Skip to main content

Olympic and World Records

World and Olympic records set by South African swimmers. Karen Muir set 18 World records between 1965 and 1969, but she never competed at an Olympic Games. Penny Heyns set 14 world records, while Roland Schoeman and Cameron van der Burgh both set 9 world records.

At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the South African men's team set a new world record in winning the 4x100 freestyle relay. Penny Heyns (Atlanta 1996), Cameron van den Burgh (London 2012) and Tatjana Schoenmaker (Tokyo 2021) also set Olympic records in winning gold in new world record times.

Olympic Records
Date Swimmer Event Time  Venue
September 1, 1960 Laura Ranwell 100m backstroke  1:12,0 Rome
July 21, 1996 Penny Heyns 100m breaststroke 1:07,02 Atlanta 
July 23, 1996 Penny Heyns 200m breaststroke 2:26,63  Atlanta
July 23, 1996 Penny Heyns 200m breaststroke  2:25.41 Atlanta
August 15, 2004 Roland Schoeman 4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2 - split  48,38 WR Athens
August 15, 2004 Lyndon Ferns 4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2 - split 48,34 WR Athens
August 15, 2004 Darian Townsend 4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2 - split 49,13 WR Athens
August 15, 2004 Ryk Neethling 4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2 - split 47,99 WR Athens
July  28, 2012 Cameron van der Burgh 100m breaststroke 58,83  London
July 29, 2012 Cameron van der Burgh 100m breaststroke 58,46 WR  London
July 25, 2021  Tatjana Schoenmaker  100m breaststroke  1:04,82 Tokyo
July 30, 2021  Tatjana Schoenmaker  200m breaststroke  WR 2:18,95 WR Tokyo
  Date Swimmer Event Time Venue
1. July 9, 1960 Natalie Stewart (GB) 110yds backstroke 1:11,1 Blackpool
2. September 24, 1960 Natalie Stewart (GB) 110yds backstroke 1:11,0 Blackpool
3. August 10, 1965 Karen Muir 110yds backstroke  1:08,7 Blackpool
4. February 21, 1966  Ann Fairlie  110yds backstroke   1:08,8  Kimberley
5. February 26, 1966  Karen Muir  110yds backstroke    1:08,3 Durban
6. March 1, 1966 Karen Muir   110yds backstroke    1:08,0  Durban
7. July 23, 1966  Ann Fairlie  100m backstroke     1:07,4  Beziers
8. July 25, 1966 Karen Muir    200m backstroke 2:27,1  Beziers 
9. August 18, 1966 Karen Muir    200m backstroke 2:26,4 Lincoln
10. August 25, 1966 Karen Muir    220yds backstroke  2:28,2 Vancouver
11. August 26, 1966 Ann Fairlie   110yds backstroke   1:07,9  Vancouver 
12.  August 28, 1966  Karen Muir     220yds IM 2:32,0 Vancouver 
13. January 28, 1967  Karen Muir    220yds backstroke  2:27,7 Pretoria 
14. July 22, 1967 Karen Muir    110yds backstroke  1:07,5 Coventry
15.  January 26, 1968  Karen Muir    220yds backstroke   2:24,1  Kimberley
16. January 26, 1968  Karen Muir     200m backstroke   2:24,1   Kimberley
17. January 30, 1968  Karen Muir     110yds backstroke  1:06,7  Kimberley
18.  January 30, 1968  Karen Muir    100m backstroke 1:06,7 Kimberley
19. January 21, 1968 Karen Muir     440yds IM  5:21,2  Kimberley
20. March 1, 1969  Karen Muir     440yds IM  5:20,2 Cape Town
21. April 6, 1968  Karen Muir      100m backstroke  1:06,4  Paris
22.  January 6, 1968  Karen Muir      200m backstroke  2:24,1  Kimberley
23.  July 21, 1968  Karen Muir     200m backstroke  2:23,8  Los Angeles
24.  July 6, 1969 Karen Muir     100m backstroke  1:05,6 Utrecht
25.  August 14, 1976 Jonty Skinner 100m Freestyle 49,44  Philadelphia 
26. August 14, 1976 Jonty Skinner 50m Freestyle (100 split)  23,86 Philadelphia 
