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280 Swimming & Diving Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Swimming & Diving? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Swimming & Diving (Sports). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 This man won five gold medals in swimming and after retiring from the sport, played Tarzan. Who is he?
Answer: Johnny Weissmuller

At the age of eleven, Weissmuller lied about his age in order to join the YMCA. At that early age, he was already an impressive athlete, excelling at swimming, running and high jump. He started swimming competitively in 1921, at the age of seventeen. Three years later, he swam at his first Olympic Games, winning three gold medals. He also won a bronze medal in team water polo. In 1928 he represented the United States at another Olympics, earning two gold medals. In 1927 he set a record in the one hundred meter freestyle race and his record stood for seventeen years.

He retired from swimming with an unbeaten amateur record and was named the greatest swimmer of the first half of the twentieth century by the Associated Press. After retiring, he starred in twelve films as Tarzan and in sixteen films as Jungle Jim. He died in 1984 and as his coffin was being lowered into the ground, his famous Tarzan yell was played three times, per his request.
  From Quiz: Let's Talk About Pecs
2 The international rules for swimming disciplines are laid down by FINA. What does FINA stand for?
Answer: Federation Internationale de Natation

Federation Internationale de Natation ("International Swimming Federation") was founded in 1908, and is headquartered in Lausanne.
  From Quiz: Sink or Swim
3 In competitive swimming, how many different standard strokes are there?
Answer: 4

The standard strokes are front crawl (freestyle), backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
  From Quiz: Swimming: The Basics
4 At what Olympics did Mark Spitz have his record seven gold medal performance?
Answer: 1972 Munich

Spitz set the mark at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, winning 4 individual medals and 3 relay medals. He, or his team, set world records in each event.
  From Quiz: Michael Phelps vs. Mark Spitz
5 What country did Michael Phelps swim for?
Answer: United States

Michael Fred Phelps was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He was born on June 30, 1985. He is an American swimmer.
  From Quiz: Michael Phelps
6 What is the order of swim strokes in the Individual Medley?
Answer: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle

Each stroke should have an equal part of the overall distance. In an IM, freestyle means the swimmer may swim any style, other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly. Most swimmers choose to swim front crawl.
  From Quiz: Swimming
7 How many different swim strokes are there?
Answer: 4

There are four. The four are: Freestyle (commonly known as the front crawl), Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly.
  From Quiz: Olympic Swim Team
8 Where did he attend college?
Answer: Indiana University

He graduated in 1972.
  From Quiz: Mark Spitz
9 What are the order of the strokes in individual medley (all levels)?
Answer: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle

A lot of swimmers like the fact that backstroke is right after butterfly, a little time to "rest", as the back is not as hard as the fly.
  From Quiz: Elements of Swimming
10 Freddie Lane was Australia's first Olympic swimming medalist. He competed in the Paris Olympics of 1900, and won the 200 metre race in an open pool in the Seine River. What did he receive for placing first in this event?
Answer: A bronze statue of a horse

Medals were not awarded in either the first or second Olympic Games of the modern era. Freddie received a bronze horse weighing over fifty pounds. He beat Zoltan Halmay from Hungary in the event.
In the 1920s the International Olympic Committee issued the winners from 1896 and 1900 with commemorative medals.
  From Quiz: Australians Don't Crawl - Swimming Downunder
11 In 2003, Petria saw herself with Gold Medals from major meets. However, there was still one major meet she had not won gold yet. Which event was this?
Answer: Olympic Games

Petria has won many gold medels in her pet events, 100M and 200M Butterfly.
    Your options: [ Olympic Games ] [ Commonwealth Games ] [ World Championships ] [ Pan Pacific Championships ]
  From Quiz: Swimming - Petria Thomas
12 Which individual diving events were featured in the Olympics?
Answer: 3 meter spring board, 10 meter platform

In addition to these individual diving events, there are also synchronized 3 meter spring board, and 10 meter platform diving events.
    Your options: [ 1 meter spring board,3 meter spring board, 10 meter platform ] [ 1 meter spring board, 10 meter platform ] [ 1 meter spring board, 3 meter spring board ] [ 3 meter spring board, 10 meter platform ]
  From Quiz: Swimming and Diving
13 Which stroke or style is usually swum in a warm-up?
Answer: Freestyle

Freestyle is the main swimming style and the easiest one for distance purposes. It is the fastest stroke for most swimmers, and is usually swum in the freestyle relay (freestyle allows a swimmer to use any swim stroke or style he or she prefers). The only race to have a distance over 400m is freestyle, in which frontcrawl is most commonly performed.
    Your options: [ Butterfly ] [ Backstroke ] [ Freestyle ] [ Breaststroke ]
  From Quiz: The Best Ever Sport - Swimming
14 What are the events which happen throughout the year between different clubs/districts?
Answer: competitions

