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| Event type

200 metres Backstroke, Women

Date 4 September 1972
StatusOlympic
LocationSchwimmhalle, Olympiapark, München
Participants37 from 20 countries

The favorite was American Melissa Belote, who had broken the world record at the US Trials in August, recording 2:20.64. She had already won the 100 back two days earlier, and a gold in the medley relay the day before, and in the heats in Munich she broke her world record in this event with 2:20.58. The 200 final was the final event of the women’s 1972 swimming program. Belote made easy work of it, taking the lead on the first lap and increasing it throughout to win gold in another record time of 2:19.19. Her teammate Susie Atwood was second for much of the race and held on for silver, ahead of Canada’s Donna-Marie Gurr, a surprise bronze medalist.

PosSwimmerNOCR1Final
1Melissa BeloteUSA2:20.58 (1 h5)2:19.19 (1)Gold
2Susie AtwoodUSA2:22.13 (1 h2)2:20.38 (2)Silver
3Donna-Marie GurrCAN2:25.33 (2 h4)2:23.22 (3)Bronze
4Annegret KoberFRG2:24.88 (1 h1)2:23.35 (4)
5Christine HerbstGDR2:25.09 (2 h5)2:23.44 (5)
6Enith BrigithaNED2:23.70 (1 h4)2:23.70 (6)
7Debbie PalmerAUS2:24.25 (2 h2)2:24.65 (7)
8Leslie CliffCAN2:25.08 (1 h3)2:25.80 (8)
9Sue LewisAUS2:25.34 (3 h5)
10Karin BormannFRG2:25.59 (2 h3)
11Wendy CookCAN2:25.71 (2 h1)
12Andrea GyarmatiHUN2:25.81 (4 h5)
13Lynn SkrifvarsUSA2:26.40 (3 h3)
14Suzuko MatsumuraJPN2:26.95 (3 h1)
15Debra CainAUS2:27.14 (4 h3)
16Sylvie Le NoachFRA2:27.18 (3 h4)
17María Teresa RamírezMEX2:27.47 (4 h1)
18Susanne HilgerGDR2:27.88 (3 h2)
19Josien ElzermanNED2:28.18 (5 h3)
20Tina Lek'veishviliURS2:28.22 (4 h4)
21Susan HunterNZL2:28.28 (4 h2)
22Susanne NiesnerSUI2:28.62 (5 h4)
23Annemarie GroenNED2:29.17 (5 h1)
24Pam BairstowGBR2:29.28 (6 h4)
25Nataliya YershovaURS2:29.46 (5 h5)
26Kikuyo IshiiJPN2:29.66 (5 h2)
27Diana AshtonGBR2:29.95 (6 h1)
28Kazu FujimuraJPN2:30.37 (6 h3)
29Angelika KrausFRG2:31.16 (6 h5)
30Patricia LópezARG2:33.41 (7 h5)
31Zdenka GašparacYUG2:33.57 (6 h2)
32Christine FulcherIRL2:33.73 (7 h2)
33María Cecilia VargasMEX2:37.54 (7 h4)
34Diana SutherlandGBR2:37.61 (8 h5)
35Felicia OspitaletcheURU2:37.88 (7 h3)
36Pat ChanSGP2:41.27 (8 h2)
37Ong Mei LinMAS2:46.40 (8 h4)
DNSSvetlozara IgnatovaBUL– (DNS h1)
DNSMireille BassoulLBN– (DNS h3)

Round One (4 September 1972 — 10:30)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Annegret KoberFRG2:24.88Q
25Wendy CookCAN2:25.71
36Suzuko MatsumuraJPN2:26.95
47María Teresa RamírezMEX2:27.47
54Annemarie GroenNED2:29.17
62Diana AshtonGBR2:29.95
DNSSvetlozara IgnatovaBUL

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Susie AtwoodUSA2:22.13QOR
25Debbie PalmerAUS2:24.25Q
33Susanne HilgerGDR2:27.88
42Susan HunterNZL2:28.28
56Kikuyo IshiiJPN2:29.66
67Zdenka GašparacYUG2:33.57
71Christine FulcherIRL2:33.73
88Pat ChanSGP2:41.27

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
13Leslie CliffCAN2:25.08Q
27Karin BormannFRG2:25.59
35Lynn SkrifvarsUSA2:26.40
44Debra CainAUS2:27.14
56Josien ElzermanNED2:28.18
62Kazu FujimuraJPN2:30.37
78Felicia OspitaletcheURU2:37.88
DNSMireille BassoulLBN

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
12Enith BrigithaNED2:23.70Q
24Donna-Marie GurrCAN2:25.33Q
35Sylvie Le NoachFRA2:27.18
46Tina Lek'veishviliURS2:28.22
53Susanne NiesnerSUI2:28.62
67Pam BairstowGBR2:29.28
71María Cecilia VargasMEX2:37.54
88Ong Mei LinMAS2:46.40

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Melissa BeloteUSA2:20.58QWR
23Christine HerbstGDR2:25.09Q
36Sue LewisAUS2:25.34
45Andrea GyarmatiHUN2:25.81
52Nataliya YershovaURS2:29.46
67Angelika KrausFRG2:31.16
78Patricia LópezARG2:33.41
81Diana SutherlandGBR2:37.61

Final (4 September 1972 — 18:50)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Melissa BeloteUSA2:19.19WR
25Susie AtwoodUSA2:20.38
38Donna-Marie GurrCAN2:23.22
42Annegret KoberFRG2:23.35
51Christine HerbstGDR2:23.44
63Enith BrigithaNED2:23.70
76Debbie PalmerAUS2:24.65
87Leslie CliffCAN2:25.80