Breaking the Record: 100 Years of Olympic History

400-Meter Freestyle

1912:George Hodgson, Canada, 5:24.4

2008:Park Tae-Hwan, South Korea, 3:41.86

The 400-meter freestyle stands as the ultimate test for elite swimmers' speed and endurance. To buckle down mentally over 400 meters is just as important as diving off the block and pushing beyond physical threshold to victory. Compared to swimmers in 2008, the Olympic champion (and other racers) in 1912 wouldn’t even place.