| | Event type
100 metres Backstroke, Men
| Date | 20 – 21 July 1980 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Plavatelny basseyn, Sportivny kompleks Olimpiysky, Moskva |
| Participants | 33 from 22 countries |
No one approached the Olympic and world record set by John Naber in Montréal and, in fact, nobody would better that mark until Rick Carey in 1983. In the Americans absence it was difficult to choose a favorite, but one swimmer not considered was Sweden’s Bengt Baron, who had never majored at any major international event, and a personal best of only 57.77 coming into Moscow, and was not in the world’s top 25 in 1979. In the semis his best mark that with 57.51 to qualify second behind Soviet Viktor Kuznetsov, who was also little known but set a USSR record with 56.75. In the final Baron stunned with 56.53 for the gold medal, and noted, “I still can’t believe it and it will take some time before it really sinks in. I would never have thought I could win an Olympic gold medal, at least not here and today. I just can’t understand how I did it.” Baron would go on to much greater success, earning an MBA from U Cal Berkeley, and in 2001 he was named President and CEO of Absolut Vodka.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Bengt Baron |  SWE | 58.46 (4 h5) | 57.51 (1 h2) | 56.53 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 317 | Viktor Kuznetsov |  URS | 58.47 (3 h4) | 56.75 (1 h1) | 56.99 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 304 | Vladimir Dolgov | URS | 57.87 (1 h1) | 58.04 (5 h1) | 57.63 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 297 | Miloslav Roľko |  TCH | 58.15 (3 h1) | 57.97 (4 h1) | 57.74 (4) | |||
| 5 | 206 | Sándor Wladár |  HUN | 58.07 (2 h5) | 58.05 (6 h1) | 57.84 (5) | |||
| 6 | 164 | Fred Eefting |  NED | 58.59 (3 h3) | 57.91 (2 h2) | 57.95 (6) | |||
| 7 | – | Mark Tonelli |  AUS | 58.66 (1 h2) | 57.89 (2 h1) | 57.98 (7) | |||
| 8 | 118 | Gary Abraham |  GBR | 58.79 (2 h2) | 57.90 (3 h1) | 58.38 (8) | |||
| 9 | 16 | Mark Kerry | AUS | 58.08 (3 h5) | 58.07 (3 h2) | – | |||
| 10 | 291 | Michael Söderlund | SWE | 57.75 (1 h3) | 58.20 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 11 | 37 | Rômulo Arantes |  BRA | 57.90 (2 h3) | 58.21 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 12 | 205 | Zoltán Verrasztó | HUN | 57.92 (1 h5) | 58.57 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 13 | 122 | Doug Campbell | GBR | 58.75 (4 h3) | 58.61 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 14 | 129 | Paul Marshall | GBR | 58.35 (2 h4) | 58.82 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 15 | 135 | Dietmar Göhring |  GDR | 58.02 (2 h1) | 58.85 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 16 | 23 | Glenn Patching | AUS | 58.30 (1 h4) | 1:00.31 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 17 | 142 | Jörg Stingl | GDR | 58.98 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 18 | 332 | Vladimir Shemetov | URS | 59.01 (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| 19 | 111 | Frédéric Delcourt |  FRA | 59.16 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 20 | 30 | Herwig Bayer |  AUT | 1:00.04 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 21 | 61 | Branimir Popov |  BUL | 1:00.06 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 22 | 255 | Mihai Mandache |  ROU | 1:00.26 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| 23 | 35 | Franky De Groote |  BEL | 1:00.35 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 24 | – | Nenad Miloš |  YUG | 1:00.41 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 25 | 251 | Rui de Abreu |  POR | 1:00.62 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 26 | 197 | Róbert Rudolf | HUN | 1:00.85 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 27 | 100 | Moisés Gosálvez |  ESP | 1:00.90 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 28 | 45 | Ricardo Prado | BRA | 1:01.03 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 29 | 244 | Daniel Ayora |  PER | 1:03.93 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| 30 | 344 | Lâm Văn Hoành |  VIE | 1:07.29 (7 h5) | – | – | |||
