SwimSwam Stroke 50s Added To Olympics, Märtens Breaks 3:40 Barrier In 400 Free & Meehan Named National Team D

Stroke 50s Added To Olympic Program: Shockwaves were sent around the swimming community last Wednesday when it was announced by World Aquatics that the 50 backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly would be added to the Olympic schedule in 2028.

Also: Lukas Märtens goes sub-3:40 to break Biedermann's super-suited world record in the 400 free, Stanford head coach Greg Meehan takes over as USA Swimming's new National Team Director, and all of the highlights from international meets as the long course season kicks into high gear.

Stroke 50s Added To 2028 Olympic Schedule

Sprinters around the world rejoiced last week when World Aquatics announced that the stroke 50s would be added to the Olympic program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

The 50 back, breast and fly will be raced at the Olympic level for the first time in history in 2028 after having been contested at the World Aquatics Championships since 2001.

The announcement comes after World Aquatics officially submitted a request to have the events added to the Olympic schedule this past August coming out of the 2024 Games in Paris.

The addition marks the second change to the Olympic swimming program we've seen in the last decade. In 2017, prior to the Tokyo Olympics, the men's 800 free, women's 1500 free, and the mixed medley relay were added to the schedule.

With six new events on the program, swimming will now have 41 medal events in Los Angeles (compared to 35 in Paris), and aquatics as a whole will have 55 medal events, more than any other sport.

Details regarding how the addition of stroke 50s affects the Olympic schedule or the roster limits for each nation have yet to be announced.

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, responded to the addition of the new events by saying it "makes me feel like this is summer league."

Read More:

• Swimmers React To The Addition of Stroke 50s (1)
• Swimmers React To The Addition of Stroke 50s (2)
• What Are The Ripple Effects of Adding Stroke 50s to the Olympics?
• What Will the Olympic Qualifying Times Be in the Stroke 50s?

Lukas Märtens Hits Historic 3:39.96 To Break Biedermann's 400 Free World Record

History was made on Saturday as one of the most vaunted world records in swimming was taken off the books.

Competing at the Swim Open Stockholm, Germany's Lukas Märtens put up a time of 3:39.96 to become the first swimmer ever under the 3:40 barrier, breaking Paul Biedermann's longstanding super-suited world record of 3:40.07 set at the 2009 World Championships in Rome.

• Race Video

Märtens, the reigning Olympic champion, previously ranked as the 4th-fastest performer of all-time, having set his old PB of 3:40.33 last April at the 2024 German Olympic Trials.

In terms of splitting, Märtens went out like a rocket, turning in 1:47.55 at the 200 to sit nearly three and a half seconds under Biedermann's record pace (1:51.02) and more than a second under his split from his previous best time (1:48.59).

Split Comparison

All-Time Performers, Men's 400 Freestyle (LCM)

1. Lukas Märtens (GER), 3:39.96 – 2025
2. Paul Biedermann (GER), 3:40.07 – 2009
3. Ian Thorpe (AUS), 3:40.08 – 2002
4. Sun Yang (CHN), 3:40.14 – 2012
5. Sam Short (AUS), 3:40.68 – 2023
6. Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN), 3:40.70 – 2023
7. Ous Mellouli (TUN), 3:41.11 – 2009
8. Elijah Winnington (AUS), 3:41.22 – 2022
9. Lin Zhang (CHN), 3:41.35 – 2009
10. Park Tae Hwan (KOR), 3:41.53 – 2010

The 23-year-old Märtens carried his momentum forward into the following day of the competition, winning the 200 free in 1:45.55 to rank #4 in the world this season.

• Read More: Since 2002, Which World Records Have Improved the Most?

Greg Meehan Named USA Swimming National Team Director

Coming off a successful season as the head coach of the Stanford women's team, Greg Meehan will take on a new challenge moving forward after being announced as the new National Team Director of USA Swimming on Friday.

Meehan, who has been the women's head coach at Stanford for 13 years, will take over the role previously held by Lindsay Mintenko, who resigned from her post last October after seven years on the job.

“I am beyond grateful to take on this role,” Meehan said. “My love for the Olympic movement–particularly for USA Swimming–has shaped so much of my life.

"As we look ahead to hosting the LA 2028 Olympic Games, our success will be a byproduct of the investments we make today through hard work, commitment, collaboration, and enthusiasm. I am honored to help lead this next chapter and inspire the next generation.”

Under Mintenko, the National Team Director role shifted from a coaching position to more of an administrative one. During the hiring process, which included a nine-member task force, there was reportedly a push to return the position to the primary coaching-based functions it had during the reign of Mintenko’s predecessors.

