Why are there so many Olympic medals for swimming?

Copying this from another forum I frequent. I've wondered this myself, maybe someone here has the answer. Original thread: www.flyertalk.com/.../showthread.php ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Why isn't "swimming" a single event like "gymnastics" is? I mean, you can get medals for the 100m butterfly, 400m relay, 200m backstroke (I don't know, I'm making those particular examples up); but the gymnasts don't get separate medals for hoops, uneven bars, floor exercise, etc.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I think we could get rid of the backstroke - there is no backwards running, is there ? The Butterfly could be our "hurdles" race - maybe we can actually put in some poles about 2 inches above the water that people have to clear. And the I never liked the Breaststroke - working so hard to go so slow.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I think we could get rid of the backstroke - there is no backwards running, is there ? The Butterfly could be our "hurdles" race - maybe we can actually put in some poles about 2 inches above the water that people have to clear. And the I never liked the Breaststroke - working so hard to go so slow.
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