Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics

At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, 13 swimming events were contested, seven for men and six for women. There was a total of 235 participants from 33 countries competing.[1][2] For the first time, the butterfly stroke was contested as a separate event. Australia dominated the medal standings with a total of 8 out of a possible 13 gold medals, eventually finishing with 14 medals overall.

Swimming
at the Games of the XVI Olympiad
VenueMelbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre
Dates29 November – 7 December 1956
No. of events13
Competitors235 from 33 nations
← 1952
1960 →

Medal table

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RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Australia (AUS)84214
2  United States (USA)24511
3  Japan (JPN)1405
4  Great Britain (GBR)1012
  United Team of Germany (EUA)1012
6  Hungary (HUN)0112
7  Soviet Union (URS)0022
8  South Africa (RSA)0011
Totals (8 entries)13131339

Medalists

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Men's events

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
100 m freestyle
details
Jon Henricks
  Australia
55.4 (WR) John Devitt
  Australia
55.8 Gary Chapman
  Australia
56.7
400 m freestyle
details
Murray Rose
  Australia
4:27.3 (WR) Tsuyoshi Yamanaka
  Japan
4:30.4 George Breen
  United States
4:32.5
1500 m freestyle
details
Murray Rose
  Australia
17:58.9 Tsuyoshi Yamanaka
  Japan
18:00.3 George Breen
  United States
18:08.2
100 m backstroke
details
David Theile
  Australia
1:02.2 (WR) John Monckton
  Australia
1:03.2 Frank McKinney
  United States
1:04.5
200 m breaststroke
details
Masaru Furukawa
  Japan
2:34.7 Masahiro Yoshimura
  Japan
2:36.7 Kharis Yunichev
  Soviet Union
2:36.8
200 m butterfly
details
William Yorzyk
  United States
2:19.3 Takashi Ishimoto
  Japan
2:23.8 György Tumpek
  Hungary
2:23.9
4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
details
  Australia (AUS)
Kevin O'Halloran
John Devitt
Murray Rose
Jon Henricks
8:23.6 (WR)   United States (USA)
Dick Hanley
George Breen
Bill Woolsey
Ford Konno
8:31.5   Soviet Union (URS)
Vitaly Sorokin
Vladimir Struzhanov
Gennady Nikolayev
Boris Nikitin
8:34.7

Women's events

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
100 m freestyle
details
Dawn Fraser
  Australia
1:02.0 (WR) Lorraine Crapp
  Australia
1:02.3 Faith Leech
  Australia
1:05.1
400 m freestyle
details
Lorraine Crapp
  Australia
4:54.6 (OR) Dawn Fraser
  Australia
5:02.5 Sylvia Ruuska
  United States
5:07.1
100 m backstroke
details
Judy Grinham
  Great Britain
1:12.9 (WR) Carin Cone
  United States
1:12.9 (WR) Margaret Edwards
  Great Britain
1:13.1
200 m breaststroke
details
Ursula Happe
  United Team of Germany
2:53.1 (OR) Éva Székely
  Hungary
2:54.8 Eva-Maria Elsen
  United Team of Germany
2:55.1
100 m butterfly
details
Shelley Mann
  United States
1:11.0 (OR) Nancy Ramey
  United States
1:11.9 Mary Sears
  United States
1:14.4
4 × 100 metre freestyle relay
details
  Australia (AUS)
Dawn Fraser
Faith Leech
Sandra Morgan
Lorraine Crapp
4:17.1 (WR)   United States (USA)
Sylvia Ruuska
Shelley Mann
Nancy Simons
Joan Rosazza
4:19.2   South Africa (RSA)
Natalie Myburgh
Susan Roberts
Moira Abernethy
Jeanette Myburgh
4:25.7

Participating nations

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235 swimmers from 33 nations competed.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Swimming at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 17 December 2023.