Event Domination: Which Swimmers Own the Most Top Times in a Specific Event (Women’s Edition)
Who maintains the greatest dominance in a single event? It’s a question that can be measured in multiple ways. An argument can be made for the athlete whose best time holds the greatest percentage difference over the No. 2 performer in history. Maybe it’s the swimmer who possesses the most top-10/top-25 performances of all-time. Fans of the sport can make the decision based on their preferences.
But for this article, Swimming World is going to take a look at several athletes who have ruled an event by registering a hefty number of the best performances in history. To qualify for this women’s list, an athlete must have at least the three-fastest times in an event.
Sarah Sjostrom
Event: 50 Freestyle
Note: Swedish standout Sarah Sjostrom has produced the seven-fastest performances in history, headlined by a world record of 23.61. More, Sjostrom owns nine of the 11-fastest marks of all-time. It’s no surprise that Sjostrom’s world-record status in the event is complemented by Olympic and world championships.
Katie Ledecky
Event: 1500 Freestyle
Note: No one has ruled an event the way Katie Ledecky has dominated the 1500 freestyle, where she is the two-time defending Olympic champion and world-record holder at 15:20.48. Not only does Ledecky boast the 11-fastest times in history, she has 25 of the fastest 26 marks and is 11-plus seconds faster than the No. 2 performer, Italian Simona Quadarella (15:31.79).
Kaylee McKeown
Event: 200 Backstroke
Note: The fact that Kaylee McKeown captured back-to-back Olympic titles in the 200 backstroke speaks volumes about her greatness in the event. But there’s more to her reign, such as a world record of 2:03.14 and the three-fastest performances in history. Of the 10-fastest marks ever produced, seven belong to the Australian.
Sarah Sjostrom
Event: 50 Butterfly
Note: As confirmation of her sprint dominance, Sarah Sjostrom makes a second appearance on this list. The Swede has the fastest three times in the 50 butterfly, including her spectacular world record of 24.43. Sjostrom also owns nine of the 10-fastest marks, 14 of the fastest 16 and 21 of the quickest 24.
Gretchen Walsh
Event: 100 Butterfly
Note: The reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 100 butterfly, Gretchen Walsh has churned out the eight-fastest times in the history of the event. Walsh is the only woman to crack the 55-second barrier, and has reached that territory on three occasions. Her world record of 54.60 is .88 faster than the No. 2 performer, Sarah Sjostrom (55.48).
Summer McIntosh
Event: 400 Individual Medley
Note: The latest world record by Summer McIntosh took the event down to 4:23.65, which is more than two seconds faster than Hungarian legend Katinka Hosszu (4:26.36) ever went. McIntosh has the four-fastest times in history and seven of the eight-fastest performances. For her career, McIntosh has dipped below the 4:30 barrier on 11 occasions.
