World Record for the 100 M Free

Question

I am confused as far as who holds the record. It has been reported that Eamon Sullivan broke the record at 47.24 in the 4X100 relay. Wikipedia says the same followed by the record being broken again in the same race by Garrett Weber-Gale at 47.02. What about the 46.06 that Jason Lezak swam in the final leg of the race.

Answer 1

Yes, only the first leg qualifies.  This is because the start for the first leg is on the beeper.  For subsequent legs it is known as a split, since you are anticipating when you are going and you can be moving beforehand, not so with an official start.  Also with a relay split leg you can be out over the water, as long as your feet are still on the blocks when the previous swimmer touches it is not a false start.