On This Day, June 28 ..

Today marks the 4oth anniversary of the 1:56.24 World record set in the 200m butterfly by Michael Gross in Hannover on June 28 1986, two years out from redemption at Seoul 1988, when he claimed Olympic gold four years after being pipped for silver at LA1984. That 1:56.24 would survive as the standard to beat until 1991. The day also reminds us of one of Joe Verdeur's records. Those stories are told in the features below the list of pioneering standards set on this day through history:

Michael Gross, The Albatross With Wings Almost As Wide As The Lanes He Graced

Today marks the 41st anniversary of the moment Germany’s Michael Gross swam 400m free faster than Vladimir Salnikov ever had. It was all part of the work he put in to eight World records and a pantheon of Olympic, World & European prizes over 200 free and 200 ’fly…

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Joe Verdeur is among those who played a key part in this history:

When Butterfly Took Flight & Breaststroke Regained Its Independence

A tale of two strokes that were once one: how breaststroke evolved into a form of butterfly before a 1952 decision to divide two techniques on one into two distinct strokes: “Orthodox Breaststroke” and “Butterfly Breaststroke”

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

(subscribers have access to the full Timeline content in our daily trawl of pioneering moments in swimming history - and the accompanying profiles in our SOS Hall of Fame as we build the library).