| | Event type

200 metres Breaststroke, Women

Date	1 – 2 August 2012
Status	Olympic
Location	London Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford, London
Participants	34 from 27 countries

Rebecca Soni (USA) was a heavy favorite, having won the 2008 gold medal and the 2011 World Championships. She solidified that role when she bettered the world record in the semi-finals. Her time was 2:20.00 and all that was left for her in the final was to better the 2:20 barrier. She did that to win the gold medal in stunning fashion, posting 2:19.59 for another world mark, with splits of 32.49, 1:08.10, and 1:43.95. Soni revealed that this had been her own private goal, )It’s my goal since I was a little kid to swim under 2:20. When my coach told me you’re going to be the first woman to go under 2:20’, I’ve been chasing it ever since and I’m so happy.) Soni became the first woman to defend the gold medal in the 200 breast.

Behind Soni, Japan’s Satomi Suzuki added a silver to the bronze she had won in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 2:20.72 to equal the Asian record. The bronze went to Russian Yuliya Yefimova, who trained with Soni at the Trojan Swim Club, and finished in an European record 2:20.92.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	Rebecca Soni	USA	2:21.40 (1 h5)	2:20.00 (1 h2)	2:19.59 (1)	Gold
2	Satomi Suzuki	JPN	2:23.22 (1 h3)	2:22.40 (2 h2)	2:20.72 (2)	Silver
3	Yuliya Yefimova	RUS	2:26.83 (=4 h4)	2:23.02 (2 h1)	2:20.92 (3)	Bronze
4	Rikke Møller Pedersen	DEN	2:22.69 (2 h5)	2:22.23 (1 h1)	2:21.65 (4)
5	Martha McCabe	CAN	2:26.39 (3 h4)	2:24.09 (4 h2)	2:23.16 (5)
6	Micah Lawrence	USA	2:24.50 (3 h5)	2:23.39 (3 h1)	2:23.27 (6)
7	Suzaan van Biljon	RSA	2:25.94 (4 h3)	2:23.21 (3 h2)	2:23.72 (7)
8	Sally Foster	AUS	2:26.04 (5 h3)	2:24.46 (4 h1)	2:26.00 (8)
9	Baek Su-Yeon	KOR	2:25.76 (=2 h3)	2:24.67 (5 h1)	–
10	Joline Höstman	SWE	2:25.44 (1 h4)	2:24.77 (6 h1)	–
11	Sara El-Bekri	MAR	2:26.05 (6 h3)	2:25.86 (5 h2)	–
12	Anastasiya Chaun	RUS	2:25.39 (4 h5)	2:26.08 (6 h2)	–
13	Ji Liping	CHN	2:25.76 (=2 h3)	2:27.26 (7 h2)	–
14	Kanako Watanabe	JPN	2:26.38 (2 h4)	2:27.32 (7 h1)	–
15	Tessa Wallace	AUS	2:26.94 (5 h5)	2:27.38 (8 h1)	–
16	Jeong Da-Rae	KOR	2:26.83 (=4 h4)	2:28.74 (8 h2)	–
17	Hanna Dzerkal	UKR	2:27.09 (1 h2)	–	–
18	Stacey Tadd	GBR	2:27.18 (6 h4)	–	–
19	Fanny Lecluyse	BEL	2:27.30 (6 h5)	–	–
20	Marina García	ESP	2:27.57 (7 h5)	–	–
21	Tera Van Beilen	CAN	2:27.70 (7 h3)	–	–
22	Chiara Boggiatto	ITA	2:27.74 (8 h5)	–	–
23	Sara Nordenstam	NOR	2:27.90 (8 h3)	–	–
24	Sun Ye	CHN	2:27.94 (7 h4)	–	–
25	Nađa Higl	SRB	2:28.38 (8 h4)	–	–
26	Martina Moravčíková	CZE	2:28.54 (2 h2)	–	–
27	Alia Atkinson	JAM	2:28.77 (1 h1)	–	–
28	Hrafnhildur Lúthersdóttir	ISL	2:29.60 (3 h2)	–	–
29	Anna Sztankovics	HUN	2:29.67 (2 h1)	–	–
30	Buse Günaydın	TUR	2:30.64 (4 h2)	–	–
31	Sarra Lajnef	TUN	2:31.15 (5 h2)	–	–
32	Jenna Laukkanen	FIN	2:31.23 (6 h2)	–	–
33	Tanja Šmid	SLO	2:32.19 (7 h2)	–	–
34	Darya Talanova	KGZ	2:38.01 (3 h1)	–	–

Round One (1 August 2012 — 10:43)

Fastest 16 swimmers advanced to semi-finals

Heat One (10:43)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	5	Alia Atkinson	JAM	33.04 (1) 38.40	1:11.44 (1) 38.44	1:49.88 (1) 38.89	2:28.77	0.74
2	4	Anna Sztankovics	HUN	33.94 (2) 38.50	1:12.44 (2) 38.45	1:50.89 (2) 38.78	2:29.67	0.74
3	3	Darya Talanova	KGZ	35.53 (3) 40.21	1:15.74 (3) 41.06	1:56.80 (3) 41.21	2:38.01	0.80

