| | Event type
200 metres Individual Medley, Men
| Date | 13 – 15 August 2008 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Beijing Guojia Youyong Zhongxin, Beijing Aolinpike Gongyuan, Beijing |
| Participants | 46 from 41 countries |
By the sixth day of swimming at the 2008 Olympic Games much of what had happened could be boiled down to a simple equation, Michael Phelps + Olympic final = gold medal for Phelps. The 200 IM was the one race where the probability curve moved away from the certainty of another Phelps victory and into the realms of uncertainty. Both American Ryan Lochte and László Cseh, Jr. of Hungary had been in outstanding form in 2008 and, with Phelps swimming a huge schedule of races, both were expected to press hard for victory.
| Pos | Swimmer | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Phelps |  USA | 1:58.65 (1 h6) | 1:57.70 (1 h1) | 1:54.23 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | László Cseh, Jr. |  HUN | 1:58.29 (1 h4) | 1:58.19 (2 h1) | 1:56.52 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Ryan Lochte | USA | 1:58.15 (1 h5) | 1:57.69 (1 h2) | 1:56.53 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | Thiago Pereira |  BRA | 1:58.41 (2 h5) | 1:58.06 (2 h2) | 1:58.14 (4) | |||
| 5 | Ken Takakuwa |  JPN | 1:58.51 (2 h4) | 1:58.49 (3 h1) | 1:58.22 (5) | |||
| 6 | James Goddard |  GBR | 1:59.74 (5 h6) | 1:58.63 (3 h2) | 1:59.24 (6) | |||
| 7 | Keith Beavers |  CAN | 1:59.19 (4 h5) | 1:59.43 (5 h1) | 1:59.43 (7) | |||
| 8 | Liam Tancock | GBR | 1:59.79 (4 h4) | 1:59.42 (4 h1) | 2:00.76 (8) | |||
| 9 | Bradley Ally |  BAR | 1:58.57 (3 h4) | 1:59.53 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 10 | Takuro Fujii | JPN | 1:59.19 (2 h6) | 1:59.59 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 11 | Darian Townsend |  RSA | 1:59.22 (3 h6) | 1:59.65 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 12 | Alessio Boggiatto |  ITA | 1:58.80 (3 h5) | 1:59.77 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 13 | Gal Nevo |  ISR | 1:59.66 (1 h3) | 2:00.43 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 14 | Leith Brodie |  AUS | 1:59.96 (5 h5) | 2:00.57 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 15 | Vytautas Janušaitis |  LTU | 1:59.63 (4 h6) | 2:00.76 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 16 | Dinko Jukic |  AUT | 2:00.57 (5 h4) | 2:00.98 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 17 | Tamás Kerékjártó | HUN | 2:00.60 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| =18 | Brian Johns | CAN | 2:00.66 (=6 h6) | – | – | |||
| =18 | Diogo Carvalho |  POR | 2:00.66 (=6 h6) | – | – | |||
| 20 | Mihail Aleksandrov |  BUL | 2:00.70 (2 h3) | – | – | |||
| 21 | Dean Kent |  NZL | 2:01.12 (7 h5) | – | – | |||
| 22 | Aleksandr Tikhonov |  RUS | 2:01.21 (8 h6) | – | – | |||
| 23 | Ioannis Kokkodis |  GRE | 2:01.22 (3 h3) | – | – | |||
| 24 | Jeremy Knowles |  BAH | 2:01.35 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| 25 | Gard Kvale |  NOR | 2:01.52 (1 h2) | – | – | |||
| 26 | Łukasz Wójt |  POL | 2:01.54 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 27 | Miguel Molina |  PHI | 2:01.61 (2 h2) | – | – | |||
| 28 | Vadym Lepskyi |  UKR | 2:01.73 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 29 | Saša Imprić |  CRO | 2:01.83 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 30 | Omar Pinzón |  COL | 2:02.28 (1 h1) | – | – | |||
| 31 | Tomáš Fučík |  CZE | 2:02.85 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 32 | Chris Christensen |  DEN | 2:02.93 (2 h1) | – | – | |||
| 33 | Brenton Cabello |  ESP | 2:03.08 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 34 | Qu Jingyu |  CHN | 2:03.15 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 35 | Martin Liivamägi |  EST | 2:03.56 (8 h4) | – | – | |||
| 36 | Nick Bovell |  TTO | 2:03.90 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 37 | Dmitry Gordiyenko |  KAZ | 2:03.92 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 38 | Andrejs Dūda |  LAT | 2:04.18 (3 h1) | – | – | |||
| 39 | Robin van Aggele |  NED | 2:04.33 (8 h5) | – | – | |||
| 40 | Markus Deibler |  GER | 2:04.54 (8 h3) | – | – | |||
| 41 | Mehdi Hamama |  ALG | 2:04.91 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 42 | Serkan Atasay |  TUR | 2:05.25 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 43 | Leopoldo Andara |  VEN | 2:05.71 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 44 | Park Beom-Ho |  KOR | 2:06.17 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 45 | Yury Zakharov |  KGZ | 2:07.01 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 46 | Danil Bugakov |  UZB | 2:10.04 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| Andrew Bree |  IRL | – (DNS h2) | – | – |
Round One (13 August 2008)
Fastest 16 swimmers advanced to semi-finals
Heat One (19:46)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Omar Pinzón | COL | 2:02.28 | 0.64 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Chris Christensen | DEN | 2:02.93 | 0.78 | |||
| 3 | 1 | Andrejs Dūda | LAT | 2:04.18 | 0.70 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Mehdi Hamama | ALG | 2:04.91 | 0.89 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Park Beom-Ho | KOR | 2:06.17 | 0.71 | |||
