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100 metres Backstroke, Men

Date20 – 21 July 1980
StatusOlympic
LocationPlavatelny basseyn, Sportivny kompleks Olimpiysky, Moskva
Participants33 from 22 countries

No one approached the Olympic and world record set by John Naber in Montréal and, in fact, nobody would better that mark until Rick Carey in 1983. In the Americans absence it was difficult to choose a favorite, but one swimmer not considered was Sweden’s Bengt Baron, who had never majored at any major international event, and a personal best of only 57.77 coming into Moscow, and was not in the world’s top 25 in 1979. In the semis his best mark that with 57.51 to qualify second behind Soviet Viktor Kuznetsov, who was also little known but set a USSR record with 56.75. In the final Baron stunned with 56.53 for the gold medal, and noted, “I still can’t believe it and it will take some time before it really sinks in. I would never have thought I could win an Olympic gold medal, at least not here and today. I just can’t understand how I did it.” Baron would go on to much greater success, earning an MBA from U Cal Berkeley, and in 2001 he was named President and CEO of Absolut Vodka.

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Bengt BaronSWE58.46 (4 h5)57.51 (1 h2)56.53 (1)Gold
2Viktor KuznetsovURS58.47 (3 h4)56.75 (1 h1)56.99 (2)Silver
3Vladimir DolgovURS57.87 (1 h1)58.04 (5 h1)57.63 (3)Bronze
4Miloslav RoľkoTCH58.15 (3 h1)57.97 (4 h1)57.74 (4)
5Sándor WladárHUN58.07 (2 h5)58.05 (6 h1)57.84 (5)
6Fred EeftingNED58.59 (3 h3)57.91 (2 h2)57.95 (6)
7Mark TonelliAUS58.66 (1 h2)57.89 (2 h1)57.98 (7)
8Gary AbrahamGBR58.79 (2 h2)57.90 (3 h1)58.38 (8)
9Mark KerryAUS58.08 (3 h5)58.07 (3 h2)
10Michael SöderlundSWE57.75 (1 h3)58.20 (4 h2)
11Rômulo ArantesBRA57.90 (2 h3)58.21 (5 h2)
12Zoltán VerrasztóHUN57.92 (1 h5)58.57 (7 h1)
13Doug CampbellGBR58.75 (4 h3)58.61 (6 h2)
14Paul MarshallGBR58.35 (2 h4)58.82 (8 h1)
15Dietmar GöhringGDR58.02 (2 h1)58.85 (7 h2)
16Glenn PatchingAUS58.30 (1 h4)1:00.31 (8 h2)
17Jörg StinglGDR58.98 (3 h2)
18Vladimir ShemetovURS59.01 (4 h4)
19Frédéric DelcourtFRA59.16 (4 h2)
20Herwig BayerAUT1:00.04 (5 h2)
21Branimir PopovBUL1:00.06 (4 h1)
22Mihai MandacheROU1:00.26 (5 h5)
23Franky De GrooteBEL1:00.35 (5 h4)
24Nenad MilošYUG1:00.41 (5 h1)
25Rui de AbreuPOR1:00.62 (5 h3)
26Róbert RudolfHUN1:00.85 (6 h1)
27Moisés GosálvezESP1:00.90 (6 h5)
28Ricardo PradoBRA1:01.03 (6 h2)
29Daniel AyoraPER1:03.93 (7 h1)
30Lâm Văn HoànhVIE1:07.29 (7 h5)
31Lakis FylaktouCYP1:08.92 (7 h2)
32Jorge LimaANG1:14.33 (6 h4)
33Pedro CruzMOZ1:15.25 (6 h3)
DNSDavid CumminsIRL– (DNS h3)
DNSAlberto MestreVEN– (DNS h4)

Round One (20 July 1980 — 10:00)

Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Vladimir DolgovURS57.87Q
25Dietmar GöhringGDR58.02Q
33Miloslav RoľkoTCH58.15Q
41Branimir PopovBUL1:00.06
52Nenad MilošYUG1:00.41
66Róbert RudolfHUN1:00.85
77Daniel AyoraPER1:03.93

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Mark TonelliAUS58.66Q
25Gary AbrahamGBR58.79Q
33Jörg StinglGDR58.98
46Frédéric DelcourtFRA59.16
57Herwig BayerAUT1:00.04
62Ricardo PradoBRA1:01.03
71Lakis FylaktouCYP1:08.92

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Michael SöderlundSWE57.75Q
24Rômulo ArantesBRA57.90Q
35Fred EeftingNED58.59Q
46Doug CampbellGBR58.75Q
57Rui de AbreuPOR1:00.62
61Pedro CruzMOZ1:15.25
DNS2David CumminsIRL

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Glenn PatchingAUS58.30Q
26Paul MarshallGBR58.35Q
34Viktor KuznetsovURS58.47Q
45Vladimir ShemetovURS59.01
52Franky De GrooteBEL1:00.35
61Jorge LimaANG1:14.33
DNS7Alberto MestreVEN

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
16Zoltán VerrasztóHUN57.92Q
23Sándor WladárHUN58.07Q
34Mark KerryAUS58.08Q
45Bengt BaronSWE58.46Q
52Mihai MandacheROU1:00.26
67Moisés GosálvezESP1:00.90
71Lâm Văn HoànhVIE1:07.29

Semi-Finals (20 July 1980 — 19:00)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
17Viktor KuznetsovURS56.75Q
21Mark TonelliAUS57.89Q
38Gary AbrahamGBR57.90Q
46Miloslav RoľkoTCH57.97Q
54Vladimir DolgovURS58.04Q
63Sándor WladárHUN58.05Q
75Zoltán VerrasztóHUN58.57
82Paul MarshallGBR58.82

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
17Bengt BaronSWE57.51Q
21Fred EeftingNED57.91Q
36Mark KerryAUS58.07
44Michael SöderlundSWE58.20
55Rômulo ArantesBRA58.21
68Doug CampbellGBR58.61
73Dietmar GöhringGDR58.85
82Glenn PatchingAUS1:00.31

Final (21 July 1980 — 19:30)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15Bengt BaronSWE56.53
24Viktor KuznetsovURS56.99
31Vladimir DolgovURS57.63
47Miloslav RoľkoTCH57.74
58Sándor WladárHUN57.84
62Fred EeftingNED57.95
73Mark TonelliAUS57.98
86Gary AbrahamGBR58.38