Courtesy: Corey He
It’s truly amazing the sheer number of swimmers that have defended their titles at consecutive Olympics — and so, we have ourselves a Part II to this article (and we will have AT LEAST a Part III).
- You can find the original article (Part I) here.
Anyways, let’s dive right into it: our next slate of swimming legends who have defended their titles at the Olympics.
Vladimir Salnikov (Soviet Union)
His nicknames included “Tsar of the Pool,” “Monster of the Waves,” and “Leningrad Express.” Across his dominant career, Salnikov set a total of twelve world records across the 400m, 800m, and 1500m distances, but it was his dominance at the 1500 that was truly remarkable.
At the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Salnikov was the fastest distance swimmer in the world despite the boycott. He became the first to break 15 minutes in the 1500 en route to Olympic gold. He continued his dominance over the next few years, but was unable to defend his title at the 1984 Los Angeles Games due to the Soviet boycott.
Following coaching changes and other challenges that saw him fail to medal in the 1500m in international competition for two years, Salnikov arrived at the 1988 Seoul Olympics at the age of 28. Many had already counted him out, especially considering he did not meet the standards for the Soviet Olympic team and was added only after intervention by Soviet Officials.
Salnikov answered the doubters. In the gutsiest performance of his life, he held off a stout field to capture 1500m Olympic gold by just two seconds — nearly losing consciousness on the final lap. When he returned to the Olympic Village after his gold medal performance, the athletes gave him a standing ovation.
Janet Evans (United States)
Evans was a swimming phenom far ahead of her time. Here’s a fun fact: her world records in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m each remained on the books for nearly 20 years. It’s truly difficult to overstate her dominance.
In an era marred with doping and other controversies, Evans utilized her unorthodox “windmill” technique to great effect. To many, she never seemed to tire. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she won the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 400m IM, a testament to her stamina and versatility.
Over the next few years, Evans never lost a long-distance race in international competition. In particular, her 800m freestyle world record became the 2nd-longest standing world record in swimming history.
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Evans lost her first race in nearly five years, winning silver in the 400m freestyle. But just days later, she returned to the pool and defended her 800m freestyle title in emphatic fashion, dominating a world-class field like she had so many times before.
The last time the Olympics were held in the U.S., Evans carried the Olympic torch during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Opening Ceremony. 32 years later, Evans now serves as Chief Athlete Officer of the organizing committee, coordinating efforts for Los Angeles 2028.
Ian Thorpe (Australia)
In the leadup to Sydney, Thorpe had already established himself as one of the world’s top mid-distance freestyles, despite being just 17 years old. On the first night of competition, he put on a clinic in the 400m freestyle, swimming his way to a world record time of 3:40.59.
The “Thorpedo” would never lose a 400m freestyle race in international competition. He stamped his dominance at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships, coming away with world records in the 200m, 400m, and 800m freestyle events. His time of 3:40.08 in the 400 still stands as the 2nd-fastest performance in history (by just 0.01 seconds).
This wasn’t without controversy, however; Thorpe had come under scrutiny for his strained relationship with his former coach, Doug Frost. He changed coaches, opting to train under one of Frost’s assistants, Tracy Menzies. Leading up to Athens, he also false-started in the 400m freestyle at the 2004 Australian Trials — though the 2nd-place finisher later relinquished his spot in favor of Thorpe.
The pressure was mounting. Despite questions regarding his fitness and training, Thorpe hung on to win Olympic gold in the 400 freestyle by just 0.26 seconds over teammate Grant Hackett in Athens. Later in the week, he would also win the Race of the Century, claiming 200m freestyle gold in Olympic record time — thus putting the rumors to rest. Thorpe is easily one of the greatest mid-distance freestylers of all time.
Aaron Peirsol (United States)
Peirsol is one of the greatest backstrokers in history. In fact, his world record in the 200m backstroke — 1:51.92 set back in 2009 — still stands today, with few swimmers coming anywhere close to his mark.
Peirsol first burst onto the Olympic stage in 2000, winning silver in the 200m backstroke behind Lenny Krayzelburg. From that point onward, he became the man to beat in the backstroke events, breaking world records and sweeping both backstroke events at both the 2003 Worlds and 2004 Olympic Games.
Perhaps Peirsol’s dominance can be summed up this way. He was the first man to break both the 53 and 52-second barriers in the 100m backstroke. He was also the first man under 1:55, 1:53, and 1:52 in the 200m backstroke — with Ryan Lochte being the first under 1:54.
Despite fierce competition, Peirsol would defend his 100m backstroke title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Swimming out of Lane 2, he threw down arguably his greatest clutch performance (up until that point), winning Olympic gold in a world-record time of 52.54. In 2016, Peirsol — alongside Bob Bowman and Dara Torres — was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe)
The most decorated Olympian from the African continent, Coventry sits in a tie for the most individual Olympic medals won by a female swimmer. Representing Zimbabwe, she first burst onto the scene at the collegiate level, contributing to Auburn’s NCAA titles in 2003 and 2004. In Athens, she took gold in the 200m backstroke, setting a new African Record in the process — along with silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 200m IM.
