ðɪ ᵻvˈɛnt hˈæzbiːn hˈɛld æɾ ˈɛvɹi sˈʌmɚɹ əlˈɪmpɪks ɛksˈɛpt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd wɛn ðə ʃˈɔːɹɾɪst fɹˈiːstaɪl wʌzðə tˈuːhˈʌndɹɪd mˈiːɾɚz, ðˌoʊ ðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹ vˈɜːʒən wʌz mˈɛʒɚd ɪn jˈɑːɹdz ɹˈæðɚ ðɐn mˈiːɾɚz.
The event has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1900 (when the shortest freestyle was the 200 metres), though the 1904 version was measured in yards rather than metres.