2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
- Full aquatics schedule
- SwimSwam Event Previews
- Entry Lists
- Live Results
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap
During the evening preliminaries of the men’s 200 free on day two of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Brazil’s Fernando Scheffer shaved a half-second off his own South American and Brazilian records at 1:45.05. Scheffer’s efforts allowed him to qualify second into the event semifinals behind Korean teen Hwang Sunwoo (1:44.62).
Scheffer’s original mark was set at the 2018 Brazilian Open, where he broke 1:46 for the first time at 1:45.51. Looking at the split comparison, Scheffer’s opening 50 during the Tokyo Olympics was the edge that allowed him to nip his national record.
Split Comparison
| 2020 Olympics |
2018 Brazilian Open
|
| 24.76 | 25.24 |
| 26.49 | 26.51 |
| 26.78 | 26.84 |
| 27.02 | 26.92 |
| 1:45.02 | 1:45.51 |
Scheffer now ranks No. 20 on the all-time 200 free performers list, passing USA’s Peter Vanderkaay, Britain’s James Guy, South Africa’s Chad le Clos, Japan’s Kosuke Hagino, and USA’s Conor Dwyer. His swim is also the 12th-fastest 200 free in the last decade (2011-2021).
Scheffer’s swim is now two one-hundredths behind American Townley Haas‘ lifetime best of 1:45.03, which he has not swum since 2017 U.S. Nationals.
Originally reported by James Sutherland.
MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS
- World Record: Paul Biedermann (GER) – 1:42.00 (2009)
- Olympic Record: Michael Phelps (USA) – 1:42.96 (2008)
World Junior Record: Hwang Sun Woo (KOR) – 1:44.96 (2021)- 2016 Olympic Champion: Sun Yang (CHN) – 1:44.65
- SwimSwam Event Preview – Men’s 200 Freestyle
- Hwang Sunwoo (KOR), 1:44.62
- Fernando Scheffer (BRA), 1:45.05
- Tom Dean (GBR), 1:45.24
- David Popovici (ROU), 1:45.32
- Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:45.37
- Martin Malyutin (ROC), 1:45.50
- Stefano Ballo (ITA), 1:45.80
- Thomas Neill (AUS), 1:45.81
- Danas Rapsys (LTU), 1:45.84
- Townley Haas (USA), 1:45.86
- Kregor Zirk (EST), 1:46.10
- Nandor Nemeth (HUN), 1:46.19
- Kieran Smith (USA), 1:46.20
- Velimir Stjepanovic (SRB), 1:46.26
- Antonio Djakovic (SUI), 1:46.37
- Stefano Di Cola (ITA), 1:46.67
South Korea’s Hwang Sunwoo asserted himself as the man to beat in the first round of the men’s 200 freestyle, blasting his way to a new World Junior Record of 1:44.62 in the first circle-seeded heat on Sunday night in Tokyo.
The 18-year-old went out fast, flipping in 50.12 at the 100, with Great Britain’s Tom Dean and USA’s Townley Haas close behind. Hwang opened up a bit of gap with a sub-27 third 50 split (26.89), and then held things at bay coming home. His time was the only sub-1:45 of the prelims, and also lowers the South Korean Record of 1:44.80 previously held by Park Tae Hwan.
Hwang’s previous WJR was 1:44.96, set earlier this year. He moves up from 18th to 11th on the all-time performers list.
Dean (1:45.24) put up a solid time to take second in the heat, ultimately qualifying third overall into the semis.
Brazilian Fernando Scheffer took the second circle-seeded heat by storm, touching first in a new South American Record of 1:45.05 for second overall. That improves Scheffer’s previous South American and Brazilian Records of 1:45.51, set in 2018.
World #1 Duncan Scott took second to Scheffer in that heat in 1:45.37, good for fifth overall, while Australia’s Thomas Neill (1:45.81) held off Danas Rapsys (1:45.84) in the last heat.
16-year-old Romanian David Popovici was right on his personal-best form in Heat 2, clocking 1:45.32, just .06 off his National Record of 1:45.26, to easily qualify fourth overall.
Katsuhiro Matsumoto, the fourth seed coming in, ends up tying with Germany’s Lukas Märtens for 17th in 1:46.69, meaning he’ll miss out on the semis barring a scratch.