Anne Tweedy (USA) | 2:20.33 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Tracy Caulkins (USA) | 4:46.05 | Anne Tweedy (USA) | 4:47.19 | Nancy Garapick (CAN) | 4:53.37 |
| 4×100 m freestyle relay details | UNITED STATES Stephanie Elkins Tracy Caulkins Jill Sterkel Cynthia Woodhead | 3:45.82 | CANADA Gail Amundrud Carol Klimpel Anne Jardin Wendy Quirk | 3:50.18 | MEXICO Teresa Rivera Isabel Reuss Yvonne Guerrero Helen Plachinski | 4:02.05 |
| 4×100 m medley relay details | UNITED STATES Linda Jezek Tracy Caulkins Jill Sterkel Cynthia Woodhead | 4:13.24 | CANADA Cheryl Gibson Anne Gagnon Nancy Garapick Gail Amundrud | 4:20.16 | MEXICO Teresa Rivera Elke Holtz Helen Plachinski Inez Guerrero | 4:30.59 |

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States | 28 | 12 | 6 | 46 |
| 2 | Canada | 1 | 12 | 15 | 28 |
| 3 | Brazil | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | Puerto Rico | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Mexico | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | Colombia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (6 entries) | Totals (6 entries) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 87 |