| | Event type

100 metres Backstroke, Men

Date	18 – 19 July 1976
Status	Olympic
Location	Piscine olympique, Montréal, Québec
Participants	41 from 28 countries

Swimming World called this the race between the old legend, Roland Matthes, and the developing legend, John Naber. Matthes till held the world record, set in the Munich medley relay, but in 1974 Naber had defeated him, ending his 7-year unbeaten streak in the 100 backstroke. However, Matthes had won the world title in this event in both 1973 and 1975. The two legends qualified 1-2 in round one, Naber posting 56.80 to lead the preliminary round. Then in the semi-finals, Naber posted 56.19 to better the Matthes’ world record. The final saw Matthes make two false starts, but on the legit start Naber went out the fastest, leading to the wall in 26.55, well ahead of his semi-final world record pace and almost a full second of Matthews. The pace seemed unsustainable but sustain it Naber did, finishing in 55.49 for the world record. Behind him, Matthes was unable to keep up with another American, Peter Rocca, who placed second, the bronze going to the East German. A few days later, Matthews would scratch from the 200 backstroke, which Naber would also win, with Rocca adding another silver medal.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	429	John Naber	USA	56.80 (1 h6)	56.19 (1 h2)	55.49 (1)	Gold
2	431	Peter Rocca	USA	58.12 (2 h5)	56.88 (2 h2)	56.34 (2)	Silver
3	148	Roland Matthes	GDR	57.98 (1 h4)	57.48 (1 h1)	57.22 (3)	Bronze
4	327	Carlos Berrocal	PUR	58.71 (1 h2)	57.53 (3 h2)	57.28 (4)
5	154	Lutz Wanja	GDR	58.38 (1 h1)	57.50 (2 h1)	57.49 (5)
6	423	Bob Jackson	USA	58.02 (1 h3)	57.65 (3 h1)	57.69 (6)
7	10	Mark Kerry	AUS	57.99 (1 h5)	58.04 (4 h2)	57.94 (7)
8	–	Mark Tonelli	AUS	58.53 (2 h1)	58.14 (4 h1)	58.42 (8)
9	17	Glenn Patching	AUS	59.49 (2 h4)	58.15 (5 h2)	–
10	69	Steve Pickell	CAN	59.65 (3 h2)	58.21 (5 h1)	–
11	35	Rômulo Arantes	BRA	58.46 (2 h3)	58.49 (6 h2)	–
12	223	Zoltán Verrasztó	HUN	59.30 (2 h6)	58.63 (7 h2)	–
13	393	Igor Omelchenk'o	URS	59.03 (3 h5)	58.77 (6 h1)	–
14	38	Paul Jouanneau	BRA	59.35 (2 h2)	59.59 (7 h1)	–
15	101	Santiago Esteva	ESP	59.88 (3 h6)	59.71 (8 h2)	–
16	321	Ryszard Żugaj	POL	1:00.16 (3 h4)	59.90 (8 h1)	–
17	45	Krasimir Stoykov	BUL	1:00.24 (4 h6)	–	–
18	124	Jim Carter	GBR	1:00.39 (3 h3)	–	–
19	362	Miloslav Roľko	TCH	1:00.41 (3 h1)	–	–
20	156	Reinhold Becker	FRG	1:00.57 (4 h5)	–	–
21	219	Róbert Rudolf	HUN	1:00.58 (4 h4)	–	–
22	120	Gary Abraham	GBR	1:00.61 (4 h3)	–	–
23	57	Steve Hardy	CAN	1:00.69 (4 h1)	–	–
24	–	Nenad Miloš	YUG	1:00.70 (5 h4)	–	–
25	–	Rob Howard	IRL	1:00.77 (5 h3)	–	–
26	279	Ignacio Álvarez	MEX	1:00.80 (5 h6)	–	–
27	295	José Urueta	MEX	1:00.85 (4 h2)	–	–
28	269	Tadashi Honda	JPN	1:01.00 (5 h1)	–	–
=29	354	Mikael Brandén	SWE	1:01.05 (5 h2)	–	–
=29	454	Predrag Miloš	YUG	1:01.05 (5 h5)	–	–
31	–	Conrado Porta	ARG	1:01.13 (6 h5)	–	–
32	442	Ramón Volcán	VEN	1:01.20 (6 h4)	–	–
33	247	Enrico Bisso	ITA	1:01.32 (6 h6)	–	–
34	76	Mike Scarth	CAN	1:01.33 (6 h3)	–	–
35	109	Lionel Beylot-Bourcelot	FRA	1:01.58 (7 h4)	–	–
36	350	Thomas Hofer	SUI	1:01.90 (7 h6)	–	–
37	319	Gerardo Rosario	PHI	1:02.08 (7 h5)	–	–
38	390	Ivan Mikolutsky	URS	1:03.86 (6 h1)	–	–
39	322	António Botelho de Melo	POR	1:05.76 (7 h3)	–	–
40	277	Chiang Jin Choon	MAS	1:05.86 (6 h2)	–	–
41	303	Frank Richardson	NCA	1:12.38 (7 h1)	–	–
DNS	336	Hsu Tung-Hsiung	TPE	– (DNS h2)	–	–

