2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
By The Numbers — Males’s 200 Backstroke
- World File: 1:51.92 — Aaron Peirsol, United States (2009)
- World Junior File: 1:55.14 — Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia (2017)
- Olympic File: 1:53.27 — Evgeny Rylov, Russian Olympic Committee (2021)
- 2020 Olympic Champion: Evgeny Rylov, Russian Olympic Committee — 1:53.27
U.S. backstroke king Ryan Murphy obtained a shock on the 2023 World Championships as Hungary’s Hubert Kos upset him for gold within the males’s 200 again. Kos out-split Murphy on the second 100, 58.32 to 59.23, to say his first world title in 1:54.14. Murphy, who received the occasion in 2022 for his first particular person LC title, settled for silver in 1:54.83.
Now, the 2 will face off once more in Paris and can doubtless be the gold medal favorites forward of a tightly bunched 200 again area.
The Rematch
Regardless of each coaching in the US, Murphy and Kos haven’t raced one another within the 200 again this season. Although Kos did race on the U.S. Open and the San Antonio PSS, he was busy for many of the season, serving to Arizona State to a nationwide championship in his sophomore yr.
Kos’ season-best on this race comes from the U.S. Open, the place he swam 1:55.95, rating him deceptively low at sixteenth on the planet this season. He did attend the 2024 European Championships however skipped the 200 again in favor of different races just like the 100 fly and 200 IM.
Hubert Kos, credit score Fabio Cetti
Earlier than coaching with Bob Bowman, Kos—who adopted Bowman to Austin—was extra recognized for his IM expertise however he’s developed right into a world-class backstroker and owns the Hungarian report in each distances. Earlier than final summer season, he had a lifetime better of 1:57.64, which he lowered to 1:55.95 within the lead-up to the 2023 Worlds. That’s precisely his 2023-24 season finest, signaling he needs to be a lot sooner in Paris and be within the hunt for the Olympic gold.
Whereas Kos hangs out because the sixteenth quickest on the planet this season, Murphy leads the sphere into Paris. The 29-year-old has been a mainstay on the worldwide backstroke scene since 2016. He’s medaled on this occasion on the final two Olympics, successful gold in Rio and silver in Tokyo. Since his superlative 2016 Video games, he’s additionally earned one gold and three silvers on the World Championships.
He’s set himself up properly to be again on the Olympic podium for a 3rd straight time. This yr, he received the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1:54.33, his quickest effort for the reason that Tokyo Video games. Murphy owns the quickest lifetime finest within the area, checking in with a 1:53.57 from 2018. That was the final time Murphy broke 1:54, although he neared the mark on the 2019 World Championships.
It doesn’t appear to be Murphy will certainly have to clear that barrier to win gold, and he’s additionally clearly in his finest 200 backstroke type in years. It could be an excellent greater upset than Kos’ final yr if Murphy have been to thoroughly miss the Paris podium.
Cal Bears Break In
Hugo Gonzalez and Keaton Jones have joined Murphy in breaking 1:55 thus far this season, and like Murphy, each have benefitted from coaching at Backstroke College, higher often called Cal Berkeley.
Gonzalez had among the finest meets of his profession on the 2024 World Championships. After successful Spain’s first World Championship medal since 2017 with a silver within the 100 again, Gonzalez exploded to win gold within the 200 again, claiming his first world title in 1:55.30.
Hugo Gonzalez, credit score Fabio Cetti
His title-winning swim was a private finest by over a second and marked his first swim beneath the 1:56 barrier. It moved him into the center of this 200 backstroke area, which is clogged with 1:55 PBs. However Gonzalez wasn’t accomplished there. At June’s Spanish Swimming Championships, Gonzalez popped a 1:54.51, breaking the super-suited Spanish report which had stood since 2009. That swim propelled Gonzalez above the messy center of this area and squarely into medal competition. He’s ranked #2 on the planet this season after Murphy bettered his time days later in Indianapolis.
Jones has additionally vaulted himself previous the 1:55 fray. He simply wrapped up his freshman season at Cal and joined Murphy beneath 1:55 within the U.S. Olympic Trials remaining, posting a lifetime finest 1:54.61. It was an enormous swim for Jones, whose private finest coming into the meet was 1:56.79 from the Fran Crippen SMOC meet in June. He additionally continues the Cal backstroke legacy on the US Olympic roster, making it a 3rd consecutive Video games the place each males’s 200 again representatives prepare at Cal.
