Incredible footage shows just how fast Olympic swimmers have become in the last 100 years

Footage from the Olympics archive has been released that shows just how far we've come when it comes to swimming - and boy, are we fast now.

The 2024 Paris Olympics is in full swing after a somewhat mixed bag of an opening ceremony down the River Seine.

Simone Biles has shone once again in the gymnastics, while Team GB left viewers 'screaming at the television' after two dramatic gold medal wins.

There has been controversy in the last few days, with boxer Imane Khelif being targeted online after Italian boxer Angela Carini called it quits just 46 seconds into the fight.

In 2023, Khelif and another female boxer, Lin Yi-tung, were reported to have failed a gender eligibility test - and the Albanian Olympic Committee has since spoke out in defence of Khelif, saying: "We strongly support our athlete and continue to defend her rights as a fair and skilled competitor."

The Olympic Committee also issued a statement, saying that 'every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination'.

Another boxer has been targeted by trolls after supporting Khelif, and begged people to 'stop the bullying'.

While over on X (formerly Twitter), the official Olympics account is doing its best to keep the positivity flowing through fresh updates and looking to Games gone by.

Some of them include combining both to produce comparisons that have left people in complete shock at how far we've come.

This was certainly the case with the men's 100m freestyle competition, with the official Olympics team taking the time out to compare races that took place a staggering 88 years ago.

The 1932 Games took place in Los Angeles, with the men's 100m freestyle being won by Japanese swimmer Yasuji Miyazaki; one of two gold medals he won in the LA Games.

Footage of the race was put side by side with the equivalent final from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

And let's just say the difference is huge.

Caeleb Dressel from the United States of America won in Tokyo. It was one of five golds for him in the Japanese capital city.

It could come as no surprises really that the advances of modern society when it comes to swimming gear, but also science and nutrition, has seen for a rather brutal different between the two races.

After 23 seconds in each race, the 2020 cohort are already on their way back to the start line having completed the first 50 metres. In stark contrast, the LA lads are still yet to hit half way.

Legacies of speed through the ages! 🏊‍♂️ The men's 100m freestyle final 88 years apart. Los Angeles1932 - Tokyo 2020

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— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 31, 2024

The winner of the 2020 race, Dressel, won gold with an Olympic record time of 47.02 seconds, followed by Australia's Kyle Chambers at 47.08 seconds and Russian Olympic Committee athlete Kliment Kolesnikov with a time of 47.44 seconds. Every athlete in the final came in under 48.1 seconds.

Back in 1932, Miyazaki won gold with a time of more than 11 seconds longer at 58.2 seconds.

Out of all the heats in 2020, only two swimmers - Mubal Ibrahim of the Maldives and Edgar Iro of Solomon Island - clocked slower times. They ranked 69th and 70th overall, respectively.