| 6 | 3 | Yury Zakharov | KGZ | 2:07.01 | 0.89 | |||
| 7 | 6 | Danil Bugakov | UZB | 2:10.04 | 0.80 |
Heat Two (19:50)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Gard Kvale | NOR | 2:01.52 | 0.77 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Miguel Molina | PHI | 2:01.61 | 0.73 | |||
| 3 | 4 | Vadym Lepskyi | UKR | 2:01.73 | 0.80 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Tomáš Fučík | CZE | 2:02.85 | 0.76 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Nick Bovell | TTO | 2:03.90 | 0.73 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Serkan Atasay | TUR | 2:05.25 | 0.72 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Leopoldo Andara | VEN | 2:05.71 | 0.82 | |||
| 7 | Andrew Bree | IRL | – | – |
Heat Three (19:55)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Gal Nevo | ISR | 1:59.66 | 0.64 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Mihail Aleksandrov | BUL | 2:00.70 | 0.75 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Ioannis Kokkodis | GRE | 2:01.22 | 0.83 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Jeremy Knowles | BAH | 2:01.35 | 0.73 | |||
| 5 | 7 | Saša Imprić | CRO | 2:01.83 | 0.69 | |||
| 6 | 4 | Qu Jingyu | CHN | 2:03.15 | 0.76 | |||
| 7 | 3 | Dmitry Gordiyenko | KAZ | 2:03.92 | 0.78 | |||
| 8 | 2 | Markus Deibler | GER | 2:04.54 | 0.80 |
Heat Four (19:59)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | László Cseh, Jr. | HUN | 1:58.29 | 0.76 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Ken Takakuwa | JPN | 1:58.51 | 0.62 | |||
| 3 | 7 | Bradley Ally | BAR | 1:58.57 | 0.70 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Liam Tancock | GBR | 1:59.79 | 0.82 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Dinko Jukic | AUT | 2:00.57 | 0.78 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Łukasz Wójt | POL | 2:01.54 | 0.72 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Brenton Cabello | ESP | 2:03.08 | 0.79 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Martin Liivamägi | EST | 2:03.56 | 0.72 |
Heat Five (20:03)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Ryan Lochte | USA | 1:58.15 | 0.77 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Thiago Pereira | BRA | 1:58.41 | 0.73 | |||
| 3 | 7 | Alessio Boggiatto | ITA | 1:58.80 | 0.74 | |||
| 4 | 1 | Keith Beavers | CAN | 1:59.19 | 0.72 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Leith Brodie | AUS | 1:59.96 | 0.78 | |||
| 6 | 3 | Tamás Kerékjártó | HUN | 2:00.60 | 0.76 | |||
| 7 | 2 | Dean Kent | NZL | 2:01.12 | 0.71 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Robin van Aggele | NED | 2:04.33 | 0.76 |
Heat Six (20:07)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Michael Phelps | USA | 1:58.65 | 0.75 | |||
| 2 | 2 | Takuro Fujii | JPN | 1:59.19 | 0.72 | |||
| 3 | 1 | Darian Townsend | RSA | 1:59.22 | 0.68 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Vytautas Janušaitis | LTU | 1:59.63 | 0.77 | |||
| 5 | 5 | James Goddard | GBR | 1:59.74 | 0.67 | |||
| =6 | 3 | Brian Johns | CAN | 2:00.66 | 0.85 | |||
| =6 | 7 | Diogo Carvalho | POR | 2:00.66 | 0.70 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Aleksandr Tikhonov | RUS | 2:01.21 | 0.85 |
Semi-Finals (14 August 2008)
Fastest eight swimmers advanced to final
Heat One (11:09)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Michael Phelps | USA | 1:57.70 | 0.74 | |||
| 2 | 4 | László Cseh, Jr. | HUN | 1:58.19 | 0.78 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Ken Takakuwa | JPN | 1:58.49 | 0.60 | |||
| 4 | 1 | Liam Tancock | GBR | 1:59.42 | 0.83 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Keith Beavers | CAN | 1:59.43 | 0.71 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Darian Townsend | RSA | 1:59.65 | 0.68 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Gal Nevo | ISR | 2:00.43 | 0.62 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Dinko Jukic | AUT | 2:00.98 | 0.77 |
Heat Two (11:16)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Ryan Lochte | USA | 1:57.69 | 0.73 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Thiago Pereira | BRA | 1:58.06 | 0.73 | |||
| 3 | 1 | James Goddard | GBR | 1:58.63 | 0.68 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Bradley Ally | BAR | 1:59.53 | 0.71 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Takuro Fujii | JPN | 1:59.59 | 0.72 | |||
| 6 | 6 | Alessio Boggiatto | ITA | 1:59.77 | 0.71 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Leith Brodie | AUS | 2:00.57 | 0.74 | |||
| 8 | 7 | Vytautas Janušaitis | LTU | 2:00.76 | 0.80 |
Final (15 August 2008 — 10:50)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | Reaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Michael Phelps | USA | 1:54.23 | 0.70 | |||
| 2 | 6 | László Cseh, Jr. | HUN | 1:56.52 | 0.80 | |||
| 3 | 4 | Ryan Lochte | USA | 1:56.53 | 0.72 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Thiago Pereira | BRA | 1:58.14 | 0.76 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Ken Takakuwa | JPN | 1:58.22 | 0.61 | |||
| 6 | 7 | James Goddard | GBR | 1:59.24 | 0.68 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Keith Beavers | CAN | 1:59.43 | 0.70 | |||
| 8 | 1 | Liam Tancock | GBR | 2:00.76 | 0.88 |