First Sub-60-Second 100 m Freestyle
Johnny Weissmuller, 58.6 seconds, 1922
Overview
Weissmuller broke the minute barrier in 1922 using the American crawl with a six beat kick, at a time when debates over stroke styles still raged. He then lowered the mark repeatedly. Going under 60 seconds remained the sprint benchmark until the 1930s generation pushed toward 56 seconds.
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