2008_FINA_World_Swimming_Championships_(25_m)_–_Men's_50_metre_freestyle
The men's 50 metre freestyle competition of the 2008 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) was held on 10 and 11 April 2008 at the Manchester Arena.
| Men's 50 metre freestyle at the 2008 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Manchester Arena | |||||||||
| Location | Manchester, England | |||||||||
| Dates | 10 April (heats and semis) 11 April (final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 108 from 74 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 20.81 WR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
← 2006 | ||||||||||
The event was won by the defending champion Croatian Duje Draganja in a new world record time of 20.81 seconds, breaking the previous mark set by Sweden's Stefan Nystrand six months earlier by 0.12 seconds. Swimming in lane 1 in the final, Draganja also broke the championship record of 21.31 set by Cullen Jones of the United States in Shanghai in 2006.
Great Britain's Mark Foster won the silver medal, finishing a half a second behind Draganja while Gerhard Zandberg of South Africa finished third in 21.33.[1]
Prior to the competition, the existing world and championship records were as follows.[2]
| Name | Nation | Time | Location | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World record | Stefan Nystrand |  Sweden | 20.93 | Berlin | 18 November 2007 |
| Championship record | Cullen Jones |  United States | 21.31 | Shanghai | 6 April 2006 |
Heats
Semifinals
The semifinals were held at 19:53.[3]
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Mark Foster |  Great Britain | 21.32 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | José Meolans |  Argentina | 21.43 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | 5 | Ryan Lochte | United States | 21.46 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | 4 | Bryan Lundquist | United States | 21.55 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | 3 | Grant Brits |  Australia | 21.57 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | 6 | Jernej Godec |  Slovenia | 21.58 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | 5 | Duje Draganja |  Croatia | 21.63 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | 7 | Gerhard Zandberg |  South Africa | 21.72 | Q |
| =9 | 1 | 3 | Nabil Kebbab |  Algeria | 21.77 | |
| 2 | 7 | George Bovell |  Trinidad and Tobago | |||
| 11 | 2 | 8 | Salim Iles | Algeria | 21.80 | |
| 12 | 2 | 2 | David Dunford |  Kenya | 21.85 | |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | Matthew Tutty | Great Britain | 21.90 | |
| =14 | 1 | 8 | Fernando Silva |  Brazil | 21.97 | |
| 1 | 6 | Eduardo Lorente |  Spain | |||
| 1 | 2 | Jason Dunford | Kenya |
Finals
The final was held at 20:50.[4]
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | Duje Draganja | Croatia | 20.81 | WR |
 | 4 | Mark Foster | Great Britain | 21.31 | |
 | 8 | Gerhard Zandberg | South Africa | 21.33 | |
| 4 | 3 | Ryan Lochte | United States | 21.44 | |
| 5 | 5 | José Meolans | Argentina | 21.48 | |
| 6 | 2 | Grant Brits | Australia | 21.68 | |
| 7 | 7 | Jernej Godec | Slovenia | 21.74 | |
| 8 | 6 | Bryan Lundquist | United States | 21.77 |
- "World Short Course Championships: Flash! Duje Draganja Defends 50 Free Title With World Record". Swimming World. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Semifinal results of the men's 50 metre freestyle at the 2008 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)" (pdf). FINA. 10 April 2018.
- "Final results of the men's 50 metre freestyle at the 2008 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)" (pdf). FINA. 11 April 2018.