Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre backstroke
| Men's 100 metre backstroke at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad | ||||||||||
| Venue | Sydney International Aquatic Centre | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | September 17, 2000 (heats & semifinals) September 18, 2000 (final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 55 from 50 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 53.72 OR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Swimming events at the 2000 Summer Olympics  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | ||||
| 50 m | men | women | ||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| 800 m | women | |||
| 1500 m | men | |||
| Backstroke | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Breaststroke | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Butterfly | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Individual medley | ||||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| Freestyle relay | ||||
| 4×100 m | men | women | ||
| 4×200 m | men | women | ||
| Medley relay | ||||
| 4×100 m | men | women | ||
The men's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 17–18 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.[1]
Lenny Krayzelburg, a Ukrainian-born American whose swimming career began in the old Soviet system, shattered a new Olympic record to claim a gold medal in the event, slashing 0.14 seconds off an eight-year-old standard set by Jeff Rouse in Barcelona.[2][3] He seized the lead on the first length, and held off a challenge from Australia's overwhelming favorite Matt Welsh down the final lap to touch the wall first in 53.72.[4][5] Delighted by the frenzied home crowd, Welsh took home with a silver medal in an Oceanian record of 54.07. Meanwhile, Germany's Stev Theloke stormed home from behind to wrest a bronze in 54.82, edging out another Aussie Josh Watson (55.01) by almost two-tenths of a second (0.20).[6]
Poland's Bartosz Kizierowski finished fifth with a time of 55.04, and was followed in the sixth spot by U.S. swimmer Neil Walker in 55.14. Theloke's teammate Steffen Driesen (55.27) and Israel's Eithan Urbach (55.74) closed out the field.[6]
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Lenny Krayzelburg (USA) | 53.60 | Sydney, Australia | 24 August 1999 | [7] |
| Olympic record | Jeff Rouse (USA) | 53.86 | Barcelona, Spain | 31 July 1992 | [7] |
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.
| Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September | Final | Lenny Krayzelburg | United States | 53.72 | OR |
Results
Heats
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Semifinals
Semifinal 1
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Matt Welsh |  Australia | 54.52 | Q, OC |
| 2 | 5 | Josh Watson | Australia | 54.93 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Neil Walker | United States | 55.20 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Chris Renaud |  Canada | 55.70 | |
| 5 | 2 | Alexandre Massura |  Brazil | 56.07 | |
| 6 | 6 | Gordan Kožulj |  Croatia | 56.26 | |
| 7 | 7 | David Ortega |  Spain | 56.33 | |
| 8 | 8 | Adam Ruckwood |  Great Britain | 56.34 |
Semifinal 2
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lenny Krayzelburg | United States | 54.32 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | Stev Theloke |  Germany | 54.95 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Eithan Urbach |  Israel | 55.31 | Q, NR |
| 4 | 3 | Bartosz Kizierowski |  Poland | 55.34 | Q |
| 5 | 6 | Steffen Driesen | Germany | 55.41 | Q |
| 6 | 7 | Rodolfo Falcón |  Cuba | 55.59 | |
| 7 | 1 | Péter Horváth |  Hungary | 55.65 | |
| 8 | 8 | Simon Dufour |  France | 55.79 |
Final
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4 | Lenny Krayzelburg | United States | 53.72 | OR |
 | 5 | Matt Welsh | Australia | 54.07 | OC |
 | 6 | Stev Theloke | Germany | 54.82 | |
| 4 | 3 | Josh Watson | Australia | 55.01 | |
| 5 | 1 | Bartosz Kizierowski | Poland | 55.04 | |
| 6 | 2 | Neil Walker | United States | 55.14 | |
| 7 | 8 | Steffen Driesen | Germany | 55.27 | |
| 8 | 7 | Eithan Urbach | Israel | 55.74 |
References
- ↑ "Swimming schedule". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 September 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ↑ Robertson, Linda (19 September 2000). "Krayzelburg, Quann Pan Olympic Gold". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "Americans Krayzelburg, Quann up U.S. golds to five". Sports Illustrated (CNN). 18 September 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "Krayzelburg sets Olympic record". ESPN. 18 September 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ Longman, Jere (19 September 2000). "Sydney 2000: Swimming; Thorpe Comes Up a Big Hand Short to a Flying Dutchman". New York Times. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
- 1 2 Whitten, Phillip (18 September 2000). "Olympic Day 3 Finals (100 Breast, 100 Back M, 100 Back W, 200 Free)". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 100m Backstroke Heats" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. pp. 278–279. Retrieved 1 June 2013.