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100 metres Breaststroke, Men

Date28 – 29 July 2012
StatusOlympic
LocationLondon Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford, London
Participants44 from 37 countries

Something was missing in this event. The 2011 World Champion was Norwegian Alexander Dale Oen, who had won a silver medal in this event in 2008. Training in Flagstaff, Arizona in April 2012, Oen collapsed in his shower after a morning swim, and died later that day. The swimming world mourned the loss of the popular Norwegian who would have been favored in London in the 100 breast.

But something was back in two-time defending champion Kosuke Kitajima of Japan, and another surprise returnee was American Brendan Hansen. Hansen had competed at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, but had always struggled to defeat Kitajima and had won silver in this event in 2004 and placed fourth in 2008. He retired after the 2008 Olympics, with two relay gold medals but no individual golds, and that gnawed at him. He returned to the water in 2011 attempting to fill that one hole in his swimming résumé, and won the US titles in the 100 and 200 breast in 2011 and qualified for the 2012 US Olympic team.

Both Kitajima and Hansen made the final as did Australian Brenton Rickard, who had set the world record of 58.58 in 2009. Also in the final was Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli, second to Oen at the 2011 Worlds, and South African Cameron van der Burgh, who had won bronze medals at the 2011 Worlds in both the 50 and 100 breaststroke events. Kitajima started the final in the early lead but had nothing left, was only fifth at the wall, and would finish fifth. Van der Burgh blasted to 27.07 at the wall, more than ½-second ahead of Rickard’s world record split, and would maintain that to win in a world record 58.46. The silver went to Australian Christian Sprenger, while Hansen finished third for the bronze medal, despite swimming in lane eight. Rickard placed sixth with Scozzoli seventh.

After he finished, van der Burgh gave a skyward salute, paying homage to his close friend, Alexander Dale Oen.

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Cameron van der BurghRSA59.79 (2 h4)58.83 (1 h1)58.46 (1)Gold
2Christian SprengerAUS59.62 (1 h6)59.61 (1 h2)58.93 (2)Silver
3Brendan HansenUSA59.93 (3 h4)59.78 (6 h1)59.49 (3)Bronze
4Dániel GyurtaHUN59.76 (1 h4)59.74 (5 h1)59.53 (4)
5Kosuke KitajimaJPN59.63 (2 h6)59.69 (4 h1)59.79 (5)
6Brenton RickardAUS1:00.07 (5 h4)59.50 (3 h1)59.87 (6)
7Fabio ScozzoliITA59.99 (5 h5)59.44 (2 h1)59.97 (7)
8Giedrius TitenisLTU59.68 (3 h6)59.66 (2 h2)1:00.84 (8)
9Michael JamiesonGBR59.89 (3 h5)59.89 (3 h2)
10Ryo TateishiJPN59.86 (4 h6)59.93 (7 h1)
11Eric ShanteauUSA59.96 (4 h5)59.96 (4 h2)
12Felipe FrançaBRA1:00.38 (6 h5)1:00.01 (5 h2)
13Felipe LimaBRA1:00.57 (5 h6)1:00.08 (8 h1)
14Craig BensonGBR1:00.04 (4 h4)1:00.13 (6 h2)
15Glenn SnydersNZL59.78 (1 h5)1:00.15 (7 h2)
16Scott DickensCAN59.85 (2 h5)1:00.16 (8 h2)
17Giacomo Perez-DortonaFRA1:00.59 (1 h3)
18Damir DugonjičSLO1:00.77 (7 h5)
19Christian vom LehnGER1:00.78 (6 h6)
20Lennart StekelenburgNED1:00.96 (6 h4)
21Hendrik FeldwehrGER1:01.00 (7 h6)
22Panagiotis SamilidisGRE1:01.20 (2 h3)
=23Valeriy DymoUKR1:01.27 (7 h4)
=23Mattia PesceITA1:01.27 (8 h5)
25Carlos AlmeidaPOR1:01.40 (3 h3)
26Laurent CarnolLUX1:01.46 (1 h2)
27Roman SludnovRUS1:01.47 (8 h6)
28Li XiayanCHN1:01.55 (4 h3)
=29Martin LiivamägiEST1:01.57 (5 h3)
=29Barry MurphyIRL1:01.57 (8 h4)
31Čaba SilađiSRB1:01.95 (2 h2)
=32Imri GanielISR1:02.07 (=6 h3)
=32Dawid SzulichPOL1:02.07 (=6 h3)
34Vlad PolyakovKAZ1:02.15 (3 h2)
35Édgar CrespoPAN1:02.18 (4 h2)
36Jakob SveinssonISL1:02.65 (5 h2)
=37Dragoș AgacheROU1:02.93 (8 h3)
=37Malick FallSEN1:02.93 (6 h2)
39Azad BaraziSYR1:03.48 (7 h2)
40Dănilă ArtiomovMDA1:03.57 (8 h2)
41Amini FonuaTGA1:03.65 (1 h1)
42Mubarak Al-BesherUAE1:05.26 (2 h1)
43Diguan PigotSUR1:05.55 (3 h1)
44Wael KoubrousliLBN1:07.06 (4 h1)

