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| Event type

200 metres Freestyle, Men

Date24 October 1968
StatusOlympic
LocationAlberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez, Ciudad de México
Participants57 from 26 countries

Don Schollander had dominated 1964 Olympic swimming, winning four gold medals, but his best event, the 200 freestyle, was not even on the Olympic Program in 64. The event was added for Mexico City and since Tokyo, he had set five world records in the event, capped by 1:54.3 at the US Trials in late August in Long Beach, California, which gave him nine world records overall in this event. He was considered the clear favorite. Mike Wenden had already won the 100 freestyle in Mexico City but few thought he could defeat Schollander in this race. Wenden had not heard that, as he took the lead on the first lap, having half a body length on Schollander at 50 metres. He opened that to a full body length at 100 metres and then hung on. Schollander closed in the last 25 metres but couldn’t make up the gap as Wenden won the 100-200 sprint freestyle double, 1:55.2 to 1:55.8. One absentee in the final was America’s Steve Rerych, later a renowned heart surgeon, who was a victim of the tourista in Mexico City. Schollander retired after the Mexico City Olympics. Wenden continued to compete, returning to win four gold medals at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, and competing at the Munich Olympics, although he failed to medal there.

PosSwimmerNOCR1Final
1Mike WendenAUS1:59.3 (1 h2)1:55.2 (1)Gold
2Don SchollanderUSA2:00.0 (1 h4)1:55.8 (2)Silver
3John NelsonUSA1:59.5 (1 h1)1:58.1 (3)Bronze
4Ralph HuttonCAN2:00.0 (1 h8)1:58.6 (4)
5Alain MosconiFRA2:00.1 (1 h6)1:59.1 (5)
6Bob WindleAUS2:01.0 (2 h2)2:00.9 (6)
7Semyon Belits-GeymanURS2:01.2 (2 h5)2:01.5 (7)
8Steve RerychUSA2:00.6 (1 h5)– (DNS)
=9Leonid IlyichovURS2:01.3 (2 h6)
=9Juan Carlos BelloPER2:01.3 (1 h7)
11Michel RousseauFRA2:01.5 (1 h9)
12Olaf, Baron von SchillingFRG2:01.7 (2 h8)
=13Sandy GilchristCAN2:01.8 (1 h3)
=13Luis NicolaoARG2:01.8 (2 h4)
=15Wolfgang KremerFRG2:02.1 (2 h1)
=15Lester ErikssonSWE2:02.1 (2 h3)
=15Kunihiro IwasakiJPN2:02.1 (2 h9)
18Mark AndersonAUS2:02.2 (3 h1)
19Gilles MoreauFRA2:02.7 (3 h3)
20Julio ArangoCOL2:03.1 (2 h7)
21George SmithCAN2:03.2 (3 h6)
22Noboru WasedaJPN2:03.4 (4 h1)
23Johan SchansNED2:04.1 (3 h4)
24Roosevelt AbdulgafurPHI2:04.8 (4 h6)
=25Gunnar LarssonSWE2:04.9 (4 h4)
=25Pano CapéronisSUI2:04.9 (3 h5)
27Ørjan MadsenNOR2:05.4 (4 h5)
28Satoru NakanoJPN2:05.5 (4 h3)
29Elt DrenthNED2:05.6 (5 h4)
30Ricardo GonzálezCOL2:05.8 (5 h5)
31Władysław WojtakajtisPOL2:06.0 (3 h2)
32Tony AsamaliPHI2:06.2 (3 h8)
33Zbigniew PaceltPOL2:06.3 (3 h7)
34Mátyás BorlóiHUN2:06.5 (4 h2)
=35Gary GoodnerPUR2:06.6 (5 h1)
=35Aad OudtNED2:06.6 (3 h9)
37Fernando GonzálezECU2:07.3 (5 h6)
38Werner KrammelFRG2:07.9 (6 h6)
39Georgijs KuļikovsURS2:08.3 (6 h4)
40Jorge GonzálezPUR2:09.1 (4 h7)
=41Amnon KrauzISR2:09.3 (5 h2)
=41Tony JarvisGBR2:09.3 (6 h5)
=43Csaba CsatlósHUN2:10.0 (5 h7)
=43Ingvar ErikssonSWE2:10.0 (4 h8)
45Gregorio FialloCUB2:10.5 (6 h2)
46Federico SicardCOL2:11.1 (5 h3)
47Ramiro BenavidesGUA2:11.7 (7 h6)
48Luis AyesaPHI2:12.2 (4 h9)
49Gábor KucseraHUN2:12.8 (6 h7)
50Salvador VilanovaESA2:14.6 (6 h1)
51Ronnie WongHKG2:15.0 (7 h4)
52Andrew LohHKG2:15.8 (5 h8)
53José MartínezCUB2:16.1 (6 h3)
54Bob LohHKG2:16.2 (7 h5)
55Angus EdghillBAR2:19.1 (8 h4)
56José AlvaradoESA2:20.2 (8 h6)
57Ernesto DurónESA2:24.1 (5 h9)
DNSGuillermo EchevarríaMEX– (DNS h1)
DNSMichele D'OppidoITA– (DNS h2)
DNSMike TurnerGBR– (DNS h3)
DNSEdgar MirandaCRC– (DNS h5)
DNSJosé Roberto AranhaBRA– (DNS h7)
DNSUdo PoserGDR– (DNS h7)
DNSJohn ThurleyGBR– (DNS h8)
DNSSalvador RuizMEX– (DNS h8)
DNSJosé FerraioliPUR– (DNS h8)
DNSCarlos van der MaathARG– (DNS h9)
DNSPietro BoscainiITA– (DNS h9)

