Swimming_at_the_2020_Summer_Olympics_–_Men's_200_metre_backstroke
| Men's 200 metre backstroke at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Swimming pictogram | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Tokyo Aquatics Centre | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 28 July 2021 (heats) 29 July 2021 (semifinals) 30 July 2021 (final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 29 from 23 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 1:53.27 OR | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
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.[1] There will be approximately 30 competitors from approximately 20 nations, with the ultimate numbers determined through the ongoing selection process, including universality places.[2]
This was the 16th appearance of the 200 metre backstroke event. It was first held in 1900. The event did not return until 1964; since then, it has been on the programme at every Summer Games. From 1904 to 1960, a men's 100 metre backstroke was held instead. In 1964, only the 200 metres was held. Beginning in 1968 and ever since, both the 100 and 200 metre versions have been held.
Of the 2016 finalists, defending Olympic champion Ryan Murphy returned, along with bronze medalist Evgeny Rylov of Russia (competing under the ROC banner), fourth-place finisher Xu Jiayu of China, seventh-place finisher Christian Diener of Germany, and eighth-place finisher (and 2012 silver medalist) Ryosuke Irie of Japan. Rylov had won the 2017 and 2019 World Championships with Murphy finishing second both times.
The Olympic Qualifying Time for the event was 1:57.50. Up to two swimmers per National Olympic Committee (NOC) could automatically qualify by swimming that time at an approved qualification event. The Olympic Selection Time was 2:01.03. Up to one swimmer per NOC meeting that time was eligible for selection, allocated by world ranking until the maximum quota for all swimming events was reached. NOCs without a male swimmer qualified in any event could also use their universality place.[3]
The competition consisted of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advanced to the semifinals. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advanced to the final. Swim-offs were used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.[4]
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Aaron Peirsol (USA) | 1:51.92 | Rome, Italy | 31 July 2009 | [5][6] |
| Olympic record |  Tyler Clary (USA) | 1:53.41 | London, United Kingdom | 2 August 2012 | [7] |
The following records was established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 30 | Final | Evgeny Rylov |  ROC | 1:53.27 | OR |
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)[1]
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 28 July 2021 | 19:21 | Heats |
| 29 July 2021 | 11:04 | Semifinals |
| 30 July 2021 | 10:50 | Final |
Heats
The swimmers with the top 16 times, regardless of heat, advance to the semifinals.[8]
Semifinals
The swimmers with the best 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final.[9]
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Evgeny Rylov | ROC | 1:54.45 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | Luke Greenbank |  Great Britain | 1:54.98 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | 6 | Ryan Murphy | United States | 1:55.38 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | Ádám Telegdy |  Hungary | 1:56.19 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | Nicolás García |  Spain | 1:56.35 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | 5 | Bryce Mefford | United States | 1:56.37 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | 3 | Radosław Kawęcki |  Poland | 1:56.68 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | 6 | Ryosuke Irie |  Japan | 1:56.69 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | 8 | Yohann Ndoye-Brouard |  France | 1:56.83 | |
| 10 | 1 | 2 | Tristan Hollard |  Australia | 1:56.92 | |
| 11 | 1 | 5 | Lee Ju-ho |  South Korea | 1:56.93 | |
| 12 | 2 | 3 | Grigory Tarasevich | ROC | 1:57.06 | |
| 13 | 2 | 7 | Roman Mityukov |  Switzerland | 1:57.07 | |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | Keita Sunama | Japan | 1:57.16 | |
| 15 | 1 | 7 | Brodie Williams | Great Britain | 1:57.73 | |
| 16 | 2 | 8 | Markus Thormeyer |  Canada | 1:59.36 |
Final
| Rank | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4 | Evgeny Rylov | ROC | 1:53.27 | OR |
 | 3 | Ryan Murphy | United States | 1:54.15 | |
 | 5 | Luke Greenbank | Great Britain | 1:54.72 | |
| 4 | 7 | Bryce Mefford | United States | 1:55.49 | |
| 5 | 6 | Ádám Telegdy | Hungary | 1:56.15 | |
| 6 | 1 | Radosław Kawęcki | Poland | 1:56.39 | |
| 7 | 8 | Ryosuke Irie | Japan | 1:57.32 | |
| 8 | 2 | Nicolás García | Spain | 1:59.06 |
- "Tokyo 2020: Swimming Schedule". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- "Tokyo 2020 – FINA Swimming Qualification System" (PDF). Tokyo 2020. FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- "Tokyo 2020 – FINA Swimming Qualification System" (pdf). Tokyo 2020. FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- "FINA Swimming Rulebook, 2017–21" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- "Cavic supplants Phelps' 100 fly time". ESPN. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- Michaelis, Vicky (31 July 2009). "Phelps earns relay gold medal, Peirsol sets 200m backstroke mark". USA Today. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- Auerbach, Nicole (2 August 2012). "Clary tops Lochte, wins gold in 200-meter backstroke". USA Today. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- "Heats results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- "Semifinals results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.