Event guide - Aquatics

Track and field may be the gold medal event at the Olympics but swimming will take a close silver.

The National Aquatics Centre in Beijing will be a hive of activity with 34 swimming, eight diving and two synchronised swimming events planned to take place.

The full list of aquatic events - Men: 100m backstroke,100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle, 400m individual medley, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay, 4x200m freestyle relay, 50m freestyle, marathon 10km, 3m springboard, synchronised diving 10m platform, synchronised diving 3m springboard, 10m platform.

Women: 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle, 400m individual medley, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay, 4x200m freestyle relay, 50m freestyle, 800m freestyle, marathon 10km, 10m platform, 3m springboard, synchronised diving 10m platform, synchronised diving 3m springboard, duet synchronised swimming, team synchronised swimming.

The swimming disciplines vary from the classic 50m freestyle sprint to the gruelling 10km marathon - with competitors in the shorter events facing strict qualification process.

There will also be qualification processes in place for the diving events, however there are no preliminary rounds in the synchronised swimming.

The medals for the swimming event will simply be decided by speed, however for the divers and the synchronised swimmers, there hopes of gold lay in the laps of the judges who award points for artistic and technical merit.

History

Swimming has remained one of the mainstay events at the Olympics since the first Games in 1896 - although the competition has increased massively in size and structure since then.

The first games saw just men compete in the 100m freestyle, 500m freestyle, 1200m freestyle and the sailors 100m freestyle.

Gradually that list of events has extended to incorporate both men and women, although sailors have somewhat harshly been left out.

The varying discipline have been added as swimming has evolved, with the butterfly events coming after the stroke was first used - and subsequently banned - by swimmers in the breaststroke competitions.

Diving was added to the Games in 1904 and the events list for the springboard and platform has been constant since 1928 - however the synchronised events were added in 2000.

Synchronised swimming is a relative newcomer to the Games having only been introduced in 1984, however it has undergone a number of changes.

Initially contested as solo and duet events, the 1996 Games saw them discontinued and replaced with an eight-person team competition. The duet event returned in Sydney to run alongside the team competition.

Olympic greats

Swimming has produced some of the great Olympic stories - but few will better that of Mark Spitz.

The American swam his way into the record books with an incredible feat of seven golds at the Munich Games.

Having come up short after predicting he would win six golds four years earlier in Mexico City - he won just the two - Spitz made no mistake in Munich, powering to victory in the 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m individual medley.

Michael Phelps came close to breaking Spitz's feat in 2004 when he won six golds and two bronze medals.

Phelps' haul included four Olympic records and one world record.

In the women's events, Dara Torres can lay claim to being one of the greatest Olympians with the 41-year-old set for her fifth Games.

Having first competed in 1984, Torres went on to appear in 1988, 1992 and 2000 Olympics - winning nine medals, including four golds.

And having successfully come out of retirement - she set a new national record in the 50m freestyle at the US trials - she will challenge for three medals in Beijing.

However, East Germany's Kristin Otto will be remembered for her heroics in Seoul where she won six gold medals over three different strokes.

Greg Louganis is still considered as the greatest diver of all time - despite cracking his head on the springboard during the 1988 Games.

The American won a total of four golds and a silver at the Olympics - and had the US team not boycotted the 1980 Games, could have added to his tally.

Three-time Olympian Olga Brusnikina has been the queen of the schronised swimming events, claiming three golds.

Best of British

Britain has struggled to excel in the pool - and has a host of gutsy performances over the years, but very few gold medals.

Aidan Moorhouse's memorable swim in 1998 was the last time a Brit stood on top of the podium, while you have to look back to 1960 for a gold medal for a British woman - with Anita Lonsbrough-Porter winning in the 200m breaststroke.

Henry Taylor's haul of four golds - and eight medals in total - at the start of the 20th century means he remains Britain's No.1 Olympian in the pool.

A collection of 23 silver and 28 bronze medals adds to the gutsy tag - with Paul Palmer, Nick Gilllingham, Sharon Davis and Sarah Hardcastle among those that have gone close.

In diving Leon Taylor and Peter Waterfield won silver at the 2004 Games, with Team GB only managing seven medals in total.

Ones to watch

American duo Michael Phelps and Dara Torres will certainly grab some headlines if they can repeat some of their past heroics.

And fellow countrymen Natalie Coughlin, Margaret Hoelzer, Katie Hoff and Aaron Peirsol were all in great form at the US trials - setting a new world records.

Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima will be a sound bet in the 200m breaststroke given his record-breaking form.

For Britain, 24 medals at the World Short-Course Championships will have raised expectations - although Olympic bronze medallist David Davies and 50m backstrokne world record holder Liam Tancock remain the best hope for success in Beijing.

Hannah Miley could well be in the mix for a medal if she can recreate her European record form in the 400m individual medley.

Jemma Lowe, David Carry, Kirsty Balfour and Caitlin McClatchey will also push hard for medals, while the relays could also yield some joy.

At 14, Tom Daley becomes the second youngest Olympian - but don't let his age fool you, with the Plymouth diver the reigning European champion at the 10m platform.

Team GB

Diving:

Synchronised:

Men's Springboard (3m): Ben Swain and Nick Robinson-Baker

Men's Platform (10m): Tom Daley and Blake Aldridge

Women's Springboard (3m): Hayley Sage and Tandi Gerrard

Women's Platform (10m): Stacie Powell and Tonia Couch

Individual:

Men's Springboard (3m): Ben Swain

Men's Platform (10m): Tom Daley, Pete Waterfield

Women's Springboard (3m): Rebecca Gallantree

Women's Platform (10m): Tonia Couch, Stacie Powell

Syncronised Swimming:

Women's duet: Jenna Randall & Olivia Allison

Swimming:

Men:

50m freestyle: Mark Foster

200m freestyle: Ross Davenport; Robert Renwick

400m freestyle: David Carry; Dean Milwain

1500m freestyle: David Davies; Richard Charlesworth

100m backstroke: Liam Tancock; Gregor Tait

200m backstroke: Gregor Tait; James Goddard

100m breaststroke: Chris Cook; Kristopher Gilchrist

200m breaststroke: Kristopher Gilchrist; James Kirton

100m butterfly: Michael Rock; Todd Cooper

200m butterfly: Michael Rock

200m individual medley: James Goddard, Liam Tancock

400m individual medley: Thomas Haffield; Euan Dale

4x200m freestyle relay: Ross Davenport; Robert Renwick; David Carry; Andrew Hunter; Ben Hockin

4x100m freestyle relay: Simon Burnett; Adam Brown

Women:

50m freestyle: Fran Halsall

100m freestyle: Caitlin McClatchey; Fran Halsall

200m freestyle: Caitlin McClatchey; Rebecca Adlington

400m freestyle: Rebecca Adlington; Jo Jackson

800m freestyle: Rebecca Adlington, Cassie Patten

100m backstroke: Gemma Spofforth; Elizabeth Simmonds

200m backstroke: Gemma Spofforth; Elizabeth Simmonds

100m breaststroke: Kate Haywood; Kirsty Balfour

200m breaststroke: Kirsty Balfour

100m butterfly: Fran Halsall; Jemma Lowe

200m butterfly: Jemma Lowe; Ellen Gandy

200m individual medley: Hannah Miley; Keri-Anne Payne

400m individual medley: Hannah Miley; Keri-Anne Payne

4x100m freestyle relay: Caitlin McClatchey; Fran Halsall; Julia Beckett; Jessica Sylvester

4x200m freestyle relay: Caitlin McClatchey; Rebecca Adlington; Jo Jackson; Mel Marshall; Fran Halsall

Medal hope - Liam Tancock