freestyle swimming

Start of the women's 400 m freestyle at the 2008 European Championships

Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of World Aquatics, in which competitors are subject to only a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most common of all swimming competitions, with distances beginning with 50 meters (55 yards) and reaching 1,500 meters (1,600 yards), also known as the mile. The term 'freestyle stroke' is sometimes used as a synonym for 'front crawl', as the front crawl is the fastest surface swimming stroke. It is now the most common stroke used in freestyle competitions.