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200 metres Individual Medley, Men

Date19 – 20 October 1968
StatusOlympic
LocationAlberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez, Ciudad de México
Participants46 from 27 countries

This was the first time on the Olympic Program for the 200 individual medley. Official world records had only been recognized in the event since 1966 with Greg Buckingham setting the first two, while Charlie Hickcox bettered him and held the world mark coming into the Olympics. The two made the final along with teammate John Ferris and a medal sweep was considered a possibility. Hickcox was never seriously challenged, taking the lead on the butterfly leg and expanding it on the second 50 using his best stroke, the backstroke. Behind him Buckingham and Ferris were close throughout for the other medals, Buckingham eventually coming in for the silver a full second behind Hickcox, with Ferris third. Peru’s Juan Carlos Bello was in third place briefly on the breaststroke leg, but was passed on the freestyle by Ferris and placed fourth. Through 2008 this remains the best finish ever by a Peruvian swimmer at the Olympics. Hickcox swam again in the 100 backstroke two days later and won a silver behind Roland Matthes, and won gold the next day in the 400 IM, completing an individual medley double.

PosSwimmerNOCR1Final
1Charlie HickcoxUSA2:16.1 (1 h1)2:12.0 (1)Gold
2Greg BuckinghamUSA2:15.6 (1 h6)2:13.0 (2)Silver
3John FerrisUSA2:14.6 (1 h3)2:13.3 (3)Bronze
4Juan Carlos BelloPER2:17.5 (2 h5)2:13.7 (4)
5George SmithCAN2:16.4 (1 h2)2:15.9 (5)
6Sandy GilchristCAN2:16.8 (1 h5)2:16.6 (6)
7Mike HolthausFRG2:17.5 (2 h2)2:16.8 (7)
8Péter LázárHUN2:17.1 (2 h1)2:18.3 (8)
=9Reinhard MerkelFRG2:17.8 (2 h3)
=9Hans LjungbergSWE2:17.8 (3 h3)
11Frank WiegandGDR2:18.0 (3 h2)
12Michele D'OppidoITA2:18.5 (2 h6)
13Vladimir KravchenkoURS2:18.6 (1 h4)
14Juan FortunyESP2:20.6 (3 h5)
15Jürgen SchillerFRG2:20.8 (1 h7)
16Ken CampbellCAN2:20.9 (3 h6)
17István SzentirmayHUN2:21.0 (2 h4)
18Lars Kraus JensenDEN2:21.2 (3 h1)
19Martyn WoodroffeGBR2:22.0 (2 h7)
20François SimonsBEL2:22.5 (4 h5)
21Yuliyan RusevBUL2:22.7 (4 h3)
22Eduardo AlanísMEX2:23.0 (4 h6)
23Zbigniew PaceltPOL2:23.3 (4 h1)
24Raymond TerrellGBR2:23.5 (5 h3)
25Jacek KrawczykPOL2:23.8 (3 h7)
26Angel ChakarovBUL2:24.0 (3 h4)
27Guðmundur GíslasonISL2:24.1 (5 h1)
=28José Joaquín SantibáñezMEX2:24.6 (4 h4)
=28Tony AsamaliPHI2:24.6 (4 h7)
30Rafael HernándezMEX2:24.7 (5 h5)
31Andrey DunayevURS2:25.9 (6 h1)
32Gershon ShefaISR2:26.6 (5 h6)
33Olle FermSWE2:27.5 (6 h3)
34Karl ByromAUS2:28.0 (5 h4)
35José MartínezCUB2:31.4 (5 h7)
36Francisco RamisPUR2:31.9 (7 h1)
37Salvador VilanovaESA2:33.8 (6 h5)
38Ronnie WongHKG2:36.1 (4 h2)
39Peter SchmidAUT2:36.4 (6 h6)
40Donnacha O'DeaIRL2:36.6 (5 h2)
41Rubén GuerreroESA2:37.5 (8 h1)
42Bob LohHKG2:39.3 (7 h5)
43Friedrich JokischESA2:41.6 (7 h6)
44Andrew LohHKG2:42.0 (6 h7)
45Chan King-MingTPE2:44.9 (6 h4)
DQLee Tong-ShingTPE– (DQ h3)
DNSØrjan MadsenNOR– (DNS h2)
DNSJosé FerraioliPUR– (DNS h6)

Round One (19 October 1968 — 10:00)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15Charlie HickcoxUSA2:16.1QOR
27Péter LázárHUN2:17.1Q
34Lars Kraus JensenDEN2:21.2
41Zbigniew PaceltPOL2:23.3
58Guðmundur GíslasonISL2:24.1
63Andrey DunayevURS2:25.9
76Francisco RamisPUR2:31.9
82Rubén GuerreroESA2:37.5

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15George SmithCAN2:16.4Q
24Mike HolthausFRG2:17.5Q
36Frank WiegandGDR2:18.0
42Ronnie WongHKG2:36.1
53Donnacha O'DeaIRL2:36.6
DNSØrjan MadsenNOR

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15John FerrisUSA2:14.6QOR
22Reinhard MerkelFRG2:17.8
34Hans LjungbergSWE2:17.8
43Yuliyan RusevBUL2:22.7
56Raymond TerrellGBR2:23.5
67Olle FermSWE2:27.5
DQ1Lee Tong-ShingTPE

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
17Vladimir KravchenkoURS2:18.6
26István SzentirmayHUN2:21.0
35Angel ChakarovBUL2:24.0
43José Joaquín SantibáñezMEX2:24.6
52Karl ByromAUS2:28.0
64Chan King-MingTPE2:44.9

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Sandy GilchristCAN2:16.8Q
22Juan Carlos BelloPER2:17.5Q
36Juan FortunyESP2:20.6
41François SimonsBEL2:22.5
54Rafael HernándezMEX2:24.7
65Salvador VilanovaESA2:33.8
77Bob LohHKG2:39.3

Heat Six

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Greg BuckinghamUSA2:15.6Q
26Michele D'OppidoITA2:18.5
35Ken CampbellCAN2:20.9
42Eduardo AlanísMEX2:23.0
57Gershon ShefaISR2:26.6
63Peter SchmidAUT2:36.4
71Friedrich JokischESA2:41.6
DNSJosé FerraioliPUR

Heat Seven

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Jürgen SchillerFRG2:20.8
22Martyn WoodroffeGBR2:22.0
34Jacek KrawczykPOL2:23.8
46Tony AsamaliPHI2:24.6
55José MartínezCUB2:31.4
67Andrew LohHKG2:42.0

Final (20 October 1968 — 17:00)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
16Charlie HickcoxUSA2:12.0OR
25Greg BuckinghamUSA2:13.0
34John FerrisUSA2:13.3
42Juan Carlos BelloPER2:13.7
53George SmithCAN2:15.9
67Sandy GilchristCAN2:16.6
71Mike HolthausFRG2:16.8
88Péter LázárHUN2:18.3