World Record Progression 50 Yards Freestyle

The world record in the men's 50 yards freestyle is not an official record ratified by World Aquatics (previously FINA), which only recognizes records set in meters. Practically, the unofficial world record is now limited today to swimmers competing in the United States, as short course races in yards are only currently used for record keeping in the United States.

The list of United States records in swimming includes records in short course yards, including the "USA record", meaning the fastest time by an American swimmer, and the "US Open record", meaning the fastest time within the United States. The vast majority of records in the 50 yard freestyle in the past 80 years have been set at U.S. collegiate competition.

For the earliest records on this list, from the late 19th and early 20th century, it is not uncommon to see inconsistent news reporting about whether a recent time was a world record, and what the prior record was.(27 February 1907)
Swimming Notes
''Sydney Referee'' (reporting that a New York newspaper stated C.M. Daniels had the world record in the 50 yards at 25 2-5 and was trying to break it, "ignor(ing) the fact that there is patch on the globe called Australia" and that Alick Wickham actually held the world record at 24 3-5 sec., and that Len Murray's recent swim was also better than Daniels') Interim records between those records reported in this list may exist and merit addition if supported by reliable sources. By the time Duke Kahanamoku swam 22.6 in 1923, the level of certainty in the progression of this list improves.

Mens 50 yard swim, one turn

References

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World record progressions in swimming