200 metres Butterfly, Women

This was a new Olympic event for women in 1968. Ada Kok of the Netherlands came to Mexico City as the world record holder in both butterfly events. She had won the 1966 European Championship over 100 metres and had set multiple world butterfly records. Huge for the era at 183 cm (6-0) and 85 kg (182 lbs), “The Gentle Giant” had been favored for gold medals in Tokyo but won only two silvers in the 100 fly and the medley relay, and she had failed to medal in Mexico City in the 100 fly. But in the 200 metres she came through, swimming what Swimming World described as “a beautiful race”. She started out at a measured pace, and was only third at 150 metres, trailing East Germany’s Helga Lindner and West Germany’s Heike Hustede, with American Ellie Daniel in fourth. But Kok had plenty left and finished strongly for the gold medal, although it was close, with Lindner taking silver and Daniel coming on for bronze. Hustede dropped back to fifth, behind American Toni Hewitt.