| Date | 19 July 1976 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Piscine olympique, Montréal, Québec |
| Participants | 55 from 33 countries |
The world record in this event had not moved since Mark Spitz set it to win this race in München. But the Montréal final would see six swimmers better Spitz’s mark, and a seventh equal it. Bruce Furniss led out the final with a first 50 split of 26.43, just ahead of John Naber who, only ½-hour before, had won gold in the 100 backstroke final. Naber took over the lead, though narrowly, at 100 and 150 metres, but Furniss came back strongly to win gold in 1:50.29, Naber finishing in 1:50.50. Just behind him was the third American, as Jim Montgomery completed the United States’ sweep.
Furniss’ brother, Steve Furniss, had won a bronze medal in 1972 in the 200 individual medley. John Naber would eventually win four gold medals in Montréal, in addition to his silver in this race.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 414 | Bruce Furniss |  USA | 1:50.93 (1 h8) | 1:50.29 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 429 | John Naber | USA | 1:52.78 (1 h7) | 1:50.50 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 427 | Jim Montgomery | USA | 1:51.77 (1 h6) | 1:50.58 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 384 | Andrey Krylov |  URS | 1:51.42 (1 h4) | 1:50.73 (4) | |||
| 5 | 177 | Klaus Steinbach |  FRG | 1:51.41 (1 h3) | 1:51.09 (5) | |||
| 6 | 172 | Peter Nocke | FRG | 1:52.16 (1 h5) | 1:51.71 (6) | |||
| 7 | 126 | Gordon Downie |  GBR | 1:52.47 (2 h5) | 1:52.78 (7) | |||
| 8 | 370 | Andrey Bogdanov | URS | 1:52.71 (1 h2) | 1:53.33 (8) | |||
| 9 | 121 | Brian Brinkley | GBR | 1:53.07 (2 h2) | – | |||
| 10 | 380 | Sergey Koplyakov | URS | 1:53.44 (1 h1) | – | |||
| 11 | 258 | Marcello Guarducci |  ITA | 1:53.72 (2 h3) | – | |||
| 12 | 48 | Steve Badger |  CAN | 1:53.86 (3 h5) | – | |||
| 13 | 75 | Bill Sawchuk | CAN | 1:54.07 (2 h6) | – | |||
| 14 | – | Jorge Delgado |  ECU | 1:54.23 (2 h7) | – | |||
| 15 | 25 | Graham Windeatt |  AUS | 1:54.35 (2 h4) | – | |||
| 16 | 10 | Mark Kerry | AUS | 1:54.86 (2 h8) | – | |||
| 17 | 106 | David López-Zubero |  ESP | 1:54.88 (3 h2) | – | |||
| 18 | – | Peter Dawson | AUS | 1:55.16 (3 h8) | – | |||
| 19 | 152 | Rainer Strohbach |  GDR | 1:55.25 (3 h6) | – | |||
| 20 | 262 | Roberto Pangaro | ITA | 1:55.30 (3 h3) | – | |||
| 21 | 149 | Frank Pfütze | GDR | 1:55.57 (3 h7) | – | |||
| 22 | 60 | James Hett | CAN | 1:55.58 (3 h4) | – | |||
| 23 | 198 | René van der Kuil |  NED | 1:55.59 (2 h1) | – | |||
| 24 | 364 | Ali Gharbi |  TUN | 1:55.82 (4 h4) | – | |||
| 25 | 134 | Alan McClatchey | GBR | 1:55.84 (4 h7) | – | |||
| 26 | 168 | Werner Lampe | FRG | 1:56.01 (4 h3) | – | |||
| 27 | 356 | Bengt Gingsjö |  SWE | 1:56.31 (3 h1) | – | |||
| 28 | 360 | Peter Pettersson | SWE | 1:56.51 (4 h8) | – | |||
| 29 | 353 | Anders Bellbring | SWE | 1:57.20 (5 h7) | – | |||
| 30 | 264 | Paolo Revelli | ITA | 1:57.25 (4 h6) | – | |||
| 31 | 309 | Fritz Warncke |  NOR | 1:57.59 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 32 | 191 | Andre in het Veld | NED | 1:57.60 (4 h5) | – | |||
| 33 | 312 | John McConnochie |  NZL | 1:57.77 (5 h5) | – | |||
| 34 | 274 | Tsuyoshi Yanagidate |  JPN | 1:58.04 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 35 | 285 | Guillermo García |  MEX | 1:58.20 (5 h8) | – | |||
| 36 | 182 | Georgios Karpouzis |  GRE | 1:59.25 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 37 | 292 | Eduardo Pérez | MEX | 1:59.53 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 38 | 329 | Francisco Canales |  PUR | 1:59.62 (6 h7) | – | |||
| 39 | 439 | Luis Goicoechea |  VEN | 1:59.68 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 40 | 243 | Steven Newkirk |  ISV | 1:59.95 (5 h4) | – | |||
| 41 | 227 | Kevin Williamson |  IRL | 2:00.08 (5 h3) | – | |||
| 42 | 31 | Andy Knowles |  BAH | 2:00.18 (5 h6) | – | |||
| 43 | 41 | Nikolay Ganev |  BUL | 2:00.54 (6 h3) | – | |||
| 44 | 42 | Petar Georgiev | BUL | 2:00.70 (7 h7) | – | |||
| 45 | 81 | Tomás Becerra |  COL | 2:00.72 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 46 | 184 | Mark Crocker |  HKG | 2:00.81 (6 h5) | – | |||
| 47 | 147 | Lutz Löscher | GDR | 2:01.00 (6 h6) | – | |||
| 48 | 225 | Kris Sumono |  INA | 2:01.12 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 49 | 240 | Sigurður Ólafsson |  ISL | 2:01.18 (6 h8) | – | |||
| 50 | 316 | Gianni Versari |  PAN | 2:02.25 (7 h6) | – | |||
| 51 | 324 | Paulo Frischknecht |  POR | 2:02.65 (7 h5) | – | |||
| 52 | 319 | Gerardo Rosario |  PHI | 2:02.81 (7 h8) | – | |||
| 53 | 325 | José Gomes Pereira | POR | 2:03.03 (6 h4) | – | |||
| 54 | 301 | Patrick Novaretti |  MON | 2:04.29 (8 h7) | – | |||
| 55 | 303 | Frank Richardson |  NCA | 2:12.33 (7 h3) | – | |||
| 335 | William Chao |  TPE | – (DNS h2) | – | ||||
| 313 | Brett Naylor | NZL | – (DNS h4) | – | ||||