Heat Two (10:47)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	5	Hanna Dzerkal	UKR	34.36 (5) 37.30	1:11.66 (2) 37.69	1:49.35 (1) 37.74	2:27.09	0.77
2	6	Martina Moravčíková	CZE	34.22 (=2) 37.65	1:11.87 (3) 37.85	1:49.72 (2) 38.82	2:28.54	0.80
3	4	Hrafnhildur Lúthersdóttir	ISL	34.03 (1) 37.46	1:11.49 (1) 38.62	1:50.11 (3) 39.49	2:29.60	0.76
4	7	Buse Günaydın	TUR	34.49 (6) 37.89	1:12.38 (=5) 38.57	1:50.95 (4) 39.69	2:30.64	0.72
5	1	Sarra Lajnef	TUN	34.22 (=2) 37.93	1:12.15 (4) 38.86	1:51.01 (5) 40.14	2:31.15	0.82
6	2	Jenna Laukkanen	FIN	34.29 (4) 38.09	1:12.38 (=5) 38.91	1:51.29 (6) 39.94	2:31.23	0.72
7	3	Tanja Šmid	SLO	35.07 (7) 38.54	1:13.61 (7) 39.41	1:53.02 (7) 39.17	2:32.19	0.91

Heat Three (10:52)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Satomi Suzuki	JPN	32.85 (2) 36.34	1:09.19 (1) 36.93	1:46.12 (1) 37.10	2:23.22	0.63	Q
=2	3	Ji Liping	CHN	33.06 (3) 36.74	1:09.80 (3) 37.18	1:46.98 (2) 38.78	2:25.76	0.76	Q
=2	1	Baek Su-Yeon	KOR	33.41 (6) 37.33	1:10.74 (6) 36.92	1:47.66 (4) 38.10	2:25.76	0.81	Q
4	2	Suzaan van Biljon	RSA	32.75 (1) 36.68	1:09.43 (2) 38.06	1:47.49 (3) 38.45	2:25.94	0.70	Q
5	6	Sally Foster	AUS	33.66 (8) 36.91	1:10.57 (4) 37.42	1:47.99 (5) 38.05	2:26.04	0.78	Q
6	7	Sara El-Bekri	MAR	33.36 (5) 37.28	1:10.64 (5) 37.54	1:48.18 (6) 37.87	2:26.05	0.71	Q
7	5	Tera Van Beilen	CAN	33.61 (7) 37.24	1:10.85 (7) 37.97	1:48.82 (7) 38.88	2:27.70	0.76
8	8	Sara Nordenstam	NOR	33.28 (4) 37.67	1:10.95 (8) 38.25	1:49.20 (8) 38.70	2:27.90	0.81

Heat Four (10:56)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	1	Joline Höstman	SWE	33.05 (2) 36.82	1:09.87 (1) 36.86	1:46.73 (1) 38.71	2:25.44	0.69	Q
2	5	Kanako Watanabe	JPN	33.72 (=4) 37.11	1:10.83 (2) 37.76	1:48.59 (2) 37.79	2:26.38	0.74	Q
3	6	Martha McCabe	CAN	33.75 (6) 37.29	1:11.04 (5) 37.58	1:48.62 (3) 37.77	2:26.39	0.72	Q
=4	4	Yuliya Yefimova	RUS	34.60 (8) 38.14	1:12.74 (8) 37.40	1:50.14 (8) 36.69	2:26.83	0.75	Q
=4	7	Jeong Da-Rae	KOR	33.72 (=4) 37.12	1:10.84 (3) 38.03	1:48.87 (5) 37.96	2:26.83	0.82	Q
6	8	Stacey Tadd	GBR	32.97 (1) 37.96	1:10.93 (4) 37.93	1:48.86 (4) 38.32	2:27.18	0.79
7	3	Sun Ye	CHN	33.69 (3) 37.63	1:11.32 (6) 38.50	1:49.82 (6) 38.12	2:27.94	0.72
8	2	Nađa Higl	SRB	34.26 (7) 37.59	1:11.85 (7) 38.08	1:49.93 (7) 38.45	2:28.38	0.76

Heat Five (11:00)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Rebecca Soni	USA	32.87 (1) 36.09	1:08.58 (1) 36.73	1:44.67 (1) –	2:21.40	0.72	Q
2	6	Rikke Møller Pedersen	DEN	33.29 (3) 36.82	1:10.11 (3) 36.39	1:46.50 (2) 36.19	2:22.69	0.72	Q
3	5	Micah Lawrence	USA	33.24 (2) 36.80	1:10.04 (2) 37.07	1:47.11 (3) 37.39	2:24.50	0.72	Q
4	3	Anastasiya Chaun	RUS	34.26 (8) 37.46	1:11.72 (7) 36.99	1:48.71 (4) 36.68	2:25.39	0.80	Q
5	1	Tessa Wallace	AUS	33.36 (4) 37.39	1:10.75 (4) 38.02	1:48.77 (6) 38.17	2:26.94	0.70	Q
6	7	Fanny Lecluyse	BEL	34.12 (7) 37.73	1:11.85 (8) 37.32	1:49.17 (8) 38.13	2:27.30	0.72
7	2	Marina García	ESP	33.42 (5) 37.56	1:10.98 (5) 37.77	1:48.75 (5) 38.82	2:27.57	0.71
8	8	Chiara Boggiatto	ITA	33.62 (6) 37.53	1:11.15 (6) 37.72	1:48.87 (7) 38.87	2:27.74	0.70

