The women's 200 metre freestyle event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place 8–9 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.[1]
| Women's 200 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Olympic Aquatics Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 8 August 2016 (heats & semifinals) 9 August 2016 (final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 43 from 28 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 1:53.73 | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Summary edit
After a world-record breaking victory in the 400 m freestyle two days earlier, U.S. distance ace Katie Ledecky pulled away from the field to capture the Olympic mid-distance freestyle crown and her second individual gold at these Games. Hanging with the leaders at the 150-metre turn, Ledecky fended off Sweden's Sarah Sjöström towards a gold-medal finish in 1:53.73.[2][3] Despite trying to hold on Ledecky at the final lap, Sjöström was unable to catch her near the wall, and settled for the silver in 1:54.08.[4] Meanwhile, Australia's Emma McKeon moved up from one of the outside lanes to take home the bronze in 1:54.92.[5][6]
Italy's world-record holder Federica Pellegrini dropped off the podium for the second straight Olympics to fourth in 1:55.18, charging a 0.07-second edge ahead of China's Shen Duo and McKeon's countrywoman Bronte Barratt, bronze medalist from London 2012, both of whom shared the fifth-place time with a matching 1:55.25.[6] Sjöström's teammate Michelle Coleman grabbed the penultimate spot of the top eight in 1:56.27, with France's Charlotte Bonnet (1:56.29) narrowly trailing her by 0.02 of a second to round out the field.[5]
Notable swimmers missed the final roster, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin, who tied for thirteenth with Hong Kong's Siobhán Haughey (1:57.56) in the semifinals.[7]
In the medal ceremony, the medals for the competition were presented by Franco Carraro, Italy, IOC member, and the gifts were presented by Paolo Barelli, Italy, Honorary Secretary of FINA.
Records edit
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Federica Pellegrini (ITA) |
1:52.98 | Rome, Italy | 29 July 2009 | [8][9] |
| Olympic record |  Allison Schmitt (USA) |
1:53.61 | London, United Kingdom | 31 July 2012 | [10] |
Competition format edit
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.[1]
Results edit
Heats edit
Semifinals edit
Semifinal 1 edit
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Shen Duo |  China |
1:56.03 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Emma McKeon |  Australia |
1:56.29 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Charlotte Bonnet |  France |
1:56.38 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Bronte Barratt | Australia |
1:56.63 | Q |
| 5 | 8 | Brittany MacLean |  Canada |
1:57.36 | |
| 6 | 6 | Ai Yanhan | China |
1:57.41 | |
| 7 | 1 | Manuella Lyrio |  Brazil |
1:57.43 | |
| 8 | 7 | Missy Franklin | United States |
1:57.56 |
Semifinal 2 edit
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Sarah Sjöström |  Sweden |
1:54.65 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Katie Ledecky | United States |
1:54.81 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Federica Pellegrini |  Italy |
1:55.42 | Q |
| 4 | 6 | Michelle Coleman | Sweden |
1:56.05 | Q |
| 5 | 7 | Veronika Popova |  Russia |
1:57.22 | |
| 6 | 2 | Siobhán Haughey |  Hong Kong |
1:57.56 | |
| 7 | 1 | Katerine Savard | Canada |
1:57.80 | |
| 8 | 8 | Femke Heemskerk |  Netherlands |
1:57.82 |
Final edit
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
5 | Katie Ledecky | United States |
1:53.73 | |
 |
4 | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden |
1:54.08 | NR |
 |
7 | Emma McKeon | Australia |
1:54.92 | |
| 4 | 3 | Federica Pellegrini | Italy |
1:55.18 | |
| 5 | 6 | Shen Duo | China |
1:55.25 | |
| 8 | Bronte Barratt | Australia |
|||
| 7 | 2 | Michelle Coleman | Sweden |
1:56.27 | |
| 8 | 1 | Charlotte Bonnet | France |
1:56.29 |
References edit
- ^ a b "Women's 200m Freestyle". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ Auerbach, Nicole (9 August 2016). "Katie Ledecky wins gold in women's 200 free". USA Today. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ Sheinin, Dave (9 August 2016). "Katie Ledecky just keeps on winning, captures second gold in 200 freestyle". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ Crouse, Karen; Mills, Doug (9 August 2016). "Katie Ledecky's Gold Medal Haul Continues". New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Katie Ledecky Claims Victory in 200 Free; Adds Second Individual Gold Medal". Swimming World Magazine. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ a b Pentony, Luke (9 August 2016). "Rio 2016: Australia's Emma McKeon takes out bronze in women's 200m freestyle fina". ABC News Australia. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Fenno, Nathan (9 August 2016). "Missy Franklin fails to advance in 200 freestyle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ "FINA World Championships, Swimming: Federica Pellegrini Puts on Show for Home Crowd With World Record, U.S. Goes 2-3 With American Record". Swimming World Magazine. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ "Phelps bounces back with 200m fly world record triumph". Sydney Morning Herald. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ "Olympics swimming: Allison Schmitt wins with Games record". BBC Sport. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2013.