Women's 200 metre backstroke at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
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Venue | Tokyo Aquatics Centre | ||||||||||||
Dates | 29 July 2021 (heats) 30 July 2021 (semifinals) 31 July 2021 (final) | ||||||||||||
Competitors | 27 from 22 nations | ||||||||||||
Winning time | 2:04.68 | ||||||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |||
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Qualification | |||
Freestyle | |||
50 m | men | women | |
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
400 m | men | women | |
800 m | men | women | |
1500 m | men | women | |
Backstroke | |||
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
Breaststroke | |||
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
Butterfly | |||
100 m | men | women | |
200 m | men | women | |
Individual medley | |||
200 m | men | women | |
400 m | men | women | |
Freestyle relay | |||
4 × 100 m | men | women | |
4 × 200 m | men | women | |
Medley relay | |||
4 × 100 m | men | mixed | women |
Marathon | |||
10 km | men | women | |
The women's 200 metre backstroke event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 29 to 31 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. [1] It was the event's fourteenth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1968.
In similar fashion to her win in the shorter backstroke event days earlier, Australia's Kaylee McKeown came from behind to strike a backstroke double for the first time since Missy Franklin in 2012. Canada's Kylie Masse narrowly led over McKeown at the first turn, before extending her margin to 0.80 seconds at the halfway mark. Only recovering a tenth of a second on the penultimate lap, McKeown used a blistering final lap to overtake Masse and win Australia's first title in the event in 2:04.68. Meanwhile Masse broke her Canadian record to win the silver medal, her second at these Games.
Fifth at the final turn, Australia's two-time World champion Emily Seebohm (2:06.17) charged home to claim the bronze medal - her second individual Olympic medal - and join teammate McKeown on the podium. The U.S.' Rhyan White (2:06.39) and Phoebe Bacon (2:06.40) could not hold off Seebohm down the stretch, finishing within 0.01 seconds of each other to take fourth and fifth, respectively. Almost two seconds behind, Masse's teammate Taylor Ruck claimed a distant sixth spot in 2:08.40. The Chinese duo of Peng Xuwei (2:08.26) and Liu Yaxin (2:08.48) closed out the championship field.
Notably, the U.S.' world record holder and reigning World champion Regan Smith failed to qualify for the event after placing third at the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic trials.
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
World record | Regan Smith (USA) | 2:03.35 | Gwangju, South Korea | 26 July 2019 | [2] |
Olympic record | Missy Franklin (USA) | 2:04.06 | London, United Kingdom | 3 August 2012 | [3] [4] |
Prior to this competition, the fastest time this year in the event was as follows:
World Lead | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) | 2:04.28 OC | Melbourne, Australia | 17 June 2021 |
No new records were set during the competition.
The Olympic Qualifying Time for the event is 2:10.39. Up to two swimmers per National Olympic Committee (NOC) can automatically qualify by swimming that time at an approved qualification event. The Olympic Selection Time is 2:14.30. Up to one swimmer per NOC meeting that time is eligible for selection, allocated by world ranking until the maximum quota for all swimming events is reached. NOCs without a female swimmer qualified in any event can also use their universality place. [5]
The competition consists of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advance to the semifinals. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advance to the final. Swim-offs are used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round. [6]
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) [1]
Date | Time | Round |
---|---|---|
29 July | 20:05 | Heats |
30 July | 11:35 | Semifinals |
31 July | 10:37 | Final |
The swimmers with the top 16 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the semifinals. [7]
The swimmers with the best 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final. [8]
Rank | Heat | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 6 | Emily Seebohm | Australia | 2:07.09 | Q |
2 | 1 | 5 | Phoebe Bacon | United States | 2:07.10 | Q |
3 | 1 | 4 | Rhyan White | United States | 2:07.28 | Q |
4 | 2 | 5 | Kylie Masse | Canada | 2:07.82 | Q |
5 | 2 | 4 | Kaylee McKeown | Australia | 2:07.93 | Q |
6 | 2 | 3 | Liu Yaxin | China | 2:08.65 | Q |
7 | 1 | 3 | Taylor Ruck | Canada | 2:08.73 | Q |
8 | 2 | 6 | Peng Xuwei | China | 2:08.76 | Q |
9 | 1 | 7 | Margherita Panziera | Italy | 2:09.54 | |
10 | 2 | 2 | Katalin Burián | Hungary | 2:09.65 | |
11 | 2 | 7 | Tatiana Salcuțan | Moldova | 2:10.09 | |
12 | 1 | 2 | Lena Grabowski | Austria | 2:10.10 | |
13 | 1 | 1 | África Zamorano | Spain | 2:10.42 | |
14 | 2 | 1 | Laura Bernat | Poland | 2:12.86 | |
15 | 2 | 8 | Aviv Barzelay | Israel | 2:12.93 | |
16 | 1 | 8 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | Netherlands | 2:12.98 |
Rank | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Kaylee McKeown | Australia | 2:04.68 | ||
6 | Kylie Masse | Canada | 2:05.42 | NR | |
4 | Emily Seebohm | Australia | 2:06.17 | ||
4 | 3 | Rhyan White | United States | 2:06.39 | |
5 | 5 | Phoebe Bacon | United States | 2:06.40 | |
6 | 1 | Taylor Ruck | Canada | 2:08.24 | |
7 | 8 | Peng Xuwei | China | 2:08.26 | |
8 | 7 | Liu Yaxin | China | 2:08.48 |
Emily Jane Seebohm, OAM is an Australian swimmer and television personality. She has appeared at four Olympic Games between 2008 and 2021; and won three Olympic gold medals, five world championship gold medals and seven Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Melissa Franklin Johnson is an American former competitive swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist. She held the world record in the 200-meter backstroke from 2012 to 2019. As a member of the U.S. national swim team, she also held the world records in the 4×100-meter medley relay.