Semi-Finals (1 August 2012 — 20:29)

Fastest eight swimmers advanced to final

Heat One (20:29)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Rikke Møller Pedersen	DEN	32.86 (2) 36.29	1:09.15 (2) 36.72	1:45.87 (2) 36.36	2:22.23	0.74	Q
2	1	Yuliya Yefimova	RUS	33.76 (=6) 36.87	1:10.63 (6) 36.21	1:46.84 (3) 36.18	2:23.02	0.73	Q
3	5	Micah Lawrence	USA	32.50 (1) 36.11	1:08.61 (1) 37.13	1:45.74 (1) 37.65	2:23.39	0.74	Q
4	2	Sally Foster	AUS	33.45 (4) 37.01	1:10.46 (5) 36.80	1:47.26 (6) 37.20	2:24.46	0.76	Q
5	6	Baek Su-Yeon	KOR	33.50 (5) 36.63	1:10.13 (4) 36.95	1:47.08 (5) 37.59	2:24.67	0.86
6	3	Joline Höstman	SWE	32.99 (3) 36.82	1:09.81 (3) 37.11	1:46.92 (4) 37.85	2:24.77	0.71
7	7	Kanako Watanabe	JPN	34.10 (8) 37.43	1:11.53 (8) 37.57	1:49.10 (8) 38.22	2:27.32	0.73
8	8	Tessa Wallace	AUS	33.76 (=6) 36.88	1:10.64 (7) 37.91	1:48.55 (7) 38.83	2:27.38	0.70

Heat Two (20:35)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Rebecca Soni	USA	32.39 (1) 35.43	1:07.82 (1) 36.01	1:43.83 (1) 36.17	2:20.00	0.72	Q
2	5	Satomi Suzuki	JPN	32.88 (3) 36.70	1:09.58 (3) 36.07	1:45.65 (2) 36.75	2:22.40	0.63	Q
3	2	Suzaan van Biljon	RSA	32.67 (2) 36.45	1:09.12 (2) 36.62	1:45.74 (3) 37.47	2:23.21	0.71	Q
4	1	Martha McCabe	CAN	32.93 (5) 36.83	1:09.76 (6) 37.07	1:46.83 (4) 37.26	2:24.09	0.69	Q
5	7	Sara El-Bekri	MAR	32.92 (4) 36.69	1:09.61 (4) 37.83	1:47.44 (5) 38.42	2:25.86	0.74
6	3	Anastasiya Chaun	RUS	33.86 (8) 37.12	1:10.98 (8) 37.60	1:48.58 (7) 37.50	2:26.08	0.83
7	6	Ji Liping	CHN	32.98 (6) 36.73	1:09.71 (5) 38.00	1:47.71 (6) 39.55	2:27.26	0.73
8	8	Jeong Da-Rae	KOR	33.54 (7) 37.05	1:10.59 (7) 38.23	1:48.82 (8) 39.92	2:28.74	0.84

Final (2 August 2012 — 19:40)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Rebecca Soni	USA	32.49 (2) 35.61	1:08.10 (1) 35.85	1:43.95 (1) 35.64	2:19.59	0.73
2	3	Satomi Suzuki	JPN	32.53 (3) 36.11	1:08.64 (3) 36.03	1:44.67 (2) 36.05	2:20.72	0.63
3	6	Yuliya Yefimova	RUS	33.43 (7) 36.18	1:09.61 (7) 35.82	1:45.43 (5) 35.49	2:20.92	0.71
4	5	Rikke Møller Pedersen	DEN	32.91 (5) 36.35	1:09.26 (5) 35.93	1:45.19 (3) 36.46	2:21.65	0.7
5	1	Martha McCabe	CAN	33.01 (6) 36.54	1:09.55 (6) 36.66	1:46.21 (7) 36.95	2:23.16	0.72
6	7	Micah Lawrence	USA	32.65 (4) 36.39	1:09.04 (4) 37.04	1:46.08 (6) 37.19	2:23.27	0.75
7	2	Suzaan van Biljon	RSA	32.22 (1) 36.29	1:08.51 (2) 36.85	1:45.36 (4) 38.36	2:23.72	0.73
8	8	Sally Foster	AUS	33.7 (8) 36.72	1:10.42 (8) 37.48	1:47.90 (8) 38.10	2:26.00	0.79