| 31 | – | Lakis Fylaktou |  CYP | 1:08.92 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 32 | 378 | Jorge Lima |  ANG | 1:14.33 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 33 | 239 | Pedro Cruz |  MOZ | 1:15.25 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 208 | David Cummins |  IRL | – (DNS h3) | – | – | ||||
| 342 | Alberto Mestre |  VEN | – (DNS h4) | – | – |
Round One
| Date | 20 July 1980 — 10:00 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Michael Söderlund | SWE | 57.75 | ||
| 2 | – | Vladimir Dolgov | URS | 57.87 | ||
| 3 | – | Rômulo Arantes | BRA | 57.90 | ||
| 4 | – | Zoltán Verrasztó | HUN | 57.92 | ||
| 5 | – | Dietmar Göhring | GDR | 58.02 | ||
| 6 | – | Sándor Wladár | HUN | 58.07 | ||
| 7 | – | Mark Kerry | AUS | 58.08 | ||
| 8 | – | Miloslav Roľko | TCH | 58.15 | ||
| 9 | – | Glenn Patching | AUS | 58.30 | ||
| 10 | – | Paul Marshall | GBR | 58.35 | ||
| 11 | – | Bengt Baron | SWE | 58.46 | ||
| 12 | – | Viktor Kuznetsov | URS | 58.47 | ||
| 13 | – | Fred Eefting | NED | 58.59 | ||
| 14 | – | Mark Tonelli | AUS | 58.66 | ||
| 15 | – | Doug Campbell | GBR | 58.75 | ||
| 16 | – | Gary Abraham | GBR | 58.79 | ||
| 17 | – | Jörg Stingl | GDR | 58.98 | ||
| 18 | – | Vladimir Shemetov | URS | 59.01 | ||
| 19 | – | Frédéric Delcourt | FRA | 59.16 | ||
| 20 | – | Herwig Bayer | AUT | 1:00.04 | ||
| 21 | – | Branimir Popov | BUL | 1:00.06 | ||
| 22 | – | Mihai Mandache | ROU | 1:00.26 | ||
| 23 | – | Franky De Groote | BEL | 1:00.35 | ||
| 24 | – | Nenad Miloš | YUG | 1:00.41 | ||
| 25 | – | Rui de Abreu | POR | 1:00.62 | ||
| 26 | – | Róbert Rudolf | HUN | 1:00.85 | ||
| 27 | – | Moisés Gosálvez | ESP | 1:00.90 | ||
| 28 | – | Ricardo Prado | BRA | 1:01.03 | ||
| 29 | – | Daniel Ayora | PER | 1:03.93 | ||
| 30 | – | Lâm Văn Hoành | VIE | 1:07.29 | ||
| 31 | – | Lakis Fylaktou | CYP | 1:08.92 | ||
| 32 | – | Jorge Lima | ANG | 1:14.33 | ||
| 33 | – | Pedro Cruz | MOZ | 1:15.25 | ||
| – | David Cummins | IRL | – | |||
| – | Alberto Mestre | VEN | – |
Heat #1
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Vladimir Dolgov | URS | 57.87 | 27.63 (1) | 30.24 (3) | ||
| 2 | – | Dietmar Göhring | GDR | 58.02 | 27.98 (2) | 30.04 (2) | ||
| 3 | – | Miloslav Roľko | TCH | 58.15 | 28.18 (3) | 29.97 (1) | ||
| 4 | – | Branimir Popov | BUL | 1:00.06 | 28.69 (4) | 31.37 (4) | ||
| 5 | – | Nenad Miloš | YUG | 1:00.41 | 28.91 (5) | 31.50 (6) | ||
| 6 | – | Róbert Rudolf | HUN | 1:00.85 | 29.45 (6) | 31.40 (5) | ||
| 7 | – | Daniel Ayora | PER | 1:03.93 | 30.59 (7) | 33.34 (7) |
Heat #2
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Mark Tonelli | AUS | 58.66 | 28.11 (1) | 30.55 (2) | ||
| 2 | – | Gary Abraham | GBR | 58.79 | 28.17 (2) | 30.62 (3) | ||
| 3 | – | Jörg Stingl | GDR | 58.98 | 28.68 (4) | 30.30 (1) | ||
| 4 | – | Frédéric Delcourt | FRA | 59.16 | 28.30 (3) | 30.86 (4) | ||
| 5 | – | Herwig Bayer | AUT | 1:00.04 | 28.71 (5) | 31.33 (6) | ||
| 6 | – | Ricardo Prado | BRA | 1:01.03 | 29.79 (6) | 31.24 (5) | ||
| 7 | – | Lakis Fylaktou | CYP | 1:08.92 | 32.92 (7) | 36.00 (7) |
Heat #3
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Michael Söderlund | SWE | 57.75 | 27.78 (2) | 29.97 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Rômulo Arantes | BRA | 57.90 | 27.51 (1) | 30.39 (2) | ||
| 3 | – | Fred Eefting | NED | 58.59 | 28.05 (3) | 30.54 (4) | ||
| 4 | – | Doug Campbell | GBR | 58.75 | 28.24 (4) | 30.51 (3) | ||
| 5 | – | Rui de Abreu | POR | 1:00.62 | 28.77 (5) | 31.85 (5) | ||
