Short Course World-Record Distribution Strikingly Different Between Men and Women (Stats Included)
The short-course record book underwent significant editing over the past three weeks, with the World Cup series producing 13 world records. The circuit was punctuated by five marks on the final night of competition, headlined by American Kate Douglass registering the first sub-50 performance in history by a female athlete in the 100-meter freestyle.
There are 18 individual events contested in the short-course version of the sport and the way the world records are distributed among men and women are strikingly dissimilar. On the men’s side, 14 countries are represented. Only the United States, Hungary, France and Japan hold multiple world records, with two each. The Hungarian total is attributed to one athlete, as Hubert Kos owns the global standard in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke.
On the flip side, only five nations own global records in women’s competition. The United States leads the way with standards in 10 events, including four from Gretchen Walsh (50 freestyle/50 butterfly/100 butterfly/100 individual medley). Meanwhile, Canadian Summer McIntosh (400 freestyle/200 butterfly/400 medley) and the United States’ Kate Douglass (100 freestyle/200 breaststroke/200 medley) are record holders in three events each.
The Short Course World Records
Here’s a look at the short-course world-record breakdown by country:
Men
United States – 2
Hungary – 2
Japan – 2
France – 2
Cayman Island – 1
Australia – 1
Ireland – 1
Germany – 1
Russia – 1
Turkey – 1
Belarus – 1
Netherlands – 1
Switzerland – 1
Canada – 1
Women
United States – 10
Australia – 3
Canada – 3
Lithuania – 2
Jamaica – 1
Note: Due to a shared record in the 100 breaststroke, the women’s list features 19 countries.
