170 articles
Miron Lifintsev
Miron Lifintsev (Мирон Лифинцев), Russian backstroke swimmer born 2006 in Vyborg; seven-time world champion competing as Neutral Athlete B; holds SCM 4x100 medley relay world record 3:18.68 and world junior records 22.47/48.76.
Mitch Ivey
Mitch Ivey (Mitchell Ivey, born 1949, San José) is an American backstroke swimmer, Olympic silver 1968 and bronze 1972 in the 200 m backstroke behind Roland Matthes, later Santa Clara Swim Club coach, banned for life by USA Swimming in 2013.
Mitch Larkin
Mitch Larkin (Mitchell James Larkin, born 1993, Buderim, Queensland), Australian backstroke swimmer; 2015 Kazan 100/200m backstroke world champion, Rio 2016 Olympic silver and bronze medallist, short course 200m backstroke world record holder (1:45.63), retired 2024.
Nancy Garapick
Nancy Garapick (Nancy Ellen Garapick), Canadian swimmer (1961-2026) from Halifax; 1975 200m backstroke world record at 13, double backstroke bronze at Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 boycott victim.
Niccolo ' Bonacchi
Niccolò Bonacchi, born 1994 in Pescia, is a retired Italian backstroke swimmer who set the Italian 50 m backstroke record (24.65, 2014), won 2015 European gold in the 4x50 m medley relay, and retired in 2021.
Nick Thoman
Nick Thoman (Nicholas Brewer Thoman, born 1986), American backstroke swimmer; 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 100 m backstroke (52.92) and gold medalist in the 4x100 m medley relay; former short course world record holder in the 100 m back (48.94).
Nicole Livingstone Stevenson
Nicole Livingstone Stevenson (Nicole Dawn Livingstone-Stevenson, born 1971) is an Australian three-time Olympic backstroke medallist, broadcaster, former AFLW general manager, and CEO of the Victorian Institute of Sport since 2024.
Nina Zhivanevskaya
Nina Zhivanevskaya (Нина Живаневская), Russian-born Spanish backstroke swimmer, born 1977; two Olympic bronzes (1992 Unified Team relay, 2000 100 m back), 2003 world champion, five Games under three flags.
Olivia Smoliga
Olivia Smoliga, born 1994 in Glenview, Illinois, is an American swimmer, two-time Olympian, Rio 2016 medley relay gold medalist, Tokyo 2020 relay bronze medalist, 2019 world 50m backstroke champion, and 2018 short-course worlds eight-gold record holder.
Otto Fahr
Otto Fahr (1892-1969), German backstroke swimmer of SV Cannstatt, Stuttgart; 1912 Olympic silver medalist in the 100 m backstroke and 1912 world record holder at 1:15.6 (100 m) and 2:48.4 (200 m).
Peter Marshall
Peter Marshall (born 1982) is an American former backstroke swimmer, Stanford graduate, and short-course specialist with 47 AQUA medals, eight world records including 100m back marks of 49.94 and 49.63, now a freediver and ocean conservationist in Cape Town.
Peter Rocca
Peter Rocca (Peter Drake Rocca, born 1957, Oakland, California) is an American former backstroke swimmer: double 1976 Olympic silver medalist (100 and 200 m back, behind John Naber), 1975 and 1979 Pan Am gold medalist, 1979 NCAA 200-yard backstroke champion for Cal, and 1980 Olympic team captain lost to the boycott.
Phyllis Harding
Phyllis Harding (Phyllis May Harding, later Turner, 1907-1992), English backstroke swimmer: 1924 Olympic 100m backstroke silver, first woman in four Olympics, 1932 world records at 100m and 200m backstroke, Empire Games golds, ISHOF 1995.
Pip Gould
Phillipa (Pip) Gould, later Gower, born 1940, New Zealand backstroke swimmer; 1956 Olympian who set world long-course records in the 200m (1957) and 100m (1958) backstroke and won 1958 Commonwealth bronze.