Round One

Date	18 July 1976 — 9:30
Format	Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	John Naber	USA	56.80	Q
2	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	57.98	Q
3	–	Mark Kerry	AUS	57.99	Q
4	–	Bob Jackson	USA	58.02	Q
5	–	Peter Rocca	USA	58.12	Q
6	–	Lutz Wanja	GDR	58.38	Q
7	–	Rômulo Arantes	BRA	58.46	Q
8	–	Mark Tonelli	AUS	58.53	Q
9	–	Carlos Berrocal	PUR	58.71	Q
10	–	Igor Omelchenk'o	URS	59.03	Q
11	–	Zoltán Verrasztó	HUN	59.30	Q
12	–	Paul Jouanneau	BRA	59.35	Q
13	–	Glenn Patching	AUS	59.49	Q
14	–	Steve Pickell	CAN	59.65	Q
15	–	Santiago Esteva	ESP	59.88	Q
16	–	Ryszard Żugaj	POL	1:00.16	Q
17	–	Krasimir Stoykov	BUL	1:00.24
18	–	Jim Carter	GBR	1:00.39
19	–	Miloslav Roľko	TCH	1:00.41
20	–	Reinhold Becker	FRG	1:00.57
21	–	Róbert Rudolf	HUN	1:00.58
22	–	Gary Abraham	GBR	1:00.61
23	–	Steve Hardy	CAN	1:00.69
24	–	Nenad Miloš	YUG	1:00.70
25	–	Rob Howard	IRL	1:00.77
26	–	Ignacio Álvarez	MEX	1:00.80
27	–	José Urueta	MEX	1:00.85
28	–	Tadashi Honda	JPN	1:01.00
=29	–	Mikael Brandén	SWE	1:01.05
=29	–	Predrag Miloš	YUG	1:01.05
31	–	Conrado Porta	ARG	1:01.13
32	–	Ramón Volcán	VEN	1:01.20
33	–	Enrico Bisso	ITA	1:01.32
34	–	Mike Scarth	CAN	1:01.33
35	–	Lionel Beylot-Bourcelot	FRA	1:01.58
36	–	Thomas Hofer	SUI	1:01.90
37	–	Gerardo Rosario	PHI	1:02.08
38	–	Ivan Mikolutsky	URS	1:03.86
39	–	António Botelho de Melo	POR	1:05.76
40	–	Chiang Jin Choon	MAS	1:05.86
41	–	Frank Richardson	NCA	1:12.38
DNS	–	Hsu Tung-Hsiung	TPE	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Lutz Wanja	GDR	58.38	27.89 (1)	30.49 (1)	Q
2	–	Mark Tonelli	AUS	58.53	28.03 (2)	30.50 (2)	Q
3	–	Miloslav Roľko	TCH	1:00.41	29.05 (4)	31.36 (3)
4	–	Steve Hardy	CAN	1:00.69	29.01 (3)	31.68 (5)
5	–	Tadashi Honda	JPN	1:01.00	29.47 (5)	31.53 (4)
6	–	Ivan Mikolutsky	URS	1:03.86	29.86 (6)	34.00 (6)
7	–	Frank Richardson	NCA	1:12.38	33.89 (7)	38.49 (7)

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Carlos Berrocal	PUR	58.71	28.56 (3)	30.15 (1)	Q
2	–	Paul Jouanneau	BRA	59.35	28.35 (2)	31.00 (2)	Q
3	–	Steve Pickell	CAN	59.65	28.32 (1)	31.33 (3)	Q
4	–	José Urueta	MEX	1:00.85	28.82 (4)	32.03 (5)
5	–	Mikael Brandén	SWE	1:01.05	29.12 (5)	31.93 (4)
6	–	Chiang Jin Choon	MAS	1:05.86	30.99 (6)	34.87 (6)
DNS	–	Hsu Tung-Hsiung	TPE	–	– (–)	–

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Bob Jackson	USA	58.02	27.75 (1)	30.27 (1)	Q
2	–	Rômulo Arantes	BRA	58.46	27.90 (2)	30.56 (2)	Q
3	–	Jim Carter	GBR	1:00.39	29.42 (6)	30.97 (3)
4	–	Gary Abraham	GBR	1:00.61	28.51 (4)	32.10 (4)
5	–	Rob Howard	IRL	1:00.77	28.16 (3)	32.61 (6)
6	–	Mike Scarth	CAN	1:01.33	29.03 (5)	32.30 (5)
7	–	António Botelho de Melo	POR	1:05.76	30.82 (7)	34.94 (7)

