individual medley

American  

noun

Swimming.

1. a race in which the total distance is either divided into three equal portions, in which each swimmer uses the backstroke for the first portion, the breaststroke for the second portion, and the freestyle for the third, or the total distance is divided into four equal portions, in which each swimmer uses the butterfly stroke for the first portion and then the other strokes used follow the same pattern as in the three-part medley.

---

Etymology

Origin of individual medley

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Olympic swim stars Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand cruised to 200m individual medley victories as US great Katie Ledecky impressed again on the second day of the Pro Swim Series in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

Yu, who turned 13 in October, swam an impressive 2:07:41 to claim gold in the women's 200 metre individual medley on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

Guo Jincheng of China competes in the men's 200m individual medley SM5 final at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

McIntosh won the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes, 5.7 seconds.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2025

The trio of Rhys Darbey, William Ellard and Cameron Vearncombe are all in the men's SM14 200m individual medley final after finishing among the top six in qualifying.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2024