212 articles
Leonid Kolesnikov
Leonid Nikolayevich Kolesnikov (Леонид Николаевич Колесников, 1937–2010), Soviet breaststroke swimmer from Tashkent; 100 m breaststroke world record holder (1:11.4, 1961), 1958 European 200 m breaststroke champion, 1960 Olympian for CSKA Moscow.
Lina Kaciusyte
Lina Inga Kačiušytė (Лина Качюшите), born 1963 in Vilnius, Soviet-Lithuanian breaststroke swimmer; 1980 Olympic 200 m breaststroke champion (2:29.54), 1978 world champion, and three-time 200 m world record holder.
Lisa Rocke
Lisa Rocke (born c. 1912, Magdeburg) was a German breaststroke swimmer who set the women's 200 m breaststroke world record, 3:08.2, on 21 April 1932 in Leipzig, and was German champion in 1930 but was not selected for the 1932 Olympics.
Lucy Morton
Lucy Morton was an English swimmer who won the 200 meters breaststroke at the 1924 Paris Olympics, becoming the first British woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold.
Luo Xuejuan
Luo Xuejuan (罗雪娟), Chinese breaststroke swimmer born 1984 in Hangzhou; 2004 Olympic 100 m breaststroke champion in an Olympic record 1:06.64, five-time world champion, retired 2007 due to a heart condition.
Marco Koch
Marco Koch (born 1990, Darmstadt), German breaststroke swimmer; 2015 world champion and 2014 European champion in the 200 m breaststroke; short-course world record 2:00.44 (2016-2018); three Olympian; later Hessen state coach.
Marek Petrusewicz
Marek Petrusewicz (1934–1992), Polish breaststroke swimmer from Wrocław, first Polish swimming world record holder (100 m, 1953 and 1954), European silver medalist Turin 1954, Helsinki 1952 Olympian, later Solidarity activist.
Marie Baron
Marie Baron (Mietje Baron, later du Puy; 1908–1948), Dutch swimmer and diver of ODZ Rotterdam. 1928 Olympic 200 m breaststroke silver behind Hilde Schrader; disqualified in 1924 despite the fastest time; held 200 m and 400 m breaststroke world records.
Marina Koshevaya
Marina Koshevaya (Марина Владимировна Кошевая), Soviet breaststroke swimmer born 1960; 1976 Olympic 200 m breaststroke champion in world record 2:33.35 and 100 m bronze at Montreal.
Mark Warnecke
Mark Warnecke, German breaststroke swimmer born 1970 in Bochum, four-time Olympian, 1996 Atlanta 100 m breaststroke bronze medalist, and 2005 Montreal 50 m breaststroke world champion at 35, once the oldest swimming world champion.
Marton Sipos
Márton Sipos (Sipos Márton), Hungarian breaststroke swimmer (1900-1926), world record holder in the 100 m breaststroke at 1:16.2 from 1922 to 1925, three-time Hungarian champion, and 16th-place finisher in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
Masami Tanaka
Masami Tanaka (田中雅美, born 1979) is a Japanese breaststroke swimmer who competed at the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics, won 4x100 medley relay bronze at Sydney 2000, and set short-course world records in the 200 m breaststroke and medley relay in 1999; later a TV sports commentator.
Masaru Furukawa
Masaru Furukawa (古川勝), 1936–1993, Japanese breaststroke swimmer; won 200 m gold at Melbourne 1956 with an underwater technique, set four 200 m world records, and prompted FINA to ban underwater breaststroke.
Maurice Lusien
Maurice Lusien (1926-2017) was a French breaststroke swimmer who competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, took 1950 European silver in the 200 m breaststroke, won Mediterranean Games golds, and set pre-recognition world records in the 400 m individual medley.
Megan Quann Jendrick
Megan Quann Jendrick, American breaststroke swimmer born 1984 in Tacoma, Washington; won 100m breaststroke and medley relay gold at Sydney 2000 as Megan Quann, 2008 relay silver, retired 2013.
