212 articles
Percy Courtman
Percy Courtman (1888-1917), English breaststroke swimmer, Old Trafford SC; 1912 Olympic 400m breaststroke bronze, ASA 200y champion five times, first under 3 minutes for 200m (2:56.6, 1914); killed in action in WWI.
Peter Evans
Peter Evans, full name Peter Maxwell Evans, is an Australian former breaststroke swimmer from Perth who won four Olympic medals across the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Petra van Staveren
Petra van Staveren (Petronella Grietje van Staveren, born 1966, Kampen) is a Dutch breaststroke swimmer, 1984 Los Angeles Olympic champion in the 100 m breaststroke in an Olympic record 1:09.88, the first Dutch swimming gold since 1968.
Phillip Rogers
Phillip (Philip John) Rogers, born 1971 in Adelaide, Australian breaststroke swimmer; triple Olympian with bronze medals at Barcelona 1992 (100m breaststroke) and Atlanta 1996 (4x100m medley relay), two world relay titles, and 48 Australian national titles; distinct from Canadian 1932 Olympic sailor Philip Tingley Rogers.
Pierre Dumesnil
Pierre Dumesnil, sporting name of Pierre Joly dit Dumesnil (born 10 December 1931), French breaststroke swimmer of Racing Club de France, 17th in the 200 m breaststroke at Helsinki 1952 and member of two 1953 French 4x100 medley relay world-record teams; later a chess organizer in Gran Canaria. Distinct from the Rouen printer Pierre Dumesnil (1776-1835).
Pierre Joly
Pierre Joly, also Pierre Dumesnil (born 10 December 1931), French breaststroke swimmer with Racing Club de France; 17th in the 1952 Olympic 200 m breaststroke and 1953 world and European 4x100 m medley relay record holder.
Pyotr Skripchenkov
Pyotr Skripchenkov (Пётр Скрипченков, 1926–2010) was a Soviet breaststroke swimmer who competed at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and set three medley relay world records in 1953 and 1954.
Qi Hui
Qi Hui (齐晖), Chinese breaststroke and medley swimmer born 1985 in Fuzhou; three-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008) who set 200 m breaststroke world records in long-course and short-course pools.
Rachel Nicol
Rachel Nicol (born 1993, Regina, Saskatchewan) is a retired Canadian breaststroke swimmer; 2010 Youth Olympic 50m breaststroke champion, Rio 2016 Olympian, and 2023 Pan American Games double gold medallist.
Rebecca Brown
Rebecca Kate Brown (born 1977, Brisbane) is an Australian breaststroke swimmer who set the 200 m breaststroke world record (2:24.76, 1994), won the 2000 short-course world title, and placed 14th at Sydney 2000; distinct from other athletes named Rebecca Brown.
Rebecca Soni
Rebecca Soni, American breaststroke swimmer born 1987 in Freehold, New Jersey; six Olympic medals (3 gold, 3 silver) at Beijing 2008 and London 2012; first woman under 2:20 in the 200m breaststroke.
Renate Vogel
Renate Vogel (Renate Bauer, Heinrich), East German breaststroke swimmer born 1955 in Chemnitz; 1972 Olympic relay silver, triple 1973 world champion, 100 m breaststroke world record holder; defected to West Germany in 1979 and exposed GDR doping.
Rich Schroeder
Rich Schroeder (Richard Alan Schroeder, born 1961) is an American breaststroke swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 m medley relay (1984 heats, 1988 final), UC Santa Barbara graduate, and 1988 world record holder.
Rick Colella
Rick Colella (Richard Phillip Colella, Jr., born 1951, Seattle) is an American breaststroke swimmer, 1976 Olympic 200 m breaststroke bronze medalist, 1972 and 1976 Olympian, and record-setting Masters swimmer.
Rie Kaneto
Rie Kaneto (金藤理絵), Japanese swimmer born 1988 in Shobara, Hiroshima; won 200 m breaststroke gold at Rio 2016 in 2:20.30, seventh at Beijing 2008, Japanese record holder 2:19.65, retired after 2016.