British Championships and National Age Groups, are just two held each year.
    Your options: [ competitions ] [ galas ] [ contests ] [ quizzes ]
  From Quiz: UK Synchronised Swimming
15 In high school diving, what are the categories of diving?
Answer: Front, Back, Inward, Reverse, Twister

Flying is a type of position that isn't used very often.
  From Quiz: Diving
16 Where was Matthew Nicholas Biondi born?
Answer: Moraga

Matthew Biondi born in Moraga, California.
  From Quiz: Swimming
17 In the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics, Tamas Darnyi won both the 200 and 400m individual medleys. What European country did he call home?
Answer: Hungary

Darnyi won the 200m individual medley in Seoul in 1988 with a then world record time of 2:00.17. In 1992, he was just off that time with a 2:00.76, which was still good enough for the gold. While swimming the 400m individual medley in 1988, Darnyi won by nearly three seconds with a then world record time of 4:14.75. Between 1988 and 1992, he had lowered his world record to 4:12.36, but was about two seconds off that in the Barcelona Olympics with a time of 4:14.23. His performance was still good enough for his fourth and final gold medal, and a new Olympic record.
  From Quiz: Who Did They Swim For? Part 2
18 From what country was swimming legend Mark Spitz?
Answer: United States

Mark Spitz won an amazing 8 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal in swimming in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, including five gold medals (each of which was won in world record time) in four days in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
  From Quiz: Who Did They Swim For? Part 1
19 The four main swimming strokes are freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and _________?
Answer: breastroke

With younger swimmers, the breaststroke is often referred to as the "frog" stroke.
  From Quiz: Swimming Basics
20 When was Umberto Pelizzari born?
Answer: 28th August 1965

He was born in Busto Arsizio, in the province of Varese in Italy.
  From Quiz: Umberto Pelizzari
21 How many metres is one length of the Olympic swimming pool used at Sydney 2000?
Answer: 50

A usual public swimming pool is only 25 metres.
  From Quiz: Super Swimming
22 What is the only competitive stroke to use the whip kick?
Answer: Breast stroke

The breast stroke is my least favorite stroke!
  From Quiz: Swimming for Champions
23 What is the order of strokes in an individual medley?
Answer: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle
  From Quiz: Swimming
24 "Miss Perpetual Motion" won three individual swimming gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She did that with an unorthodox swimming style. Who is she?
Answer: Janet Evans

Evans started swimming early, setting national age records at the age of eleven. She swam through high school and while at Stanford University. While at college, she won the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding female college swimmer for 1988-1989. In 1989 she was named the top amateur athlete in the USA, earning the James E. Sullivan Award. She was named the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1987, 1989 and 1990 by "Swimming World Magazine." She won three gold medals at the Seoul Olympics and it is there that she earned the nickname "Miss Perpetual Motion." Her 800-meter freestyle record of 8:16:22 was one of the longest records set in swimming and stood through several Olympics. She was undefeated in every 400, 800, and 1500-meter freestyle swimming event for over five years!

She has a distinctive windmill style of swimming and tremendous cardio-respiratory reserves. Despite being smaller and shorter than many competitors, she was incredibly successful against bigger and seemingly stronger athletes.
  From Quiz: Let's Talk About Pecs
25 What is the stroke order for medley relay events?
Answer: Backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle

Not to be confused with the order for the individual medley, which is butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.
  From Quiz: Sink or Swim
26 At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Michael entered just one event. Which one was it?
Answer: 200m butterfly

In his one event at the 2000 Games, Phelps placed fifth in the 200 meter butterfly, an event he would later win at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
    Your options: [ 100m butterfly ] [ 200m butterfly ] [ 100m freestyle ] [ 200m freestyle ]
  From Quiz: Michael Phelps vs. Mark Spitz
27 In the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Michael Phelps set 7 records. How many of those were world records?
Answer: Two

He had 2 world records, 2 American records, and 3 Olympic records that year. One of the American records only won him a bronze, but the other six won him a gold. He only won one other medal that year, that did not get him a record. He won a bronze for 4X100 meter freestyle relay. It took him 3:14.62.
  From Quiz: Michael Phelps
28 Michael's career has been very successful due to his coach. Who coached him to the Olympics?
Answer: Bob Bowman

Bob Bowman became Michael's coach in his youth, at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.
  From Quiz: Michael Phelps: America's Swimmer
29 What kind of turn do most swimmers use when turning on the freestyle stroke?
Answer: Tumble Turn

