| | Event type

200 metres Backstroke, Women

Date	25 October 1968
Status	Olympic
Location	Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez, Ciudad de México
Participants	30 from 19 countries

The world record holder was Karen Muir of South Africa, who could not compete because her nation was banned from the Olympics because of its policy of apartheid in sport (and elsewhere), and would remain banned until 1992. She had set four world records in the event since 1966 and was missed. Canada’s Elaine Tanner had broken her streak with a single world record set in July 1967 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to win the Pan American Games. America’s best was Pokey Watson, who was young and untried internationally. In the final Tanner took the lead over the first 100 metres with Watson second, followed by Yugoslavia’s Zdenka Gašparač and American Kaye Hall in fourth. Watson caught Tanner at the 125-metre mark and took the lead on the final turn, powering home to win in 2:24.8, 2.6 seconds ahead of Tanner, with Hall coming on strong for the bronze medal, and Gašparač dropping back to sixth.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	Final
1	15400	Pokey Watson	USA	2:29.2 (1 h5)	2:24.8 (1)	Gold
2	13885	Elaine Tanner	CAN	2:30.9 (1 h4)	2:27.4 (2)	Silver
3	15384	Kaye Hall	USA	2:31.1 (1 h1)	2:28.9 (3)	Bronze
4	13069	Lynne Watson	AUS	2:33.5 (1 h3)	2:29.5 (4)
5	16694	Wendy Burrell	GBR	2:33.2 (2 h4)	2:32.3 (5)
6	21689	Zdenka Gašparac	YUG	2:33.7 (2 h5)	2:33.5 (6)
7	–	María Corominas	ESP	2:34.5 (1 h2)	2:33.9 (7)
8	16244	Bénédicte Duprez	FRA	2:34.5 (3 h5)	2:36.6 (8)
9	23057	Doris Kohardt	GDR	2:34.7 (3 h4)	–
10	15374	Susie Atwood	USA	2:35.2 (2 h3)	–
11	17074	Bep Weeteling	NED	2:35.4 (3 h3)	–
12	21055	Tatyana Savelyeva	URS	2:35.5 (2 h2)	–
13	16245	Sylvie Canet	FRA	2:36.1 (4 h5)	–
14	12334	Angelika Kraus	FRG	2:36.7 (4 h4)	–
15	17073	Coby Sikkens	NED	2:36.9 (2 h1)	–
16	13103	Yvette Hafner	AUT	2:37.7 (5 h5)	–
17	13887	Jeanne Warren	CAN	2:37.9 (3 h1)	–
18	16008	Ulla Patrikka	FIN	2:38.1 (3 h2)	–
19	20080	Anca Andreiu	ROU	2:38.8 (4 h3)	–
20	13883	Anne Walton	CAN	2:39.4 (4 h1)	–
21	16685	Jackie Brown	GBR	2:40.0 (5 h1)	–
22	19366	Glenda Stirling	NZL	2:40.3 (5 h4)	–
=23	21067	Tina Lek'veishvili	URS	2:40.5 (6 h1)	–
=23	–	Kiki Caron	FRA	2:40.5 (4 h2)	–
25	18213	Patricia Sentous	ARG	2:41.5 (6 h5)	–
26	13288	Francine Dauven	BEL	2:43.5 (7 h1)	–
27	12851	María Procopio	ARG	2:49.2 (5 h3)	–
28	21523	Felicia Ospitaletche	URU	2:51.4 (7 h5)	–
29	14926	Carmen Ferracuti	ESA	2:52.6 (6 h4)	–
30	14929	Rosa Hasbún	ESA	2:56.2 (8 h5)	–
DNS	16863	Silvana Asturias	GUA	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	17378	Judit Bárányi	HUN	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	–	Andrea Gyarmati	HUN	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	17382	Mária Balla-Lantos	HUN	– (DNS h3)	–
DNS	18778	Lidia Ramírez	MEX	– (DNS h3)	–
DNS	15890	Helen Elliott	PHI	– (DNS h3)	–
DNS	12810	Adriana Comolli	ARG	– (DNS h4)	–

