Consider the following statements on World Championship swimming events (50 m pool):
- Men and women compete in identical freestyle distances from 50 m to 1500 m.
- Individual Medley is held only up to 400 m for both genders.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. 1 and 2 are correct.
Both statements provided are correct.
Break-down of World Championship Events
- Statement 1 (Freestyle): This is accurate. Historically, the 800 m was exclusive to women and the 1500 m to men at the Olympic level. However, at the World Aquatics Championships, both genders have long competed in the full range: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m.
- Statement 2 (Individual Medley): This is also accurate. The Individual Medley (IM), which requires a specific order of strokes—Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and then Freestyle—is only contested at the 200 m and 400 m distances in long-course (50 m pool) major championships.