27. April 10, 1988 Peter Williams 50m Freestyle  22,18 Indianapolis 
28. March 4, 1996  Penelope Heyns  100m breaststroke  1:07,46 Durban 
29. July 21, 1996 Penelope Heyns   100m breaststroke   1:07,02 Atlanta Olympics
30..  Aug 1, 1998 Penelope Heyns   50m breaststroke  30,95  New York
31.  July 17, 1999  Penelope Heyns   200m breaststroke  2:24.69 Los Angeles 
32. July 17, 1999  Penelope Heyns  200m breaststroke  2:24,51 Los Angeles 
33. July 18, 1999 Penelope Heyns  100m breaststroke   1:06,99 Los Angeles  
34.  July 18, 1999  Penelope Heyns  100m breaststroke   1:06,95 Los Angeles  
35.  August 26, 1999 Penelope Heyns  200m breaststroke  2:24,42 Sydney
36.  August 27, 1999 Penelope Heyns   100m breaststroke  2:23,64 Sydney
37.  Aug 29, 1999  Penelope Heyns  50m breaststroke  30,83 Sydney 
38. Sep 26, 1999  Penelope Heyns  100m breaststroke  1:05,57  Johannesburg
39.  Sep 26, 1999   Penelope Heyns   50m breaststroke SC  30,60 Durban 
40.  Sep 26, 1999   Penelope Heyns  100m breaststroke SC 1:05,40  Durban  
41.  March 23, 2000  Roland Schoeman   50m freestyle SC 21,31  Minneapolis
42. August 15, 2004 Roland Schoeman 4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2  Athens Olympics
43. August 15, 2004 Ryk Neethling 4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2 Athens Olympics
44. August 15, 2004 Lyndon Ferns  4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2 Athens Olympics
45. August 15, 2004 Darian Townsend  4 x 100m freestyle relay 03:13.2 Athens Olympics
46. January 18, 2005 Roland Schoeman 100m IM SC 52.51  Stockholm
47. January 22, 2005  Roland Schoeman 100m Freestyle SC 46,25 Berlin 
48. January 22, 2005  Ryk Neethling 100m IM SC 52,11 Berlin
 49. January 26, 2005  Ryk Neethling  100m IM SC  52,01 Moscow
50.  February 11, 2005  Ryk Neethling   100m IM SC   51,52  East Meadow, NY 
51. July 24, 2005 Roland Schoeman 50m butterfly  23,01 Montreal
52  July 25, 2005 Roland Schoeman 50m butterfly  22,96 Montreal 
53 August 12, 2006  Roland Schoeman 50m freestyle SC 20,98 Hamburg 
54. September 7, 2008  Roland Schoeman  50m freestyle SC 20,64  Germiston 
55. November 8, 2008 Cameron van der Burgh  50m breaststroke SC 26.08  Moscow 
56. November 11, 2008 Cameron van der Burgh   50m breaststroke SC  25,94  Stockholm
57.  April 18, 2009  Cameron van der Burgh 50m breaststroke 27.06  Durban
58. July 28, 2009 Cameron van der Burgh  50m breaststroke 26.74 Rome 
59.  July 29, 2009 Cameron van der Burgh 50m breaststroke  26.67  Rome 
60.  August 8, 2009 Roland Schoeman  50m freestyle SC 20,30  Pietermaritzburg 
61.  August 8, 2009  Cameron van der Burgh    50m breaststroke SC   25.43  Pietermaritzburg 
62.  August 9, 2009  Cameron van der Burgh     100m breststroke SC  55,99  Pietermaritzburg 
63.  November 7, 2009 George du Randt  200m backstroke  1:47.08 Moscow
64.  November 15, 2009 Cameron van der Burgh  100m breaststroke  SC 55,61 Berlin
65.  November 15, 2009 Darian Townsend 200m   IM SC 1:51,55 Berlin
66.  November 22, 2009 Kathryn Meaklim 400m IM SC 4:22,80 Singapore
 
67. July 29, 2012 Cameron van der Burgh  100m breaststroke  58,46  London Olympics
      
68.  August 7, 2013  Chad le Clos  200m butterfly SC  1:49,04  Eindhoven
69.  November 5, 2013 Chad le Clos    200m butterfly SC  1:18,56  Singapore 
70.  December 4, 2014  Chad le Clos   100m butterfly SC  48,44  Doha
      
71. December 8, 2016 Chad le Clos    100m butterfly SC 48.04  Windsor, Canada 
      
72.  July 21, 2021 Tatjana Schoenmaker  200m breaststroke  2:18,95 Tokyo Olympics