# Swimming at the 1968 Summer Olympics

The swimming competitions at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City took place from 17 to 26 October at the Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez. Swimming featured a record total of 29 events. There was a total of 468 participants from 51 countries competing. The United States dominated the competition, winning 52 of 87 possible medals. 15-year-old American phenom Debbie Meyer from Maryland won three gold medals.

## Events

Swimming at the 1968 Olympics featured a total of 29 events (15 for men and 14 for women). This was a significant increase from the 18 events contested in the previous Olympic Games. The following events were contested (all pool events are long course, and distances are in meters):
* Freestyle: 100, 200, 400, and 1500 (men's); 100, 200, 400 and 800 (women's)
* Backstroke: 100 and 200;
* Breaststroke: 100 and 200;
* Butterfly: 100 and 200;
* Individual medley: 200 and 400;
* Relays: 4 × 100 free, 4 × 200 free, 4 × 100 medley (men's); 4 × 100 free, 4 × 100 medley (women's)

## Participating nations

468 swimmers from 51 nations competed.
* Argentina (8)
* Australia (24)
* Austria (3)
* Barbados (1)
* Belgium (6)
* Brazil (4)
* Bulgaria (3)
* Canada (15)
* Taiwan (4)
* Colombia (9)
* Costa Rica (1)
* Cuba (3)
* Czechoslovakia (1)
* Denmark (3)
* East Germany (24)
* Ecuador (3)
* El Salvador (14)
* Finland (3)
* France (16)
* Great Britain (24)
* Guatemala (3)
* Hong Kong (3)
* Hungary (14)
* Iceland (4)
* Ireland (4)
* Israel (6)
* Italy (10)
* Jamaica (1)
* Japan (20)
* Lebanon (1)
* Luxembourg (1)
* Mexico (27)
* Netherlands (17)
* New Zealand (4)
* Norway (1)
* Peru (3)
* Philippines (7)
* Poland (4)
* Puerto Rico (9)
* Romania (2)
* South Korea (1)
* Soviet Union (31)
* Spain (13)
* Sweden (16)
* Switzerland (4)
* Trinidad and Tobago (1)
* United States (52)
* Uruguay (5)
* Vietnam (2)
* West Germany (27)
* Yugoslavia (6)

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States | 21 | 15 | 16 | 52 |
| 2 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | East Germany | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Soviet Union | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 8 | Canada | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | Great Britain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | West Germany | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (11 entries) | Totals (11 entries) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 87 |

## Medal summary
### Men's events

| Games | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 m freestyle details | Michael Wenden Australia | 52.2 WR | Ken Walsh United States | 52.8 | Mark Spitz United States | 53.0 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Michael Wenden Australia | 1:55.2 OR | Don Schollander United States | 1:55.8 | John Nelson United States | 1:58.1 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Mike Burton United States | 4:09.0 OR | Ralph Hutton Canada | 4:11.7 | Alain Mosconi France | 4:13.3 |
| 1500 m freestyle details | Mike Burton United States | 16:38.9 OR | John Kinsella United States | 16:57.3 | Greg Brough Australia | 17:04.7 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Roland Matthes East Germany | 58.7 OR | Charlie Hickcox United States | 1:00.2 | Ronnie Mills United States | 1:00.5 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Roland Matthes East Germany | 2:09.6 OR | Mitch Ivey United States | 2:10.6 | Jack Horsley United States | 2:10.9 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Don McKenzie United States | 1:07.7 OR | Vladimir Kosinsky Soviet Union | 1:08.0 | Nikolai Pankin Soviet Union | 1:08.0 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Felipe Muñoz Mexico | 2:28.7 | Vladimir Kosinsky Soviet Union | 2:29.2 | Brian Job United States | 2:29.9 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Doug Russell United States | 55.9 OR | Mark Spitz United States | 56.4 | Ross Wales United States | 57.2 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Carl Robie United States | 2:08.7 | Martyn Woodroffe Great Britain | 2:09.0 | John Ferris United States | 2:09.3 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Charlie Hickcox United States | 2:12.0 OR | Greg Buckingham United States | 2:13.0 | John Ferris United States | 2:13.3 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Charlie Hickcox United States | 4:48.4 | Gary Hall, Sr. United States | 4:48.7 | Michael Holthaus West Germany | 4:51.4 |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay details | United States (USA) Zac Zorn Stephen Rerych Ken Walsh Mark Spitz | 3:31.7 WR | Soviet Union (URS) Georgi Kulikov Viktor Mazanov Semyon Belits-Geiman Leonid Ilyichov | 3:34.2 | Australia (AUS) Greg Rogers Robert Cusack Bob Windle Michael Wenden | 3:34.7 |
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay details | United States (USA) John Nelson Stephen Rerych Mark Spitz Don Schollander | 7:52.3 | Australia (AUS) Greg Rogers Graham White Bob Windle Michael Wenden | 7:53.7 | Soviet Union (URS) Vladimir Bure Semyon Belits-Geiman Georgi Kulikov Leonid Ilyichov | 8:01.6 |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay details | United States (USA) Charlie Hickcox Don McKenzie Doug Russell Ken Walsh | 3:54.9 WR | East Germany (GDR) Roland Matthes Egon Henninger Horst-Günter Gregor Frank Wiegand | 3:57.5 | Soviet Union (URS) Yuri Gromak Vladimir Nemshilov Vladimir Kosinsky Leonid Ilyichov | 4:00.7 |