Over the next few years, Coventry established herself as one of the world’s best backstrokers and IMers, sweeping both backstroke events at the 2005 Worlds — along with silvers in both the 200m and 400m IM. She followed this up with silver medals in both the 200m backstroke and 200m IM at the 2007 Worlds, before breaking the 200m backstroke world record in 2008.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Coventry would break four world records, but only one would stand. In the 400m IM, she became the second woman to break 4:30 — the first was Stephanie Rice, who did so in the same race. In the 100m backstroke, she broke the world record in the semifinals with a time of 58.77, but was out-touched in the final by Natalie Coughlin. She would break Rice’s existing 200m IM world record, only to be out-touched by Rice in the same race.
But the fourth world record would stand. In her final race in Beijing, Coventry led from start to finish in the 200m backstroke, becoming the first woman under 2:06 in the event in an emphatic defense of her Olympic title. Just a year later, she won gold in the same race at the 2009 Worlds, shattering her own world record and becoming the first woman under 2:05.
Yana Klochkova (Ukraine)
The most decorated Olympian from Ukraine, Klochkova first came onto the scene at the 1998 Worlds in Perth, racing her way to the silver in the 400m IM. She finished just outside the medals in the 200m IM, ending up in fourth.
Two years later, Klochkova showcased her dominance at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In her first race, she shattered the 400m IM world record by over a second and a half, claiming gold in 4:33.59. She set another Olympic record in the 200m IM en route to the gold, beating the field by nearly two seconds. She also raced the 800m freestyle, claiming silver with a new Ukrainian record.
Klochkova’s dominance continued into the 2001 Worlds, where she won gold in the 400m IM and 400m freestyle — along with silver in the 200m IM. At the 2003 Worlds, she swept the medley events, establishing a new championship record in the 200m IM.
Klochkova was the odds-on favorite to win both events at the 2004 Athens Olympics and become the first woman to defend Olympic titles in both medley events. In two close races that came down to the wire, she did just that — winning gold in the 200m IM by 0.56 seconds and gold in the 400m IM by 0.12 seconds. Only two other swimmers have accomplished such a feat: Michael Phelps and Tamás Darnyi.
Roland Matthes (East Germany)
Matthes is the greatest backstroker in history. Across a seven-year span from 1967 to 1974, Matthes did not lose a single backstroke race — an unprecedented streak of dominance. Along with his backstroke prowess, he was also a tremendous butterfly and freestyle sprinter, making him a prolific relay swimmer.
Across his career, Matthes single-handedly brought the 100m backstroke world record from 59.1 to 56.3 (back then, times were measured to only the tenth) and the 200m backstroke world record from 2:09.4 to 2:01.87 — a truly remarkable feat.
At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Matthes won both backstroke events with Olympic Records — and took home another silver medal in the medley relay. He followed this up with double golds in the backstroke at the 1970 European Championships, a feat he would repeat at the 1974 European Championships.
At the 1972 Munich Olympics, Matthes would achieve his greatest feat, defending his 100m backstroke Olympic title in Olympic record time and also defending his 200m backstroke title in world record fashion. He would add a silver medal in the 400m medley relay and another bronze in the 400m freestyle relay. He is the only swimmer ever to sweep the backstroke events at consecutive Olympiads.
After his Olympic title defense, Matthes would sweep the backstroke events at the 1973 Worlds and took gold in the 100m backstroke at the 1975 Worlds. He raced in another Olympic final at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, winning bronze in the 100m backstroke. After his illustrious career in the pool, he retired and became an orthopedic surgeon.
Tom Dolan (United States)
Being a repeat Olympic champion is already a nearly insurmountable task. Doing so with severe asthma due to a partially blocked windpipe is another. Yet Tom Dolan did just that.
Even before Dolan’s long course success, he was a phenom at the NCAA level, capturing a total of six NCAA titles in the 500 freestyle, 400 IM, and 1650 freestyle (by repeating as NCAA champion in all three events). By 1994, he was both the world champion and the world record holder in the 400m IM.
Training under legendary Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek, Dolan’s big moment came at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Swimming on home soil, he out-touched teammate Eric Namesnik to win his first Olympic gold. He followed this up with another gold medal at the 1998 Worlds in the same event, becoming the man to beat in the 400 IM.
Dolan arrived at the 2000 Games in Sydney with his best performances yet to come. Against a stout field, Dolan utterly dominated the 400m IM final, beating his closest rival by nearly three seconds and defending his Olympic crown in 4:11.76, a new world record. Later in the meet, he would add another silver medal in the 200m IM to his collection. He would retire promptly after Sydney, having defended an Olympic title in what’s known as the “decathlon of swimming.”
Final Thoughts
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of dedication and commitment it takes to dominate at the highest level of swimming — and for extended periods of time.
What further amazes me is that there are still more Olympians I haven’t even mentioned. Longevity is rarely in the same sentence as dominance, yet here we are, gearing up for Part III of this article series…
ABOUT COREY HE
Corey is a current junior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying biology and healthcare management on a pre-medicine track. Originally from New Jersey, he first jumped into the water when he was 4 years old and swam competitively all the way through high school. Prior to college, he swam for Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA. He hopes to pursue a career in sports medicine.