Round One (28 July 2012 — 11:53)

Fastest 16 swimmers advanced to semi-finals

Heat One (11:53)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Amini FonuaTGA1:03.650.68
23Mubarak Al-BesherUAE1:05.260.69
35Diguan PigotSUR1:05.550.67
46Wael KoubrousliLBN1:07.060.75

Heat Two (11:56)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Laurent CarnolLUX1:01.460.73
26Čaba SilađiSRB1:01.950.72
34Vlad PolyakovKAZ1:02.150.74
42Édgar CrespoPAN1:02.180.67
55Jakob SveinssonISL1:02.650.70
61Malick FallSEN1:02.930.78
78Azad BaraziSYR1:03.480.70
87Dănilă ArtiomovMDA1:03.570.67

Heat Three (11:59)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Giacomo Perez-DortonaFRA1:00.590.68
26Panagiotis SamilidisGRE1:01.200.70
31Carlos AlmeidaPOR1:01.400.69
43Li XiayanCHN1:01.550.76
58Martin LiivamägiEST1:01.570.70
=62Dawid SzulichPOL1:02.070.76
=65Imri GanielISR1:02.070.68
87Dragoș AgacheROU1:02.930.75

Heat Four (12:01)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
16Dániel GyurtaHUN59.760.74Q
24Cameron van der BurghRSA59.790.67Q
35Brendan HansenUSA59.930.70Q
42Craig BensonGBR1:00.040.73Q
53Brenton RickardAUS1:00.070.71Q
67Lennart StekelenburgNED1:00.960.70
71Valeriy DymoUKR1:01.270.75
88Barry MurphyIRL1:01.570.68

Heat Five (12:04)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Glenn SnydersNZL59.780.63Q
22Scott DickensCAN59.850.70Q
37Michael JamiesonGBR59.890.80Q
46Eric ShanteauUSA59.960.70Q
54Fabio ScozzoliITA59.990.61Q
65Felipe FrançaBRA1:00.380.69Q
71Damir DugonjičSLO1:00.770.78
88Mattia PesceITA1:01.270.68

Heat Six (12:07)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Christian SprengerAUS59.620.67Q
24Kosuke KitajimaJPN59.630.66Q
32Giedrius TitenisLTU59.680.72Q
45Ryo TateishiJPN59.860.68Q
56Felipe LimaBRA1:00.570.68Q
61Christian vom LehnGER1:00.780.72
77Hendrik FeldwehrGER1:01.000.76
88Roman SludnovRUS1:01.470.78

Semi-Finals (28 July 2012 — 20:32)

Fastest eight swimmers advanced to final

Heat One (20:32)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Cameron van der BurghRSA58.830.65QOR
27Fabio ScozzoliITA59.440.62Q
31Brenton RickardAUS59.500.73Q
44Kosuke KitajimaJPN59.690.67Q
55Dániel GyurtaHUN59.740.74Q
62Brendan HansenUSA59.780.67Q
76Ryo TateishiJPN59.930.64
88Felipe LimaBRA1:00.080.69

Heat Two (20:39)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Christian SprengerAUS59.610.67Q
25Giedrius TitenisLTU59.660.73Q
32Michael JamiesonGBR59.890.78
47Eric ShanteauUSA59.960.71
58Felipe FrançaBRA1:00.010.70
61Craig BensonGBR1:00.130.79
73Glenn SnydersNZL1:00.150.61
86Scott DickensCAN1:00.160.70

Final (29 July 2012 — 20:11)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Cameron van der BurghRSA58.460.63WR
26Christian SprengerAUS58.930.67
38Brendan HansenUSA59.490.67
41Dániel GyurtaHUN59.530.73
57Kosuke KitajimaJPN59.790.64
63Brenton RickardAUS59.870.73
75Fabio ScozzoliITA59.970.62
82Giedrius TitenisLTU1:00.840.74