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| Event type

200 metres Backstroke, Men

Date 2 September 1972
StatusOlympic
LocationSchwimmhalle, Olympiapark, München
Participants36 from 23 countries

Roland Matthes had won this event and the 100 backstroke in 1968. Since Mexico City he had bettered the world record in the 200 back five times and the 100 back four times. Four days before this event he had defended his gold medal in the 100 backstroke and he started the 200 back as the clear favorite. The final saw Matthes started slowly as the early lead was set by American Mitch Ivey, followed by his teammate Mike Stamm, silver medalist in the 100 back. Ivey still led at 100 metres but Matthes had moved into second, but he caught Ivey at 125 metres and had a full bodylength lead by the final turn, the race all but over. He eventually won by over a second, but Stamm came on strong to catch a tiring Ivey and won the silver medal.

PosSwimmerNOCR1Final
1Roland MatthesGDR2:06.62 (1 h5)2:02.82 (1)Gold
2Mike StammUSA2:07.51 (1 h2)2:04.09 (2)Silver
3Mitch IveyUSA2:09.32 (1 h4)2:04.33 (3)Bronze
4Brad CooperAUS2:07.90 (1 h3)2:06.59 (4)
5Tim McKeeUSA2:08.19 (2 h3)2:07.29 (5)
6Lothar NoackGDR2:08.80 (2 h5)2:08.67 (6)
7Zoltán VerrasztóHUN2:09.89 (1 h1)2:10.09 (7)
8Jean-Paul BerjeauFRA2:09.93 (2 h4)2:11.77 (8)
9Bob SchoutsenNED2:10.56 (3 h4)
10Colin CunninghamGBR2:11.06 (2 h1)
11Tadashi HondaJPN2:11.11 (4 h4)
12Anders SandbergSWE2:11.36 (3 h5)
13Neil MartinAUS2:12.09 (2 h2)
14Ejvind PedersenDEN2:12.30 (4 h5)
15Bill KennedyCAN2:12.55 (3 h1)
16Massimo NistriITA2:12.85 (3 h3)
17Nenad MilošYUG2:12.99 (3 h2)
18Lutz WanjaGDR2:13.46 (4 h2)
19Helmut PodolanAUT2:13.63 (5 h5)
20Róbert RudolfHUN2:13.64 (5 h4)
21José UruetaMEX2:13.85 (4 h3)
22Lars BørgesenDEN2:14.50 (5 h3)
23Pierre BaehrFRA2:14.65 (6 h5)
24John HawesCAN2:15.34 (6 h4)
25Rafael RochaMEX2:15.81 (4 h1)
26Norbert VerweyenFRG2:15.94 (7 h4)
27Ian MacKenzieCAN2:16.36 (5 h1)
28Rômulo ArantesBRA2:18.15 (6 h3)
29Predrag MilošYUG2:18.43 (8 h4)
30Bruce FeatherstonAUS2:18.63 (7 h5)
31Gustavo GonzálezARG2:19.74 (8 h5)
32Gerardo RosarioPHI2:23.53 (7 h3)
33Sarun VanCAM2:24.42 (5 h2)
34Chiang Jin ChoonMAS2:26.51 (6 h2)
35Sergio HasbúnESA2:27.93 (6 h1)
36Mark CrockerHKG2:33.64 (7 h1)
DNSDimitar KolarovBUL– (DNS h1)
DNSLászló Cseh, Sr.HUN– (DNS h2)
DNSEdmund BartkowiakPOL– (DNS h2)
DNSHsu Tung-HsiungTPE– (DNS h3)

Round One (2 September 1972 — 10:35)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Zoltán VerrasztóHUN2:09.89Q
2Colin CunninghamGBR2:11.06
3Bill KennedyCAN2:12.55
4Rafael RochaMEX2:15.81
5Ian MacKenzieCAN2:16.36
6Sergio HasbúnESA2:27.93
7Mark CrockerHKG2:33.64
DNSDimitar KolarovBUL

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Mike StammUSA2:07.51QOR
2Neil MartinAUS2:12.09
3Nenad MilošYUG2:12.99
4Lutz WanjaGDR2:13.46
5Sarun VanCAM2:24.42
6Chiang Jin ChoonMAS2:26.51
DNSLászló Cseh, Sr.HUN
DNSEdmund BartkowiakPOL

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Brad CooperAUS2:07.90Q
2Tim McKeeUSA2:08.19Q
3Massimo NistriITA2:12.85
4José UruetaMEX2:13.85
5Lars BørgesenDEN2:14.50
6Rômulo ArantesBRA2:18.15
7Gerardo RosarioPHI2:23.53
DNSHsu Tung-HsiungTPE

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Mitch IveyUSA2:09.32Q
2Jean-Paul BerjeauFRA2:09.93Q
3Bob SchoutsenNED2:10.56
4Tadashi HondaJPN2:11.11
5Róbert RudolfHUN2:13.64
6John HawesCAN2:15.34
7Norbert VerweyenFRG2:15.94
8Predrag MilošYUG2:18.43

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Roland MatthesGDR2:06.62QOR
2Lothar NoackGDR2:08.80Q
3Anders SandbergSWE2:11.36
4Ejvind PedersenDEN2:12.30
5Helmut PodolanAUT2:13.63
6Pierre BaehrFRA2:14.65
7Bruce FeatherstonAUS2:18.63
8Gustavo GonzálezARG2:19.74

Final (2 September 1972 — 18:10)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Roland MatthesGDR2:02.82=WR
25Mike StammUSA2:04.09
37Mitch IveyUSA2:04.33
43Brad CooperAUS2:06.59
56Tim McKeeUSA2:07.29
62Lothar NoackGDR2:08.67
71Zoltán VerrasztóHUN2:10.09
88Jean-Paul BerjeauFRA2:11.77