Pokey Watson
Pokey Watson (Lillian Debra Watson Richardson, born 1950) is an American swimmer with Olympic golds in the 1964 4x100 freestyle relay and 1968 200 backstroke, plus 200 m freestyle and relay world records.
Rachel Bootsma
Rachel Kristine Bootsma, American backstroke swimmer born 1993 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota; 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100m medley relay, three-time NCAA 100-yard backstroke champion for Cal, and 2013 American record holder in the 50m backstroke.
Regan Smith
Regan Smith (born 2002, Lakeville, Minnesota) is an American swimmer, 8-time Olympic medalist (2 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze) and backstroke world-record holder (100m 57.13, 200m 2:03.35), not the NASCAR driver of the same name.
Reiko Nakamura
Reiko Nakamura (中村礼子), born 1982 in Yokohama, Japanese backstroke swimmer; won 200 m backstroke bronze at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, held short-course world records in the 100 m (58.45) and 200 m (2:03.24).
Reinhold Becker
Reinhold Becker (born 1959, Troisdorf) is a West German backstroke swimmer, SSF Bonn 1905; 20th in 100 m and 18th in 200 m backstroke at the 1976 Montréal Olympics, 1978 World medley relay silver (heats only).
Ria van Velsen
Ria van Velsen (Maria Martina van Velsen-Racké, 1943–2025), Dutch backstroke swimmer from Den Haag; four-time 100 m backstroke world record holder, 1962 European champion, and two-time Olympian (Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964).
Rica Reinisch
Rica Reinisch is a German former backstroke swimmer who won three Olympic gold medals for East Germany at the 1980 Moscow Games, all in world-record times, before retiring from competition at a young age.
Rick Carey
Rick Carey (Richard John Carey, born 1963), American backstroke swimmer; triple gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (100 m and 200 m backstroke, medley relay), nine world records, 1983 Swimming World Swimmer of the Year, ISHOF inductee 1993.
Robert Christophe
Robert Christophe (1938-2016), French backstroke swimmer from CN Marseille; European 100 m backstroke champion 1958, world-record 4x100 freestyle relay 1962, fourth in the Olympic 100 m backstroke in 1956 and 1960.
Robert Hurley
Robert (Bobby) Hurley, Australian swimmer born 1988 in Melbourne, backstroke and freestyle specialist; set 50m backstroke short course world record 23.24 in 2008 and won two world short course titles.
Roland Matthes
Roland Matthes (1950–2019), East German backstroke swimmer, won the 100 and 200 m backstroke at both the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, took 8 Olympic medals, and was unbeaten 1967–1974.
Sandor Wladar
Sandor Wladár (Wladár Sándor), Hungarian swimmer born 1963 in Budapest, 1980 Moscow Olympic champion in 200 m backstroke (2:01.93), 1981 European double champion, veterinarian, and President of the Hungarian Swimming Federation since 2017.
Sanja Jovanovic
Sanja Jovanović (born 1986, Dubrovnik) is a Croatian backstroke swimmer, three-time Olympian, who held the short-course 50 m backstroke world record 2007–2014 (25.70) and won five European short-course titles.
Sarah Price
Sarah Price (Sarah Jane Price), born 1979 in Enfield, England, is a British backstroke swimmer; two-time Olympian (2000, 2004), short-course 200 m backstroke world record holder in 2001, and European and Commonwealth champion.
Satoko Tanaka
Satoko Tanaka (田中聰子), Japanese backstroke swimmer born 1942 in Sasebo, Nagasaki; 1960 Olympic bronze in 100 m backstroke, ten 200 m backstroke world records 1959-1963, three Asian Games golds; not the jazz vocalist or researcher of the same name.
Sergei Zabolotnov
Sergei Zabolotnov (Сергей Валентинович Заболотнов), born 1963 in Tashkent, is a retired Soviet backstroke swimmer, 1984 Friendship Games 200 m world record holder (1:58.41) and 1988 Seoul Olympic relay bronze medalist.