Jones now sits third on the planet this season and is solidly in competition for the bronze medal. After a 2.18-second drop at Trials, the massive query for Jones is whether or not he’ll have the ability to maintain that type by means of coaching camp and into what just isn’t solely his first Olympics however his first senior worldwide meet.
Current Olympic and Worlds Medalists
We’ll be with out the defending Olympic champion Evgeny Rylov, however Tokyo bronze medallist Luke Greenbank is again within the combine after lacking the 2023 World Championships. Greenbank adopted up Olympic bronze with silver on the 2022 Worlds however didn’t qualify for Fukuoka. He was again in motion in Doha and positioned ninth (1:57.29), lacking the ultimate.
His lifetime better of 1:54.43 from the 2021 European Championships would point out that he’ll be again within the coronary heart of the medal race. However Greenbank hasn’t damaged 1:55 since 2021 or 1:56 since 2022. His previous occasions imply he’s able to going medal-hunting however that’s an unsure prospect given the swims he’s posted within the final 12 months.
Roman Mityukov, credit score Fabio Cetti
Somebody who has been proper in the midst of the motion is Roman Mityukov. The 23-year-old turned heads when he led the best way into the Fukuoka remaining in a Swiss report. He lowered that mark for the second time in two days in the course of the remaining, swimming 1:55.34 for bronze and Switzerland’s first 200 backstroke Worlds medal.
He upgraded to silver in Doha, simply lacking his nationwide report with a 1:55.40. He’s posted two different 1:55 swims since Doha and 1:55.40 is on the prime finish of the group of 1:55s, which factors to Mityukov being a stable menace on the Video games. He appears to be on the verge of decreasing his nationwide report once more in Paris. The query is that if it’s going to even be sufficient to make his approach onto the Olympic podium, which based mostly on the in-season outcomes, appears like will take a 1:54. However Mityukov has picked up worthwhile racing expertise within the final two Worlds, which is able to serve him properly.
The final medalist we’ve got but to the touch on is Pieter Coetze. At his first World Championships, the South African picked up the bronze in Doha with a 1:55.99, breaking 1:56 for the primary time. He bettered the swim on the South African Championships in 1:55.85, which places him a tenth off the super-suited nationwide report. With Doha being Coetze’s first Worlds, we don’t have a lot details about how Coetze will fare in a completely loaded 200 backstroke area as he didn’t race this occasion on the Tokyo Video games. Sitting at 1:55 excessive is a harmful place to be—if the sphere is gradual it may make the ultimate but when the sphere is quick, it is perhaps an excessive amount of for Coetze.
The Lengthy Journey To The Center
That sentiment doesn’t simply apply to Coetze although. Moderately, it applies to the vast majority of this 200 backstroke area. As a result of pals, regardless that we’ve sorted by means of the primary contenders and the current medalists, there are nonetheless six males on this area who’ve been 1:55-something within the qualification interval. And there are one other 9 who’ve gone 1:56.
Let’s check out who we’ve obtained within the 1:55 crowd, based mostly on their quickest time within the qualification interval:
All have been in a senior World Championships or Olympic remaining earlier than, besides Oleksandr Zheltyakov. The Ukrainian teenager turned heads on the 2023 World Junior Championships, medalling in all three backstroke distances. He took dwelling gold within the 100/200 backstroke and silver within the 50 again, incomes Male Swimmer of the Meet.
Oleksandr Zheltyakov, with permission, István Derencsény/LEN
After lacking the 200 again semifinals on the 2024 World Championships, Zheltyakov has discovered his type within the run-up to Paris. He lowered the Ukrainian report he set final summer season en path to gold at 2024 Euros, clocking a 1:55.39. 2024 Worlds was his first senior Worlds expertise, which may present him the educational expertise wanted to have a breakout on the worldwide stage on the Video games.
Apostolos Siskos has discovered his type in each the 100/200 backstroke this season. Within the 200, he completed sixth in Doha and has already lowered his PB 4 occasions this season, bringing it to 1:55.42 at 2024 Euros, which is 1.37 seconds sooner than his lifetime finest coming into the calendar yr.