| 6 | – | Pedro Cruz | MOZ | 1:15.25 | 34.84 (6) | 40.41 (6) | ||
| – | David Cummins | IRL | – | – (–) | – |
Heat #4
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Glenn Patching | AUS | 58.30 | 27.80 (2) | 30.50 (3) | ||
| 2 | – | Paul Marshall | GBR | 58.35 | 27.68 (1) | 30.67 (4) | ||
| 3 | – | Viktor Kuznetsov | URS | 58.47 | 28.56 (3) | 29.91 (1) | ||
| 4 | – | Vladimir Shemetov | URS | 59.01 | 28.62 (4) | 30.39 (2) | ||
| 5 | – | Franky De Groote | BEL | 1:00.35 | 28.77 (5) | 31.58 (5) | ||
| 6 | – | Jorge Lima | ANG | 1:14.33 | 34.06 (6) | 40.27 (6) | ||
| – | Alberto Mestre | VEN | – | – (–) | – |
Heat #5
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Zoltán Verrasztó | HUN | 57.92 | 27.77 (2) | 30.15 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Sándor Wladár | HUN | 58.07 | 27.55 (1) | 30.52 (4) | ||
| 3 | – | Mark Kerry | AUS | 58.08 | 27.91 (3) | 30.17 (3) | ||
| 4 | – | Bengt Baron | SWE | 58.46 | 28.30 (5) | 30.16 (2) | ||
| 5 | – | Mihai Mandache | ROU | 1:00.26 | 28.27 (4) | 31.99 (6) | ||
| 6 | – | Moisés Gosálvez | ESP | 1:00.90 | 29.34 (6) | 31.56 (5) | ||
| 7 | – | Lâm Văn Hoành | VIE | 1:07.29 | 31.92 (7) | 35.37 (7) |
Semi-Finals
| Date | 20 July 1980 — 19:00 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Viktor Kuznetsov | URS | 56.75 | ||
| 2 | – | Bengt Baron | SWE | 57.51 | ||
| 3 | – | Mark Tonelli | AUS | 57.89 | ||
| 4 | – | Gary Abraham | GBR | 57.90 | ||
| 5 | – | Fred Eefting | NED | 57.91 | ||
| 6 | – | Miloslav Roľko | TCH | 57.97 | ||
| 7 | – | Vladimir Dolgov | URS | 58.04 | ||
| 8 | – | Sándor Wladár | HUN | 58.05 | ||
| 9 | – | Mark Kerry | AUS | 58.07 | ||
| 10 | – | Michael Söderlund | SWE | 58.20 | ||
| 11 | – | Rômulo Arantes | BRA | 58.21 | ||
| 12 | – | Zoltán Verrasztó | HUN | 58.57 | ||
| 13 | – | Doug Campbell | GBR | 58.61 | ||
| 14 | – | Paul Marshall | GBR | 58.82 | ||
| 15 | – | Dietmar Göhring | GDR | 58.85 | ||
| 16 | – | Glenn Patching | AUS | 1:00.31 |
Heat #1
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Viktor Kuznetsov | URS | 56.75 | 27.55 (=2) | 29.20 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Mark Tonelli | AUS | 57.89 | 27.55 (=2) | 30.34 (5) | ||
| 3 | – | Gary Abraham | GBR | 57.90 | 27.36 (1) | 30.54 (7) | ||
| 4 | – | Miloslav Roľko | TCH | 57.97 | 28.14 (7) | 29.83 (2) | ||
| 5 | – | Vladimir Dolgov | URS | 58.04 | 27.85 (4) | 30.19 (4) | ||
| 6 | – | Sándor Wladár | HUN | 58.05 | 27.93 (6) | 30.12 (3) | ||
| 7 | – | Zoltán Verrasztó | HUN | 58.57 | 28.19 (8) | 30.38 (6) | ||
| 8 | – | Paul Marshall | GBR | 58.82 | 27.88 (5) | 30.94 (8) |
Heat #2
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Bengt Baron | SWE | 57.51 | 27.97 (4) | 29.54 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Fred Eefting | NED | 57.91 | 27.78 (2) | 30.13 (3) | ||
| 3 | – | Mark Kerry | AUS | 58.07 | 27.68 (1) | 30.39 (5) | ||
| 4 | – | Michael Söderlund | SWE | 58.20 | 28.17 (6) | 30.03 (2) | ||
| 5 | – | Rômulo Arantes | BRA | 58.21 | 27.90 (3) | 30.31 (4) | ||
| 6 | – | Doug Campbell | GBR | 58.61 | 28.05 (5) | 30.56 (7) | ||
| 7 | – | Dietmar Göhring | GDR | 58.85 | 28.36 (7) | 30.49 (6) | ||
| 8 | – | Glenn Patching | AUS | 1:00.31 | 28.72 (8) | 31.59 (8) |
Final Round
| Date | 21 July 1980 — 19:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Bengt Baron | SWE | 56.53 | 27.12 (1) | 29.41 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Viktor Kuznetsov | URS | 56.99 | 27.35 (4) | 29.64 (2) | ||
| 3 | – | Vladimir Dolgov | URS | 57.63 | 27.56 (5) | 30.07 (5) | ||
| 4 | – | Miloslav Roľko | TCH | 57.74 | 28.00 (8) | 29.74 (3) | ||
| 5 | – | Sándor Wladár | HUN | 57.84 | 27.88 (7) | 29.96 (4) | ||
| 6 | – | Fred Eefting | NED | 57.95 | 27.70 (6) | 30.25 (6) | ||
| 7 | – | Mark Tonelli | AUS | 57.98 | 27.13 (2) | 30.85 (7) | ||
| 8 | – | Gary Abraham | GBR | 58.38 | 27.21 (3) | 31.17 (8) |