Worlds Fastest 100m Butterfly – Women’s Long Course

World Record: Gretchen Walsh 55.18
Olympic Record:Gretchen Walsh 55.38
World Junior Record: Claire Curzan 56.43
Commonwealth Record: Margaret MacNeil 55.59

Top 10 All-time Performers:

1. Gretchen Walsh (25.45, 29.73) 55.18
2. Sarah Sjostrom (26.01, 29.47) 55.48
3. Torri Huske (25.93, 29.59) 55.52
4. Margaret MacNeil (26.50, 29.09) 55.59
5. Yufei Zhang (25.76, 29.86) 55.62 
6. Emma McKeon (26.16, 29.56) 55.72
7. Regan Smith (26.81, 29.11) 55.92
8. Dana Vollmer (26.39, 29.44) 55.98
9. Zige Lie (No data available) 56.07
10. Rikako Ikee (25.89, 30.19) 56.08

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The chart below compares the World’s fastest 100m Butterfly swimmers. Swimmers and coaches can looks at the individual Splits, Stroke Counts and the first 50m split compared to swimmers 50m PB. All swim data has been collected from our team reviewing race footage where possible.

Women's 100m Butterfly - Long Course
	Gretchen Walsh	Sarah Sjostrom	Torri Huske	Margaret Macneil	Yufei Zhang	Regan Smith	Emma McKeon	Dana Vollmer	Zige Liu	Rikako Ikee
Height:	5 ft 7 in 170cm	6 ft 0 in 182cm	5 ft 8 in 173cm	5 ft 6 in 167cm	5 ft 9 in 176cm	5 ft 7 in 170cm	5 ft 11 in 180cm	6 ft 1 in 185cm	5 ft 11 in 181cm	5 ft 7 in 170cm
Weight:	121 Ib 55kg	168 Ib 76kg			126 Ib 57kg	121 Ib 55kg	132lb 60kg	150 Ib 68kg	148 Ib 67kg	126 Ib 56kg
Country:	USA	SWE	USA	CAN	CHN	USA	AUS	USA	CHN	JPN
DOB:	2003-01-29	1993-08-17	2002-12-07	2000-02-26	1998-04-19	2002-02-09	1994-05-24	1987-11-13	1989-03-31	2000-07-04
Meet:	2024 U.S Olympic Team Trials	Olympic Games Rio 2016	2024 U.S Olympic Team Trials	Tokyo Olympics 2020 (2021)	The China National Swimming Championships 2020	2024 U.S Olympic Team Trials	Tokyo Olympics 2020 (2021)	Olympic Games London 2012	11th Chinese National Games	13th Pan Pacific Championships 2018
1st 50m Split	25.45	26.01	25.93	26.50	25.76	26.68	26.16	26.39		25.89
Strokes	17	19		19?	21		19	21
50m PB:	25.11	24.43	25.70	26.14	26.03		25.97	25.80	26.69	25.11
Time off 50m PB:	0.44	1.58	0.23	0.36	-0.27		0.19	0.59		0.78
Percentage of 50m PB:	101.354%	106.467%	100.895%	101.377%	98.963%		100.732%	102.287%		103.106%
2nd 50m Split	29.73	29.47	29.59	29.09	29.86	28.94	29.56	29.44		30.19
Strokes	20	23		23?	23		22	23
Total Time:	55.18	55.48	55.52	55.59	55.62	55.62	55.72	55.98	56.07	56.08

Here is Gretchen Walsh’s new 100m Butterfly World Record swim to view.

Here is Sarah Sjostrom’s 100m Butterfly World Record swim to view.

Here is the list of the Women’s 200m Butterfly Long Course.

The 100m butterfly event has seen remarkable performances, highlighted by Gretchen Walsh’s world record time of 55.18 seconds. This time is segmented into 25.45 seconds for the first 50 meters and 29.73 seconds for the second 50 meters. The Olympic record is held by Sarah Sjostrom at 55.48 seconds, split into 26.01 seconds and 29.47 seconds. The Commonwealth record belongs to Margaret MacNeil with a time of 55.59 seconds, broken down into 26.50 seconds and 29.09 seconds. Claire Curzan holds the World Junior record at 56.43 seconds.

Analyzing the top 10 all-time performers, Gretchen Walsh leads with her world record, followed by Sarah Sjostrom, Torri Huske closely follows with 55.52 seconds (25.93 and 29.59). Margaret MacNeil, and Yufei Zhang, who clocked in at 55.62 seconds (25.76 and 29.86). Emma McKeon registered a time of 55.72 seconds (26.16 and 29.56), while Regan Smith posted 55.92 seconds (26.81 and 29.11). Dana Vollmer’s 55.98 seconds (26.39 and 29.44) and Zige Lie’s 56.07 seconds (data not available) round out the list. Rikako Ikee completes the top 10 with a time of 56.08 seconds (25.89 and 30.19).

The data reveals a trend where the fastest swimmers maintain a strong initial 50 meters, typically under 26 seconds.

Note: Worlds Fastest 100m Butterfly – Women’s Long Course – Update: June 2024