Mewen Tomac, Bradley Woodward, and Adam Telegdy have all swum lifetime bests this season as properly. Telegdy, a Tokyo finalist, returned to the 200 backstroke area in Doha after not qualifying in any backstrokes for the 2023 Worlds and specializing in the IMs. Woodward completed sixth in Fukuoka and obtained again beneath 1:56 on the Japan Swim Open with a private better of 1:55.56.
Tomac completed simply outdoors the medals in Fukuoka, incomes 4th in a private finest 1:55.79. He erased that mark in type on the French Elite Championships, posting a French report 1:55.54. He took the mark from Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, who might be on this area as properly. The 2 carry the hopes of the host nation within the backstroke occasions and push one another in each the 100/200. Ndoye-Brouard hasn’t been as quick this season, carrying a season-best of 1:56.23. He was ninth in Tokyo and sits fifteenth on the entry checklist so he’s obtained some work to do to maneuver up and problem for the ultimate.
Fancy Seeing You Right here
It’s a little bit stunning to see Xu entered within the 200 backstroke. After a 4th place end in Rio, he made the semifinals in Tokyo by ending fifteenth in prelims however withdrew from the occasion (which pulled up Ndoye-Brouard). And whereas he’s been a fixture within the 100 backstroke, he hasn’t raced this occasion on the World Championships since ending fifth in 2017.
Xu Jiayu, courtesy Rafael Domeyko
However, he’s the Chinese language File holder with a 1:53.99 from the 2018 Asian Video games, which is a lifetime finest second solely to Murphy on this area. He’s been as quick as 1:55.37 within the qualification interval (on the 2023 Asian Video games) so he could possibly be within the hunt for a finals spot if he swims.
One other sudden face on this race is Germany’s Lukas Märtens. Märtens is extra recognized for his freestyle exploits. Most not too long ago, he rattled the 400 free world report. He’s extra solidly a medal menace within the 200/400 free, however he’s additionally obtained first rate velocity within the 200 again. He completed thirteenth in Doha. Then, on the German Championships, he dropped a lifetime better of 1:56.00 to place him inside shouting distance of his nationwide report. There’s no direct battle together with his freestyle races, so perhaps he’ll take one other shot on the mark—1:55.87—in Paris.
It’s much less of a shock to see Thomas Ceccon since he expressed his curiosity in racing the occasion throughout an interview with SwimSwam on the Barcelona cease of the Mare Nostrum tour. Ceccon swam his lifetime finest 1:56.49 on the Athens meet on the World Cup tour final fall. He’s proven off his versatility at in-season meets like Mare Nostrum and World Cup so will probably be fascinating to see what sort of time he can put up within the 200 again absolutely tapered. Whereas he’s sitting on the skin of the semifinals on the entry checklist, we’ve got to think about that the 100 again world report holder will be sooner than 1:56. He may have an enormous swim in retailer that disrupts the established order on this occasion.
The Verdict
We’re taking Ryan Murphy for gold right here, as we’re anticipating the sting of not defending his 200 again Olympic gold in Tokyo, together with getting upset in Fukuoka, to propel him to a different gear. With that call made, we predict Kos will seize silver and Gonzalez the bronze. The 4 swimmers within the 1:54 vary this season are the clear favorites for the rostrum and with Gonzalez on a heater this season, we’re selecting Jones to overlook out on the medals. Relying on type, it’s doable Gonzalez may mount an actual problem to Murphy and Kos.
Jones’ lack of expertise on the senior worldwide stage is a query mark however in earlier years the second U.S. man on this occasion has held taper to the Video games properly with Bryce Mefford taking 4th in Tokyo and Jacob Pebley fifth in Rio. Xu actually can problem Jones and has a lifetime finest to threaten for the medals however we’ve obtained Jones holding down 4th, giving him the sting based mostly on the bests they’re carrying into the Video games.
After the highest 4 this season, it’s seller’s selection for who else makes the ultimate. We’ve made our picks, however there are actually loads of professional arguments for swimmers we’ve unnoticed to be those who make the ultimate.
SwimSwam’s Picks
Darkish Horse: Ollie Morgan (Nice Britain) — One other swimmer lurking within the 1:56 vary is Ollie Morgan. He had an enormous meet on the British Trials, breaking the long-standing super-suited nationwide report within the 100 backstroke with a 52.70. Morgan adopted up within the 200 backstroke with one other lifetime finest, clocking 1:56.27. Given how tight the sphere is, even a small drop from Morgan may put him within the hunt for the ultimate, particularly with a gradual area.
