200 metres Butterfly, Women

The 200 butterfly final was held on the final day of swimming at the Munich Olympics. The favorite was the United States’ Karen Moe, who had won the US Trials in Chicago in August, breaking the world record with 2:16.62. Also highly considered was her teammate, Ellie Daniel, one of the few US female swimmers who had competed at Mexico City, where she won a bronze in this event. Daniel had set three world records in the 200 fly in 1971. Daniel took the lead in the final on the first lap over the 100 butterfly champion, Mayumi Aoki, but East German Rosemarie Kother moved ahead by 100 metres. Kother still led at 150, but off the turn Daniel moved back into the lead, closely chased by Karen Moe. Moe took the lead for good at 170 metres, and almost at the same time American Lynn Colella passed both Daniel and Kother. Moe hung on the gold medal and led a USA sweep, with Colella in second and Daniel repeating her bronze medal from Mexico. Over the next four years Rosemarie Kother, later Rosemarie Gabriel, would become the top swimmer in the world in this event, winning the title at the 1973 and 1975 World Championships, and setting five consecutive world records. Favored at the 1976 Olympics, she failed to come through, winning a bronze medal at the back of a GDR sweep.