The Tumble Turn, aka a Flip Turn, is a turn in which the swimmer does a flip right against the wall then pushes off the wall with their feet on their back, then turning over on to their stomach in the process.
  From Quiz: Olympic Swim Team
30 Where did he move to when he was two years old?
Answer: Hawaii

He learned to swim there, he later moved to California in 1952.
  From Quiz: Mark Spitz
31 Fanny Durack won gold in Stockholm in 1912 in the 100 metres freestyle event, making her Australia's first female Olympic champion. What made her win even more remarkable?
Answer: All of these

Fanny overcame all the constraints placed on the women swimmers of her time. It was estimated that her swimsuit was actually the heaviest of all the competitors', being made of wool. In Australia at that time, when women trained or competed, men spectators were forbidden to enter the pool area. This of course severely limited the time any female swimmer could even access a pool. The pool in Stockholm was built in a harbour inlet and there were no defined lanes. Competitors started their race from a wooden deck. Despite all this, Fanny broke the world record twice on the way to her historic win.
    Your options: [ She competed in a pool without lane ropes or starting blocks ] [ Her costume was made of wool and even had a skirt ] [ All of these ] [ She swam at a time when men were forbidden as spectators ]
  From Quiz: Australians Don't Crawl - Swimming Downunder
32 In high school, what is the number for an inward dive layout?
Answer: 401a

201b is back dive pike, 401b is inward dive pike and 501c isn't a real dive.
  From Quiz: Diving
33 Synchronized swimming was exhibited as a demonstration sport in the _____, Helsinki Olympics?
Answer: 1952

Due to the sports increase in popularity, it was displayed as a demonstration sport in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics but was not yet given full medal status.
  From Quiz: Sport of Synchronized Swimming
34 Where did Alexander Popov live in 2003?
Answer: Australia

Married to Russian swimmer, and moved to live in Australia.
  From Quiz: Swimming
35 Amy van Dyken, surprise quadruple gold medallist from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was proud to wear the swimming cap of what country?
Answer: United States

van Dyken shocked the world when she became the most decorated American woman of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with her four golds. She won the 50m freestyle in a huge upset over world record holder (at the time) Le Jingyi, with a victory margin of only .03 second. After an impressive 4th place finish in the 100m freestyle, Amy took on the 100m butterfly and won by a margin of .01 second over Liu Limin of China. van Dyken then swam on the United States' winning relays, the women's 4x100m freestyle and the 4x100 medley. van Dyken returned to the Sydney 2000 Olympics and placed 4th behind 33-year-old teammate Dara Torres. However, Amy van Dyken won another gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay in Sydney bringing her career total to 5 golds.
  From Quiz: Who Did They Swim For? Part 2
36 Ian Thorpe, one of the world's greatest swimmers, hails from what country?
Answer: Australia

The "Thorpedo" held world records in the men's 200, 400, and 800m freestyles, which he set at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Those times were 1:44.06, 3:40.17, and 7:39.16, respectively.
  From Quiz: Who Did They Swim For? Part 1
37 What is the name of the dive done when in the water headfirst?
Answer: Surface Dive

Feet First dives also are a type of dive.
  From Quiz: Super Swimming
38 This Canadian swimmer won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He tragically passed away at the young age of twenty five. Can you name him?
Answer: Victor Davis

This incredibly talented Canadian swimmer was the seventeen times national champion in the 100-meter breaststroke event. He was the fourteen times national champion at the 200-meter breaststroke event. He won one gold and two silver medals at the 1984 Olympics and a silver at Seoul in 1988. He was named Swimming Canada's Athlete of the Year three times, is a member of the Order of Canada and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1994.

In 1989 Davis was hit by a car and suffered a severe skull fracture. He died two days after being hit. A Victor Davis Memorial Fund was set up to help up and coming young Canadian swimmers and in 2008, thirteen recipients of the fund participated in the Summer Olympics.
  From Quiz: Let's Talk About Pecs
39 Why was the Australian women's 4 x 200m freestyle relay team disqualified at the 2001 World Championships in Japan?
Answer: Celebrating team members jumped into the water before all other competitors had finished

The Australian team comprised Elka Graham, Petria Thomas, Linda Mackenzie, and Giaan Rooney. Graham, Thomas and Mackenzie leaped into the water to celebrate when anchor leg swimmer Rooney touched in a winning time before all the other competitors had finished, and so were disqualified.
  From Quiz: Sink or Swim
40 Which stroke/s requires swimmers to swim on their back?
Answer: Backstroke

Backstroke is the only stroke that is performed on the swimmer's back, facing towards the sky.
    Your options: [ Backstroke ] [ Front crawl ] [ Backstroke & butterfly ] [ Breaststroke ]
  From Quiz: Swimming: The Basics
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