Rika Bruins
Rika Bruins (Henderika Bruins, 1934-2025), Dutch breaststroke swimmer from Groningen; 10th in the 200 m breaststroke at Helsinki 1952 and world record holder in the 4x100 m medley relay, 1954 and 1955.
Rikke Møller Pedersen
Rikke Møller Pedersen, Danish breaststroke swimmer born 1989 in Odense; set the 200 m breaststroke world record (2:19.11, Barcelona 2013), won 2016 Olympic relay bronze, and earned 31 international medals before retiring in 2019.
Robertas Shulpa
Robertas Shulpa (Robertas Žulpa, 1960–2024), Lithuanian breaststroke swimmer for the Soviet Union; 1980 Moscow Olympic gold medalist in the 200 m breaststroke (2:15.85), three-time European champion, 1982 world silver medalist.
Rolf Beab
Rolf Beab (born 1964, Helmstedt) is a German breaststroke swimmer of the 1980s, FRG. 1985 European silver 100 m breaststroke and medley relay gold, 1986 Worlds fourth, European 50 m breaststroke record holder.
Roman Sludnov
Roman Andreyevich Sludnov, born 1980 in Omsk, is a Russian breaststroke swimmer who set the first sub-minute long-course 100-meter breaststroke record, 59.97 seconds, and won Olympic bronze at Sydney 2000.
Ryan Mitchell
Ryan Mitchell names several athletes: Australian Olympic breaststroker Ryan Scott Mitchell (born 1977, Sydney 2000 relay silver, 1996 short-course medley relay world record), a Cardinals 2025 second-round outfielder, and a mountaineering YouTuber.
Samantha Riley
Samantha Riley (born 1972), Australian breaststroke swimmer; three Olympic medals (100 m breaststroke bronze 1992 and 1996, medley relay silver 1996), dual 1994 world champion, world record holder, first Australian Indigenous Olympic medalist.
Scott Spann
Scott Spann (Scott Spann, Jr.), American breaststroke swimmer born 1988, sixth in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2007 Pan Am bronze medalist; son of 1979 Pan Am medalist Scott Spann Sr., brother of Alexis Spann.
Sergey Geybel
Sergey Geybel (Гейбель Сергей), Russian breaststroke swimmer born 1981; 2009 world record 4x100m medley relay (3:19.16), 2009 European short course relay gold, and masters world record 50m breaststroke (28.24, Kazan 2015).
Seth van Neerden
Seth van Neerden, American breaststroke swimmer of the 1990s, Fort Lauderdale Swim Team; 1995 Pan Am triple gold medalist, 1993 short-course world relay champion, and former US record holder in the 100 m breaststroke.
Sharon Wichman
Sharon Wichman (Sharon Lynn Wichman-Jones), American swimmer born 1952 in Detroit, Club Olympia Fort Wayne; 1968 Mexico City Olympic gold in the 200 m breaststroke (2:44.4 OR), first American woman to win that event, plus 100 m bronze.
Silke Hörner
Silke Hörner (Hörner-Schuck), East German breaststroke swimmer born 1965 in Leipzig; double Olympic champion at Seoul 1988 (200 m breaststroke world record 2:26.71, 4×100 m medley relay) and 100 m bronze; set four breaststroke world records; doping allegations never proven.
Sophie Hansson
Sophie Hansson, Swedish breaststroke swimmer born 1998 in Helsingborg; 2021 European 100 m breaststroke champion, three-time Olympian, and double short-course world relay champion at Abu Dhabi 2021.
Stephen Pickell
Stephen John "Steve" Pickell (born 1957, Vancouver) is a Canadian swimmer who won silver in the 4×100 m medley relay at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, medaled at the 1974 Commonwealth and 1979 Pan American Games, and missed the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games; later a USC NCAA champion and California swim coach.
Steve Lundquist
Steve Lundquist (Stephen K. Lundquist, "Lunk"), American swimmer born 1961 in Atlanta; 1984 Olympic double gold medalist (100m breaststroke world record 1:01.65, medley relay) and five-time 100m breaststroke world record holder.