Mike Barrowman
Mike Barrowman (Michael Ray Barrowman, born 1968, Asunción, Paraguay) is an American swimmer, 1992 Olympic 200 m breaststroke champion in world-record 2:10.16, six-time world record breaker, ISHOF honoree.
Moniek Nijhuis
Moniek Nijhuis (born 1988, Losser) is a retired Dutch breaststroke swimmer. Seven-time European short course champion, Dutch 50m breaststroke record holder (30.38, Rome 2009), 2014 world short course bronze medalist, London 2012 Olympian; retired 2016.
Nel Garritsen
Nel Garritsen (Petronella Frederika Cornelia Garritsen-Slijp, 1933–2014), Dutch breaststroke and butterfly swimmer, RDZ Rotterdam; eighth in the 200 m breaststroke at Helsinki 1952 and holder of the 1950 3×100 m medley relay world record.
Nel van Vliet
Nel van Vliet (Petronella van Vliet, 1926-2006), Dutch breaststroke swimmer for De Robben Hilversum; 1948 Olympic 200 m breaststroke gold in 2:57.2, 1947 European champion, and postwar world record holder whose original gold medal was stolen.
Nelson Diebel
Nelson Diebel (born 1970, Hinsdale, Illinois) is an American former breaststroke swimmer who won two golds at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics: the 100 m breaststroke in an Olympic record 1:01.50 and the world-record-tying 4x100 m medley relay.
Nic Fink
Nic Fink (Nicolas Fink, born 1993) is an American breaststroke swimmer, two-time Olympian, and 2024 Paris gold medalist in the mixed 4x100 medley relay (world record 3:37.43), with 49 World Aquatics medals and a full-time engineering career.
Nick Gillingham
Nick Gillingham (Nicholas Gillingham, born 1967, Walsall, England) is a British breaststroke swimmer, double Olympic medallist (silver 1988, bronze 1992, 200 m), three-time European champion, 1993 world short-course champion, and MBE.
Nikolay Pankin
Nikolay Pankin (Николай Иванович Панкин), Soviet breaststroke swimmer, 1949–2018. 1968 Olympic 100 m breaststroke bronze medalist, four-time world record holder, 1970 and 1974 European champion, later coach of Dmitry Volkov.
Nobutaka Taguchi
Nobutaka Taguchi (田口信教), Japanese breaststroke swimmer born 1951 in Ehime; won 1972 Munich Olympic 100 m breaststroke gold with world records 1:05.13 and 1:04.94, plus 200 m bronze; ISHOF 1987.
Norbert Rozsa
Norbert Rozsa (Rózsa Norbert, born 1972, Dombóvár) is a Hungarian breaststroke swimmer, 1996 Olympic 200m breaststroke champion, double 1992 Olympic silver medalist, three-time world champion, and former 100m breaststroke world record holder.
Oleg Lisogor
Oleg Lisogor (Олег Лісогор), Ukrainian breaststroke swimmer born 1979 in Brovary; two-time world 50m breaststroke champion (2001, 2007), former long course world record holder 27.18 and short course record 26.17, three-time Olympian.
Patty Kempner
Patty Kempner (Patricia Kempner), American swimmer born 1942 in Augusta, Georgia; 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 m medley relay with a 4:41.1 world record, 200 m breaststroke finalist, and former 200 m medley world record holder.
Paul Hait
Paul Hait (Paul William Hait, born 25 May 1940, Pasadena) is an American breaststroke swimmer, 1960 Rome Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 m medley relay with world records in heats and final, later a klystron-tube engineer with 70-plus patents.
Peggy Hartung
Peggy Hartung, born 1969, German sprint breaststroke swimmer; 1991 European short course 50 m breaststroke champion, 1992 world record holder at 31.22, and 1991 Swimming World Cup breaststroke winner.
Penny Heyns
Penny Heyns (Penelope Heyns) is a retired South African breaststroke swimmer who, born in 1974, won gold in both the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.