### Women's events

| Games | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 m freestyle details | Jan Henne United States | 1:00.0 | Susan Pedersen United States | 1:00.3 | Linda Gustavson United States | 1:00.3 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Debbie Meyer United States | 2:10.5 OR | Jan Henne United States | 2:11.0 | Jane Barkman United States | 2:11.2 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Debbie Meyer United States | 4:31.8 OR | Linda Gustavson United States | 4:35.5 | Karen Moras Australia | 4:37.0 |
| 800 m freestyle details | Debbie Meyer United States | 9:24.0 OR | Pam Kruse United States | 9:35.7 | Maria Teresa Ramírez Mexico | 9:38.5 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Kaye Hall United States | 1:06.2 WR | Elaine Tanner Canada | 1:06.7 | Jane Swagerty United States | 1:08.1 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Lillian Watson United States | 2:24.8 OR | Elaine Tanner Canada | 2:27.4 | Kaye Hall United States | 2:28.9 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Đurđica Bjedov Yugoslavia | 1:15.8 OR | Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union | 1:15.9 | Sharon Wichman United States | 1:16.1 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Sharon Wichman United States | 2:44.4 OR | Đurđica Bjedov Yugoslavia | 2:46.4 | Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union | 2:47.0 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Lyn McClements Australia | 1:05.5 | Ellie Daniel United States | 1:05.8 | Susan Shields United States | 1:06.2 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Ada Kok Netherlands | 2:24.7 OR | Helga Lindner East Germany | 2:24.8 | Ellie Daniel United States | 2:25.9 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Claudia Kolb United States | 2:24.7 OR | Susan Pedersen United States | 2:28.8 | Jan Henne United States | 2:31.4 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Claudia Kolb United States | 5:08.5 OR | Lynn Vidali United States | 5:22.2 | Sabine Steinbach East Germany | 5:25.3 |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay details | United States (USA) Jane Barkman Linda Gustavson Susan Pedersen Jan Henne | 4:02.5 OR | East Germany (GDR) Gabriele Wetzko Roswitha Krause Uta Schmuck Martina Grunert | 4:05.7 | Canada (CAN) Angela Coughlan Marilyn Corson Elaine Tanner Marion Lay | 4:07.2 |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay details | United States (USA) Kaye Hall Catie Ball Ellie Daniel Susan Pedersen | 4:28.3 OR | Australia (AUS) Lynne Watson Judy Playfair Lyn McClements Janet Steinbeck | 4:30.0 | West Germany (FRG) Angelika Kraus Uta Frommater Heike Hustede Heidemarie Reineck | 4:36.4 |

## Gallery of the medalists

Some of the Olympic medalists in Mexico City:
* Don Schollander, winner of the 4 × 200-metre freestyle relay.
* Mark Spitz, winner of the 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay and 4 × 200-metre freestyle relay.
* Mike Burton, winner of the 400-metre freestyle and 1500-metre freestyle.
* Debbie Meyer, winner of the 200-metre freestyle, 400-metre freestyle, and 800-metre freestyle.
* Roland Matthes, winner of the 100-metre backstroke and 200-metre backstroke.
* Carl Robie, winner of the 200-metre butterfly.
* Charlie Hickcox, winner of the 200-metre individual medley and 400-metre individual medley.
* Claudia Kolb, winner of the 200-metre individual medley and 400-metre individual medley.
* Don McKenzie, winner of the 100-metre breaststroke and 4×100-metre medley relay.