2024 Olympic Previews: Over/Under 2:21 Marks Divide In Women’s 200 Breast Field

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

• Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
  • Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
• La Défense Arena — Paris, France
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Full Schedule
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Lists

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE — BY THE NUMBERS:

• World Record: 2:17.55 Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia (2023) 
• World Junior Record:  2:19.64 Viktoria Gunes, Turkey (2015)
• Olympic Record: 2:18.95 Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa (2021)
• 2021 Olympic Champion: 2:18.95 Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa

Only two women were under the 2:20 mark in the 200 breaststroke at the 2020(1) Tokyo Olympics. This year, four women have already been under that mark, although only three of them will compete in Paris. 

Podium Favorites

Tatjana Schoenmaker returns as the favorite and top seed after winning the event in Tokyo in a 2:18.95, a World Record. Schoenmaker has already been a 2:19.01 this year at the South African Swimming Championships and sets herself up well for Paris. She has consistently been at the top of the event since winning in Tokyo, posting the winning time at the 2022 Commonwealth Games before swimming to another win at the 2023 World Championships. 

Despite being the favorite, Schoenmaker has numerous competitors right behind her. Leading the way is Kate Douglass who has burst onto the scene in the event since Tokyo. After not even competing in the event at the 2020(1) US Wave II Olympic Trials, Douglass qualified for the US Worlds team in 2022 in the event. She went on to finish bronze at 2022 Worlds and then silver at 2023 Worlds. This past winter, Douglass broke the American Record in the event posting a 2:19.30 at the Pro Series stop in Knoxville in January. She was just off of that mark at 2024 Worlds swimming a 2:20.91 for silver. Douglass made waves in prelims at US Trials posting a 2:19.66 before swimming a 2:19.46 in finals for the win. 

Douglass notably dropped the 100 freestyle from her event lineup in Paris in favor of the 200 breaststroke. Douglass won the 100 free at US Trials as well but the two events overlapped with the 100 freestyle final and the 200 breaststroke semifinal on night 5 of swimming competition. 

With Russia’s absence and Evgeniia Chikunova out of the field, Tes Schouten of the Netherlands, 23, also poses as the next threat to the title. Schouten posted a personal best of a 2:19.81 en route to the 2024 World Championship title this past February. That swim moved her up to #9 all-time but most importantly broke the 2:20 barrier, a time that looks to be an important on to make the podium this time around. Schouten did not even swim the event in Tokyo but a huge improvement from a 2:26 in 2022 to a 2:21 in 2023 makes her an even bigger threat if she is able to drop more time. 

Lilly King of the US will compete in the event in her third Olympics and notably won silver in 2020(1) being the only other swimmer alongside Schoenmaker under the 2:20 mark. King has always been more well-known for her 100 but still stands as a podium threat in the 200. She has not broken the 2:20 mark since Tokyo which again seems key for podium success. Another key for her success is being able to drop from Trials to the Olympics, something she did in 2020(1) but has not done the last two years between the US selection meet and the World Championships. 

The Triple-2 Club 

No athletes are entered in the 2:21 range, but eight swimmers are in the 2:22 mark, showing a big gap between the first . The biggest riser in the event in the last month was Ireland’s Mona McSharry who blasted a 2:22.49 at Mel Zajac in June during prelims, marking a best time by 2.01 seconds. She followed her prelims swim up with a 2:22.68 in finals, solidifying her ability to go in that range again. Despite being known as a 100 breaststroker, McSharry made leaps with her swim already this year. 

McSharry’s Event Progression

Thea Blomsterberg of Denmark posted a best time of a 2:22.42 at Worlds last summer to finish 5th but was less than a second off of making the podium. She hasn’t been in the 2:22 range this year so a big swim seems needed for podium potential with her season best of a 2:23.49 from April. 

A pair of Australians are two of the names in the 2:22 range with Jenna Strauch (2:22.83) and Ella Ramsay (2:22.87). Ramsay threw down numerous personal best times at Australian Trials including in the 200 breast. The teenagers momentum may carry her into Paris and another best time would be key. Strauch has experience in the 200 breast in the Olympics after just missing the final in Tokyo with a 9th place finish. 

Canada’s Sydney Pickrem posted a 2:22.94 for bronze at 2024 Worlds and also swam a personal best in the 200 IM in Doha as well before going even faster in the 200 IM at Canadian Trials. Her personal best of a 2:22.63 comes from back in 2019, but her recent success seems to have the momentum moving her in the right direction. 

Rounding out the group are Ye Shiwen of China posted a 2:22.55 in April at Chinese Nationals and has been in the 2:22 range on numerous occasions. Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova swam a 2:22.86 last August and has been as fast as 2:24.22 this season. South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett is also within the range with a 2:22.99 but has been as fast as a 2:22.06 which she swam for 5th in Tokyo. 

The Picks

Schoenmaker has been dominant in the event since Tokyo and seems to be the favorite here, time and time again posting 2:19s in the event and will look to take back the World Record here. Douglass posted an American Record in January and threw down such a fast time in prelims at US Trials that it seems she has even more in store…could it remind us of the feeling the first 1:48 in the 200 yard IM brought us? 

Tes Schouten and her improvement looks to give her the slight edge over Lilly King. The biggest key for King will be dropping from her time at Trials as she did so in Paris but has not done so in qualification meets to Worlds since. With 8 entries in the 2:22 mark, slipping below that will be key but it looks like it might take sub-2:20 to make the podium. 

SwimSwam’s Picks

Dark Horse: Kristyna Horska, Czechia, Horska swam to a best time and national record last month to win with a 2:23.60 the European Title and had never been under the 2:25 mark before. Another personal best, aided by momentum, would propel her within podium range, though she’s on the older end for this kind of breakthrough: she turns 27 in September.