“Greg’s ability to connect with and elevate his athletes is remarkable,” said 12-time Olympic medalist and USA Swimming Board Chair-Elect Natalie Coughlin. “He not only understands the preparation and mindset required to perform at the highest level, but he also brings a clear vision for athlete development, performance strategy, and team culture. His leadership will be pivotal as USA Swimming continues to prioritize excellence.”

Meehan is coming off leading the Stanford women's team to a runner-up finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships, the program's best finish since winning three straight titles from 2017 to 2019.

A three-time NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year, Meehan led the Cardinal to their first NCAA title in 19 years when they won in 2017, and under his guidance, the team has never finished outside the top 10 at NCAAs.

Meehan has also served on the U.S. Olympic coaching staff for the past three Games, including being the U.S. women's head coach at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Read more here.

Kolesnikov, Kos Among Standouts At European Selection Meets

The 2025 long course season is well underway with blistering swims being dropped across the globe in recent weeks, particularly in Europe where World Championship selection meets are in full swing.

Outside of Märtens' world record swim in the 400 free, we also saw a world-leading time produced in the men's 1500 free at the Swim Open Stockholm, with fellow German Florian Wellbrock clocking 14:38.27 to outpace countryman Oliver Klemet (14:43.01), with those two holding the two fastest times in the world this season.

Also racing at the Swim Open Stockholm, Australian Kyle Chalmers posted a best time of 22.89 in the men's 50 fly, while Germany's Angelina Kohler impressed with a win in the women's 100 fly, moving to #2 in the world in a time of 56.93.

At the Hungarian Championships, Hubert Kos, fresh off a standout performance at the NCAA Championships, was on fire, setting new National Records in the 50 back (24.62) and 100 back (52.24) while beating Kristof Milak head-to-head in the 100 fly, clocking a best time of 50.55 compared to Milak's 50.67.

Kos also set a new lifetime best in the 200 IM, posting a time of 1:56.40 to rank #2 in the world this season.

In the 100 fly, Kos and Milak rank 2-3 in the world behind Switzerland's Noe Ponti (50.27), while in the 100 back, Kos ranks 3rd behind the Russian duo of Kliment Kolesnikov and Miron Lifintsev.

At the Russian Championships, which kicked off on Sunday, Kolesnikov put up a time of 52.04 to lead the world rankings, while Lifintsev wasn't far behind in 52.15.

Other standout swims out of Europe recently include David Popovici moving to #2 in the world with times of 47.30 in the 100 free and 1:45.07 in the 200 free while adding a Romanian Record of 21.83 in the 50 free, while on the women's side, Italian Anita Bottazzo put up a world-leading time of 1:05.82 in the 100 breast on the opening day of the Italian Championships.

At the Irish Open Championships, Olympic gold medalist Daniel Wiffen produced a world-leading time of 7:41.52 in the 800 free, though he was "quite disappointed" with the result, thinking he would be closer to his lifetime best and European Record of 7:38.19.

QUICK HITS

• Texas A&M's Baylor Nelson and Jacob Wimberly have both announced they're transferring to the University of Texas for next season. Nelson has one season of eligibility remaining, while Wimberly has three.
• Meanwhile, two swimmers who were with the Longhorns this past season, Jeremy Kelly and Landon D'Ariano, are both transferring elsewhere, with Kelly heading to Notre Dame and D'Ariano going to NC State.
• Polish Olympian Ksawery Masiuk has also confirmed he will be joining Texas next season, officially signing with the Longhorns with "two possibly three years" of eligibility. Masiuk was initially expected to join the team for the second semester last season.
• Another notable transfer comes from Kamal Muhammad, who is moving from Virginia to Tennessee with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
• Coming off a successful senior campaign at Stanford, NCAA runner-up Aurora Roghair has announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
• Four-time Olympic champion Leon Marchand is scheduled to make his competitive return at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim (April 30-May 3) after a pair of injury setbacks.
• Niagara University head coach Eric Bugby has stepped down from his post after leading the program since 2019.
• The Aquatics GB Swimming Championships kicked off on Tuesday and will run through Sunday, April 20. Check out the Day 1 prelims recap here.

World Aquatics Announces 50s of Stroke Added to 2028 Olympics

Lukas Märtens Throws Down 3:39.96 WORLD RECORD In 400 Free, Breaking 2009 Super-Suited Mark

Greg Meehan Named USA Swimming’s National Team Director

Ksawery Masiuk Reaffirms Plans To Swim For Texas By Officially Signing With The Longhorns

All The Links You Need For The 2025 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships

Hubert Kos Crushes 50.55 100 Fly PB To Grab Gold Ahead Of Kristof Milak

Kliment Kolesnikov Powers To World-Leading 52.04 100 Back, Miron Lifintsev Hits 52.15 For #2