Heat #4

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	57.98	28.06 (1)	29.92 (1)	Q
2	–	Glenn Patching	AUS	59.49	28.57 (2)	30.92 (2)	Q
3	–	Ryszard Żugaj	POL	1:00.16	28.89 (3)	31.27 (4)	Q
4	–	Róbert Rudolf	HUN	1:00.58	29.15 (6)	31.43 (5)
5	–	Nenad Miloš	YUG	1:00.70	29.77 (7)	30.93 (3)
6	–	Ramón Volcán	VEN	1:01.20	28.94 (4)	32.26 (6)
7	–	Lionel Beylot-Bourcelot	FRA	1:01.58	29.13 (5)	32.45 (7)

Heat #5

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Mark Kerry	AUS	57.99	28.09 (2)	29.90 (1)	Q
2	–	Peter Rocca	USA	58.12	28.07 (1)	30.05 (2)	Q
3	–	Igor Omelchenk'o	URS	59.03	28.71 (4)	30.32 (3)	Q
4	–	Reinhold Becker	FRG	1:00.57	28.62 (3)	31.95 (=5)
5	–	Predrag Miloš	YUG	1:01.05	29.10 (5)	31.95 (=5)
6	–	Conrado Porta	ARG	1:01.13	29.25 (6)	31.88 (4)
7	–	Gerardo Rosario	PHI	1:02.08	29.61 (7)	32.47 (7)

Heat #6

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	John Naber	USA	56.80	27.35 (1)	29.45 (1)	Q
2	–	Zoltán Verrasztó	HUN	59.30	28.55 (3)	30.75 (2)	Q
3	–	Santiago Esteva	ESP	59.88	28.49 (2)	31.39 (3)	Q
4	–	Krasimir Stoykov	BUL	1:00.24	28.69 (4)	31.55 (4)
5	–	Ignacio Álvarez	MEX	1:00.80	29.13 (6)	31.67 (5)
6	–	Enrico Bisso	ITA	1:01.32	29.00 (5)	32.32 (6)
7	–	Thomas Hofer	SUI	1:01.90	29.53 (7)	32.37 (7)

Semi-Finals

Date	18 July 1976 — 19:15
Format	Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	John Naber	USA	56.19	QWR
2	–	Peter Rocca	USA	56.88	Q
3	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	57.48	Q
4	–	Lutz Wanja	GDR	57.50	Q
5	–	Carlos Berrocal	PUR	57.53	Q
6	–	Bob Jackson	USA	57.65	Q
7	–	Mark Kerry	AUS	58.04	Q
8	–	Mark Tonelli	AUS	58.14	Q
9	–	Glenn Patching	AUS	58.15
10	–	Steve Pickell	CAN	58.21
11	–	Rômulo Arantes	BRA	58.49
12	–	Zoltán Verrasztó	HUN	58.63
13	–	Igor Omelchenk'o	URS	58.77
14	–	Paul Jouanneau	BRA	59.59
15	–	Santiago Esteva	ESP	59.71
16	–	Ryszard Żugaj	POL	59.90

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	57.48	27.40 (1)	30.08 (3)	Q
2	–	Lutz Wanja	GDR	57.50	27.66 (3)	29.84 (1)	Q
3	–	Bob Jackson	USA	57.65	27.63 (2)	30.02 (2)	Q
4	–	Mark Tonelli	AUS	58.14	27.79 (4)	30.35 (5)	Q
5	–	Steve Pickell	CAN	58.21	28.09 (5)	30.12 (4)
6	–	Igor Omelchenk'o	URS	58.77	28.39 (7)	30.38 (6)
7	–	Paul Jouanneau	BRA	59.59	28.38 (6)	31.21 (7)
8	–	Ryszard Żugaj	POL	59.90	28.53 (8)	31.37 (8)

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	John Naber	USA	56.19	26.91 (1)	29.28 (1)	QWR
2	–	Peter Rocca	USA	56.88	27.55 (2)	29.33 (2)	Q
3	–	Carlos Berrocal	PUR	57.53	28.02 (7)	29.51 (3)	Q
4	–	Mark Kerry	AUS	58.04	27.99 (5)	30.05 (4)	Q
5	–	Glenn Patching	AUS	58.15	28.00 (6)	30.15 (5)
6	–	Rômulo Arantes	BRA	58.49	27.81 (3)	30.68 (7)
7	–	Zoltán Verrasztó	HUN	58.63	27.98 (4)	30.65 (6)
8	–	Santiago Esteva	ESP	59.71	28.61 (8)	31.10 (8)

Final Round

Date	19 July 1976 — 19:30

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	50 m	50-100 m Time (Rank)
1	–	John Naber	USA	55.49	26.55 (1)	28.94 (1)	WR
2	–	Peter Rocca	USA	56.34	27.14 (2)	29.20 (2)
3	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	57.22	27.54 (5)	29.68 (4)
4	–	Carlos Berrocal	PUR	57.28	27.74 (7)	29.54 (3)
5	–	Lutz Wanja	GDR	57.49	27.63 (6)	29.86 (5)
6	–	Bob Jackson	USA	57.69	27.49 (3)	30.20 (7)
7	–	Mark Kerry	AUS	57.94	27.82 (8)	30.12 (6)
8	–	Mark Tonelli	AUS	58.42	27.52 (4)	30.90 (8)