Martens breaks the men's 400m freestyle world record, ending a 16-year-old drought.

In the early hours of April 13, Beijing time, at the Stockholm Swimming Open, German swimmer Maerten broke the men's 400-meter freestyle world record, which had stood untouched for 16 years.

At the Paris Olympics, Martens won the gold medal in this event.

In the day's competition, Martens swam a time of 3:39.96, breaking the world record of 3:40.07 set by her compatriot Biedermann during the era of fast swimsuits.

Martens and Biedermann's split-time comparison:

Chinese swimmer Sun Yang finished fourth at the 2012 London Olympics with a time of 3:40.14, while Zhang Lin placed ninth at the 2009 Rome World Championships, recording a time of 3:41.35.

Ranking of swimmers who have broken the 48-second barrier most frequently in the men's 100m freestyle:

The current world record holder, Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle, first dipped below 48 seconds in 2022 and then shattered his own world record at the 2024 Paris Olympics, clocking a stunning 46.40 to claim the gold medal. He finished tied for 5th place with 22 other athletes.

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According to FINA's official website, after Maarten van der Weijden broke the men's 400m freestyle world record, the current men's long-course world records still include five marks that were set at the 2009 Rome World Championships: the 50m freestyle (20.91, Cesar Cielo, Brazil), the 200m freestyle (1:42.00, Paul Biedermann, Germany), the 800m freestyle (7:32.12, Zhang Lin, China), the 200m backstroke (1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol, USA), and the 4×200m freestyle relay (6:58.55, Team USA). Meanwhile, the world record for the 4×100m freestyle relay—3:08.24—was set by the U.S. team on August 11, 2008, during the Beijing Olympics, making it the longest-standing world record in swimming history. All of these records were achieved during the era of high-tech swimsuits, and each new breakthrough can rightfully be considered a landmark moment in the sport of swimming.