The 100 metre backstroke as run at a national school sports meet: two lengths of the pool swum on the back, with an in-water start and a turn that must be taken without losing the back position.
The 100 metres backstroke is two lengths of a 50 metre pool, or four lengths of a 25 metre pool, swum on the back. It is the only one of the four strokes started in the water: the swimmer holds the starting grips, feet below the surface, and pushes off backwards at the signal. The result is decided by the clock, but only for a swim that stays on the back and finishes legally.
The turn is what separates this race from the 50 metre sprint. The swimmer cannot see the wall coming, so backstrokers count strokes from the flags that hang over the pool five metres from each end. At the wall the swimmer is allowed a controlled roll towards the front to turn, and must push off on the back again. The finish is a touch of the wall while on the back, so a swimmer who rolls over before the hand lands risks losing the swim.
In this template the item is entered by individual swimmers in four fields: Junior boys and Junior girls (under 17) and Senior boys and Senior girls (under 19). A finishing time in minutes, seconds and hundredths is recorded. The template carries a nominal five-minute limit with a four-minute warning; those are placeholders for the scoring screen, since the race takes a fraction of that, and a coordinator can ignore or tighten them.
On the day an entry is one swimmer with a lane and a heat. A large field is swum in heats seeded by entry time and merged into one ranking per field; a small field can swim a single final. The organiser needs a starter, lane timekeepers or automatic timing, turn and finish judges, and a results desk to merge and check the times. In this template a Gold finish carries 5 bonus points, Silver 3 and Bronze 1.
Where 100 meters Backstroke comes from
Backstroke was the last of the four strokes to be standardised for competition; it was swum at the Olympic Games from the early twentieth century, and the 100 metre distance is a standard short-course race for it.
Where 100 meters Backstroke is run
In eTalenter the item is carried by the national school sports and games template for Indian school-board affiliates, in the swimming programme after the 100 metre breaststroke and before the 100 metre butterfly. More widely, the 100 metre backstroke is a standard event at school galas, club meets and national and international championships.
- India (national school sports meet for board-affiliated schools)
- Worldwide as a swimming event
Key facts
- Individual race, run separately for boys and girls
- Four fields: Junior (U-17) and Senior (U-19), each for boys and for girls
- Two lengths of a 50 metre pool with one turn; swum on the back
- Started in the water, not from a block
- Result is a finishing time in minutes, seconds and hundredths of a second
- Medal points in this template: Gold 5, Silver 3, Bronze 1
On eTalenter, 100 meters Backstroke is filed under Water Sports and typically scored with Time (MM:SS.ms). It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, 100 meters Backstroke is most often entered as an Individual competition, commonly run for Female, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.
How it is scored
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means.
- Best score is
- the lowest
- Decimal places
- 2
- Unit
- seconds / milliseconds
- Used for
- Sports
Where it sits
The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed.
Others in this category: Swimming, Diving, Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Water Polo, Surfing
Judging criteria installed for it
eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed.
No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead.
What judges look at in 100 meters Backstroke
What a 100 meters Backstroke panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Finishing time: the fastest legal swim wins, so hundredths of a second decide medals and tie rules should be agreed before the day
- Staying on the back: apart from the turn, the swimmer must stay on the back for the whole race, and rolling onto the front mid-length risks disqualification
- Legal start and push-off: hands on the grips and feet under the surface until the signal, so a swimmer who moves early can be penalised for a false start
- The turn: the roll to the wall must be one continuous movement, and the swimmer must leave the wall on the back, not pause or kick on the front
- Finish touch: the swimmer must touch the wall while on the back, and times from every heat must be recorded per lane and checked before ranks are published
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for 100 meters Backstroke under Scoring Setup, or start from how judging, scoring and tabulation work on eTalenter.
How to prepare for 100 meters Backstroke
How entrants and their teachers usually get 100 meters Backstroke right on the day:
- Practise the in-water start until it is repeatable: feet flat under the surface, hips up, a strong arch back and a tight streamline
- Learn the stroke count from the backstroke flags to the wall, then check it in training both rested and tired, because the count changes as the swimmer slows
- Drill the turn as a sequence: last stroke, roll, push off the wall on the back, streamline, then the first pull, and have a colleague watch for a pause on the front
- Keep the head still and the hips high; a head that lifts or rolls pulls the hips down and slows the kick
- Train 50 metre repeats at race pace with short rest to learn what an even 100 feels like, and finish sets with a hard last 25
- Do kick sets on the back with a board held at the hips, since a strong, steady kick carries the swimmer through the turn and the finish
- On race day warm up in the pool with a few starts and turns, and avoid a heavy meal in the final hour
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is 100 meters Backstroke judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, commonly for Female, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Why is the backstroke start in the water?
Because the swimmer starts on the back facing the starting end, holding the grips with feet below the surface. A dive from the block is not possible for this stroke.
Can a backstroke swimmer roll onto the front?
Only as part of the turn. During the swim the swimmer must stay on the back, and the push-off from the wall must also be on the back.
Is the 100 metre backstroke judged by a panel?
No. The result is a finishing time. Officials only check that the start, stroke, turn and finish are legal.
Who can enter the 100 metre backstroke in this template?
Individual swimmers in Junior (under 17) and Senior (under 19) fields, with separate races for boys and girls.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read how judging, scoring and tabulation work on eTalenter, or browse every water sports competition item.
Try 100 meters Backstroke in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs 100 meters Backstroke, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
