200 metres Backstroke, Women

The 2019 World Champion and world record holder was the United States’ Regan Smith, but she had shockingly failed to qualify for the US team in this event. Australian Kaylee McKeown would likely have been favored in any case as she had the strongest marks in 2021, recording 2:04.28 at the Australian Olympic Trials, a mark only bettered by Smith’s world record and Missy Franklin’s previous world mark from the 2012 London Olympics. McKeown was over two seconds faster than any swimmer in Tokyo for the event.

In the semi-finals Australia’s Emily Seebohm posted the fastest qualifier, followed by Americans Phoebe Bacon and Rhyan White, with McKeown only qualifying fifth, also trailing Canadian Kylie Masse. The final was made up of swimmers from four countries, with Australia, Canada, China, and the USA all getting both of their entrants into the top eight.

Masse led most of the way in the final, holding a 0.69 second lead over McKeown entering the final lap, but the Australian was too strong at the end, passing Masse, and winning easily in 2:04.68, as Masse finished in 2:05.42. Behind them Seebohm took bronze in her fourth Olympics, while White and Bacon finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

For McKeown this completed the backstroke double, having won the 100 back four days earlier, as Masse also finished second in that race. McKeown would eventually win four medals, and three golds, in Tokyo with gold in the women’s medley relay and a bronze in the mixed medley relay, which was swum later on the same day as the 200 back final. Seebohm would garner a gold in the women’s medley relay as she had swum in the heats, to finish her Olympic career with seven medals and three golds.