The women's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on 29–30 July at the London Aquatics Centre in London, United Kingdom.
The women's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on 7–8 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
The women's 200 metre backstroke event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on 11–12 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
Taylor Madison Ruck is a Canadian competitive swimmer. She won two Olympic bronze medals as part of Canada's women's 4×100 metre and 4×200 metre freestyle relay teams at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Ruck won eight medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Her eight medal performance of one gold, five silver, and two bronze tied her with three other athletes for the most all-time at a single Commonwealth Games, as well as making her the most decorated Canadian female athlete ever at a single Commonwealth Games. Ruck is the all-time leading medallist at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships having won nine gold, two silver, and two bronze over the course of the 2015 and 2017 editions.
Kylie Jacqueline Masse is a Canadian competitive swimmer. A noted backstroke specialist, she is a five-time Olympic medallist, three-time World Aquatics champion, three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and the 2018 Pan Pacific champion in the 100 metre backstroke. She is currently the captain for the Toronto Titans of the International Swimming League.
Regan Smith is an American competitive swimmer. She competed at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games and won eight medals, including two golds. Smith also won nine total medals at the World Championships, including five golds. She was the 2019 world champion in the 200 m backstroke and the 2022 world champion in the 100 m backstroke.
Kaylee Rochelle McKeown is an Australian swimmer and quintuple Olympic gold medalist. She is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke. She is the world record holder in the long course 50 metre backstroke, the short course 100 metre backstroke and both the long course and short course 200 metre backstroke. She won gold in both the 100 metre and 200 metre backstroke at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. In 2023, she was named as the "Best Female Swimmer of the Year" by World Aquatics, after sweeping gold in all three events of backstroke at all three World Cup legs, held in Berlin, Athens and Budapest in October, 2023.
The men's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 30 July to 1 August 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's tenth appearance, first held in 1904 and then at every edition since 1988. The event is nicknamed the "splash and dash" event.
The women's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 30 July to 1 August 2021 at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. It was the event's ninth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1988.
The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 28 to 30 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's twenty-fifth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1912.
The women's 200 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 26 to 28 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's fourteenth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1968.
The men's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 25 to 27 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's twenty-sixth appearance, having been held at every edition since 1904 except 1964. Moreover, these Games marked the first time when the men's sprint backstroke event was held in Tokyo, as the event was not included in the swimming program in 1964.
The men's 200 metre backstroke event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 28 to 30 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. There will be approximately 30 competitors from approximately 20 nations, with the ultimate numbers determined through the ongoing selection process, including universality places.
The women's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 25 to 27 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's twenty-third consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1924. An unusual occurrence happened where the Olympic record for this event was broken three times in a single day and five times through the course of the entire competition.
The men's 100 metre breaststroke event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 24 to 26 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's fourteenth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1968.
The women's 200 metre individual medley event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 26 to 28 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It will be the event's twelfth appearance, having been first held in 1968 and 1972 and then at every edition since 1984.
The women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held on 30 July and 1 August 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's sixteenth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1960.
Claire Curzan is an American competitive swimmer and Olympian. Specialising in multiple events, she earned an Olympic silver medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay in the 2020 Summer Olympics by swimming the preliminary butterfly leg. She holds junior world records in the long course 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter butterfly and the short course 50 meter butterfly and 100 meter butterfly. She also holds American records in the short course 50 meter backstroke and 50 meter butterfly, and formerly held the American record in the 100 yard butterfly. She currently swims for the Virginia Cavaliers.