Read the latest positive news, breakthroughs, and inspiring stories about swimming records, curated daily by BrightWire.
Michael Phelps touched the wall just a hundredth of a second ahead of his competitor to win his seventh gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, matching a record that stood for 36 years. The American swimmer's victory in the 100-meter butterfly tied Mark Spitz's legendary seven-gold performance from the 1972 Munich Games.
A small island nation's relay team made Commonwealth Games history by shattering their own national record in the morning, then breaking it again just hours later. The Isle of Man's mixed freestyle relay team swam faster than any Manx team ever has, not once but twice.
Summer McIntosh shattered the oldest women's swimming record on the books, breaking a mark that stood for nearly 17 years and that experts called impossible to beat. The Canadian teen now holds four world records and is eyeing five golds at the 2028 Olympics.
Ishank Singh from Ranchi, India became the youngest person ever to swim across the treacherous Palk Strait, completing the 29-kilometer journey from Sri Lanka to India in under 10 hours. The third-grader trained five hours daily at a local dam before conquering one of South Asia's most dangerous open-water routes.
A 15-year-old Michigan swimmer just broke a school record that stood for three decades, proving that dedication and discipline can rewrite history. Alex Ostrander remains undefeated in his signature events throughout his entire high school career.
Norwich University's Kristian Adlianitski shattered the same swimming record twice in 24 hours, helping his team dominate the conference championships. The Cadets won seven of eight events on Day 2 and lead by nearly 170 points heading into the final day.