| 304 | John Ebito |  NGR | – (DNS h6) | – | ||||
| 441 | Gerardo Vera | VEN | – (DNS h8) | – |
| Date | 19 July 1976 — 9:30 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Sergey Koplyakov | URS | 1:53.44 | ||
| 2 | 3 | René van der Kuil | NED | 1:55.59 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Bengt Gingsjö | SWE | 1:56.31 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Fritz Warncke | NOR | 1:57.59 | ||
| 5 | 7 | Tsuyoshi Yanagidate | JPN | 1:58.04 | ||
| 6 | 6 | Luis Goicoechea | VEN | 1:59.68 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Kris Sumono | INA | 2:01.12 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Andrey Bogdanov | URS | 1:52.71 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Brian Brinkley | GBR | 1:53.07 | ||
| 3 | 3 | David López-Zubero | ESP | 1:54.88 | ||
| 4 | 1 | Georgios Karpouzis | GRE | 1:59.25 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Eduardo Pérez | MEX | 1:59.53 | ||
| 6 | 7 | Tomás Becerra | COL | 2:00.72 | ||
| 6 | William Chao | TPE | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Klaus Steinbach | FRG | 1:51.41 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Marcello Guarducci | ITA | 1:53.72 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Roberto Pangaro | ITA | 1:55.30 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Werner Lampe | FRG | 1:56.01 | ||
| 5 | 7 | Kevin Williamson | IRL | 2:00.08 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Nikolay Ganev | BUL | 2:00.54 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Frank Richardson | NCA | 2:12.33 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Andrey Krylov | URS | 1:51.42 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Graham Windeatt | AUS | 1:54.35 | ||
| 3 | 6 | James Hett | CAN | 1:55.58 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Ali Gharbi | TUN | 1:55.82 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Steven Newkirk | ISV | 1:59.95 | ||
| 6 | 7 | José Gomes Pereira | POR | 2:03.03 | ||
| 3 | Brett Naylor | NZL | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Peter Nocke | FRG | 1:52.16 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Gordon Downie | GBR | 1:52.47 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Steve Badger | CAN | 1:53.86 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Andre in het Veld | NED | 1:57.60 | ||
| 5 | 6 | John McConnochie | NZL | 1:57.77 | ||
| 6 | 1 | Mark Crocker | HKG | 2:00.81 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Paulo Frischknecht | POR | 2:02.65 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Jim Montgomery | USA | 1:51.77 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Bill Sawchuk | CAN | 1:54.07 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Rainer Strohbach | GDR | 1:55.25 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Paolo Revelli | ITA | 1:57.25 | ||
| 5 | 7 | Andy Knowles | BAH | 2:00.18 | ||
| 6 | 6 | Lutz Löscher | GDR | 2:01.00 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Gianni Versari | PAN | 2:02.25 | ||
| 8 | John Ebito | NGR | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | John Naber | USA | 1:52.78 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Jorge Delgado | ECU | 1:54.23 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Frank Pfütze | GDR | 1:55.57 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Alan McClatchey | GBR | 1:55.84 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Anders Bellbring | SWE | 1:57.20 | ||
| 6 | 1 | Francisco Canales | PUR | 1:59.62 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Petar Georgiev | BUL | 2:00.70 | ||
| 8 | 8 | Patrick Novaretti | MON | 2:04.29 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Bruce Furniss | USA | 1:50.93 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Mark Kerry | AUS | 1:54.86 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Peter Dawson | AUS | 1:55.16 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Peter Pettersson | SWE | 1:56.51 | ||
| 5 | 7 | Guillermo García | MEX | 1:58.20 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Sigurður Ólafsson | ISL | 2:01.18 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Gerardo Rosario | PHI | 2:02.81 | ||
| 2 | Gerardo Vera | VEN | – |
| Date | 19 July 1976 — 20:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Bruce Furniss | USA | 1:50.29 | ||
| 2 | 8 | John Naber | USA | 1:50.50 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Jim Montgomery | USA | 1:50.58 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Andrey Krylov | URS | 1:50.73 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Klaus Steinbach | FRG | 1:51.09 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Peter Nocke | FRG | 1:51.71 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Gordon Downie | GBR | 1:52.78 | ||
| 8 | 1 | Andrey Bogdanov | URS | 1:53.33 |
