The women's 100 metre breaststroke event at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

took place between 18 and 19 October. This

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

event used the

breaststroke Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be s ...

. Because an Olympic size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of two lengths of the pool. This was the first appearance for this event in the Olympics for the women swimmers. American Katie Ball was the favorite to win three gold medals at the 1968 Olympics.Jamie Secola,
Hall of Fame induction cements Ball-Condon's swimming legacy
" ''Pensacola News-Journal'' (July 4, 2010). Retrieved November 7, 2014. She was the reigning world record holder in all four breaststroke distances and bettered her own world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials in August 1968.United Press International,
Catie Ball Clips World Swim Mark
" ''The New York Times'', p. 50 (August 27, 1968). Retrieved November 7, 2014. She arrived at the

in Mexico City, however, with a case of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

. She won her only Olympic medal, a gold, as a member of the winning U.S. 4×100-meter medley relay team by swimming the breaststroke leg of the four-person relay.databaseOlympics.com, Athletes
Catie Ball
. Retrieved November 7, 2014. Sharing the gold medal honors were her relay teammates

Kaye Hall Kaye Marie Hall (born May 15, 1951), later known by her married name Kaye Greff, is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. Hall was born in Tacoma, Washington,Sports-Ref ...

(backstroke),

Ellie Daniel Eleanor Suzanne Daniel (born June 11, 1950), also known by her married name Ellie Drye, is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. As a teenager, Daniel trained with coach Mary Freema ...

(butterfly) and Susan Pedersen (freestyle). In the 100-meter breaststroke final, Ball led close to the finish but physical exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she finished fifth. U.S. Swimmers Register Sweep in Women's 100-Meter Olympic Free-Style
" ''The New York Times'', p. S2 (October 20, 1968). Retrieved November 7, 2014. She was too ill to swim in the subsequent preliminary heats of the 200-meter breaststroke and was scratched from the event.Associated Press,
U.S.–Yugoslavia in Cage Finals
" ''The Evening Independent'', p. 2C (October 23, 1968). Retrieved November 7, 2014.

Medalists

Results

Heats

Heat 1 Heat 2 Heat 3 Heat 4 Heat 5

Semifinals

Heat 1 Heat 2

Final

Key: OR = Olympic record

References

External links

1968 Summer Olympics results: Women's 100 m breaststroke
from http://library.la84.org/; retrieved 2016-04-02. {{DEFAULTSORT:Swimming At The 1968 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 Metre Breaststroke Women's breaststroke 100 metre 1968 in women's swimming Women's events at the 1968 Summer Olympics