Round One (24 October 1968 — 10:00)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
12John NelsonUSA1:59.5Q
25Wolfgang KremerFRG2:02.1
34Mark AndersonAUS2:02.2
47Noboru WasedaJPN2:03.4
56Gary GoodnerPUR2:06.6
63Salvador VilanovaESA2:14.6
DNSGuillermo EchevarríaMEX

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15Mike WendenAUS1:59.3Q
23Bob WindleAUS2:01.0Q
34Władysław WojtakajtisPOL2:06.0
47Mátyás BorlóiHUN2:06.5
52Amnon KrauzISR2:09.3
66Gregorio FialloCUB2:10.5
DNSMichele D'OppidoITA

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
12Sandy GilchristCAN2:01.8
25Lester ErikssonSWE2:02.1
37Gilles MoreauFRA2:02.7
44Satoru NakanoJPN2:05.5
53Federico SicardCOL2:11.1
66José MartínezCUB2:16.1
DNSMike TurnerGBR

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
17Don SchollanderUSA2:00.0Q
28Luis NicolaoARG2:01.8
33Johan SchansNED2:04.1
45Gunnar LarssonSWE2:04.9
52Elt DrenthNED2:05.6
61Georgijs KuļikovsURS2:08.3
76Ronnie WongHKG2:15.0
84Angus EdghillBAR2:19.1

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
17Steve RerychUSA2:00.6Q
23Semyon Belits-GeymanURS2:01.2Q
31Pano CapéronisSUI2:04.9
46Ørjan MadsenNOR2:05.4
52Ricardo GonzálezCOL2:05.8
64Tony JarvisGBR2:09.3
75Bob LohHKG2:16.2
DNSEdgar MirandaCRC

Heat Six

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
17Alain MosconiFRA2:00.1Q
25Leonid IlyichovURS2:01.3
34George SmithCAN2:03.2
43Roosevelt AbdulgafurPHI2:04.8
52Fernando GonzálezECU2:07.3
61Werner KrammelFRG2:07.9
78Ramiro BenavidesGUA2:11.7
86José AlvaradoESA2:20.2

Heat Seven

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
16Juan Carlos BelloPER2:01.3
23Julio ArangoCOL2:03.1
34Zbigniew PaceltPOL2:06.3
45Jorge GonzálezPUR2:09.1
57Csaba CsatlósHUN2:10.0
62Gábor KucseraHUN2:12.8
DNSJosé Roberto AranhaBRA
DNSUdo PoserGDR

Heat Eight

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
16Ralph HuttonCAN2:00.0Q
22Olaf, Baron von SchillingFRG2:01.7
33Tony AsamaliPHI2:06.2
45Ingvar ErikssonSWE2:10.0
54Andrew LohHKG2:15.8
DNSJohn ThurleyGBR
DNSSalvador RuizMEX
DNSJosé FerraioliPUR

Heat Nine

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
12Michel RousseauFRA2:01.5
25Kunihiro IwasakiJPN2:02.1
33Aad OudtNED2:06.6
46Luis AyesaPHI2:12.2
54Ernesto DurónESA2:24.1
DNSCarlos van der MaathARG
DNSPietro BoscainiITA

Final (24 October 1968 — 17:00)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Mike WendenAUS1:55.2OR
23Don SchollanderUSA1:55.8
35John NelsonUSA1:58.1
46Ralph HuttonCAN1:58.6
52Alain MosconiFRA1:59.1
61Bob WindleAUS2:00.9
78Semyon Belits-GeymanURS2:01.5
DNS7Steve RerychUSA