Round One

Date	25 October 1968 — 10:00
Format	Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Pokey Watson	USA	2:29.2	QOR
2	–	Elaine Tanner	CAN	2:30.9	QOR
3	–	Kaye Hall	USA	2:31.1	QOR
4	–	Wendy Burrell	GBR	2:33.2	Q
5	–	Lynne Watson	AUS	2:33.5	Q
6	–	Zdenka Gašparac	YUG	2:33.7	Q
=7	–	María Corominas	ESP	2:34.5	Q
=7	–	Bénédicte Duprez	FRA	2:34.5	Q
9	–	Doris Kohardt	GDR	2:34.7
10	–	Susie Atwood	USA	2:35.2
11	–	Bep Weeteling	NED	2:35.4
12	–	Tatyana Savelyeva	URS	2:35.5
13	–	Sylvie Canet	FRA	2:36.1
14	–	Angelika Kraus	FRG	2:36.7
15	–	Coby Sikkens	NED	2:36.9
16	–	Yvette Hafner	AUT	2:37.7
17	–	Jeanne Warren	CAN	2:37.9
18	–	Ulla Patrikka	FIN	2:38.1
19	–	Anca Andreiu	ROU	2:38.8
20	–	Anne Walton	CAN	2:39.4
21	–	Jackie Brown	GBR	2:40.0
22	–	Glenda Stirling	NZL	2:40.3
=23	–	Tina Lek'veishvili	URS	2:40.5
=23	–	Kiki Caron	FRA	2:40.5
25	–	Patricia Sentous	ARG	2:41.5
26	–	Francine Dauven	BEL	2:43.5
27	–	María Procopio	ARG	2:49.2
28	–	Felicia Ospitaletche	URU	2:51.4
29	–	Carmen Ferracuti	ESA	2:52.6
30	–	Rosa Hasbún	ESA	2:56.2
DNS	–	Silvana Asturias	GUA	–
DNS	–	Judit Bárányi	HUN	–
DNS	–	Andrea Gyarmati	HUN	–
DNS	–	Mária Balla-Lantos	HUN	–
DNS	–	Lidia Ramírez	MEX	–
DNS	–	Helen Elliott	PHI	–
DNS	–	Adriana Comolli	ARG	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Kaye Hall	USA	2:31.1	1:12.0 (1)	1:19.1 (1)	QOR
2	–	Coby Sikkens	NED	2:36.9	1:17.5 (5)	1:19.4 (2)
3	–	Jeanne Warren	CAN	2:37.9	1:16.6 (3)	1:21.3 (4)
4	–	Anne Walton	CAN	2:39.4	1:16.9 (4)	1:22.5 (5)
5	–	Jackie Brown	GBR	2:40.0	1:14.5 (2)	1:25.5 (7)
6	–	Tina Lek'veishvili	URS	2:40.5	1:19.5 (6)	1:21.0 (3)
7	–	Francine Dauven	BEL	2:43.5	1:19.7 (7)	1:23.8 (6)

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	María Corominas	ESP	2:34.5	1:15.9 (3)	1:18.6 (1)	Q
2	–	Tatyana Savelyeva	URS	2:35.5	1:15.0 (2)	1:20.5 (2)
3	–	Ulla Patrikka	FIN	2:38.1	1:13.8 (1)	1:24.3 (4)
4	–	Kiki Caron	FRA	2:40.5	1:17.7 (4)	1:22.8 (3)
DNS	–	Silvana Asturias	GUA	–	– (–)	–
DNS	–	Judit Bárányi	HUN	–	– (–)	–
DNS	–	Andrea Gyarmati	HUN	–	– (–)	–

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Lynne Watson	AUS	2:33.5	1:14.5 (1)	1:19.0 (1)	Q
2	–	Susie Atwood	USA	2:35.2	1:14.6 (2)	1:20.6 (3)
3	–	Bep Weeteling	NED	2:35.4	1:15.3 (3)	1:20.1 (2)
4	–	Anca Andreiu	ROU	2:38.8	1:17.0 (4)	1:21.8 (4)
5	–	María Procopio	ARG	2:49.2	1:21.7 (5)	1:27.5 (5)
DNS	–	Mária Balla-Lantos	HUN	–	– (–)	–
DNS	–	Lidia Ramírez	MEX	–	– (–)	–
DNS	–	Helen Elliott	PHI	–	– (–)	–

Heat #4

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Elaine Tanner	CAN	2:30.9	1:13.7 (2)	1:17.2 (1)	QOR
2	–	Wendy Burrell	GBR	2:33.2	1:12.8 (1)	1:20.4 (4)	Q
3	–	Doris Kohardt	GDR	2:34.7	1:14.9 (3)	1:19.8 (2)
4	–	Angelika Kraus	FRG	2:36.7	1:16.4 (4)	1:20.3 (3)
5	–	Glenda Stirling	NZL	2:40.3	1:18.9 (5)	1:21.4 (5)
6	–	Carmen Ferracuti	ESA	2:52.6	1:23.6 (6)	1:29.0 (6)
DNS	–	Adriana Comolli	ARG	–	– (–)	–

Heat #5

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Pokey Watson	USA	2:29.2	1:13.8 (2)	1:15.4 (1)	QOR
2	–	Zdenka Gašparac	YUG	2:33.7	1:13.5 (1)	1:20.2 (4)	Q
3	–	Bénédicte Duprez	FRA	2:34.5	1:15.5 (3)	1:19.0 (3)	Q
4	–	Sylvie Canet	FRA	2:36.1	1:17.8 (5)	1:18.3 (2)
5	–	Yvette Hafner	AUT	2:37.7	1:17.2 (4)	1:20.5 (5)
6	–	Patricia Sentous	ARG	2:41.5	1:19.5 (6)	1:22.0 (6)
7	–	Felicia Ospitaletche	URU	2:51.4	1:25.4 (8)	1:26.0 (7)
8	–	Rosa Hasbún	ESA	2:56.2	1:22.3 (7)	1:33.9 (8)

Final Round

Date	25 October 1968 — 17:00

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Pokey Watson	USA	2:24.8	1:10.4 (2)	1:14.4 (1)	OR
2	–	Elaine Tanner	CAN	2:27.4	1:09.1 (1)	1:18.3 (4)
3	–	Kaye Hall	USA	2:28.9	1:12.1 (4)	1:16.8 (2)
4	–	Lynne Watson	AUS	2:29.5	1:12.5 (5)	1:17.0 (3)
5	–	Wendy Burrell	GBR	2:32.3	1:12.9 (6)	1:19.4 (6)
6	–	Zdenka Gašparac	YUG	2:33.5	1:11.8 (3)	1:21.7 (8)
7	–	María Corominas	ESP	2:33.9	1:14.6 (7)	1:19.3 (5)
8	–	Bénédicte Duprez	FRA	2:36.6	1:15.4 (8)	1:21.2 (7)