2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Swimming: August 6-13
- Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Barra Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro
- Prelims – 9:00 a.m/12:00 p.m PST/EST (1:00 p.m local), Finals – 6:00 p.m/9:00 p.m PST/EST (10:00 p.m local)
- SwimSwam previews
- Schedule & Results
- Live Stream (NBC)
Tonight’s women’s 200 free was one of the most anticipated races of the week, and Sarah Sjostrom and Katie Ledecky did not disappoint. Both, mind-bogglingly, were battling for Olympic gold in their “off-event,” and the ensuing race kept us on our toes to the very end.
Sjostrom ended up second with a new Swedish record 1:54.08, taking down her previous 1:54.31 from the 2015 Kazan World Championships, a relay lead-off that led her team to a fourth-place finish.
You can see a split comparison between the two swims below:
| Swim | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| 2015 World Champs | 26.72 | 55.51 (28.79) | 1:25.18 (29.67) | 1:54.31 (29.13) |
| 2016 Olympics | 26.84 | 55.86 (29.02) | 1:24.95 (29.09) | 1:54.08 (29.13) |
Sjostrom’s time tonight was the fifth-fastest 200 freestyle all-time, with two of the top performances being from the suit-era. The top five fastest women’s all-time 200 freestyles are below:
- Federica Pellegrini: 1:52.93, 2009 FINA World Champs
- Allison Schmitt: 1:53.61, 2012 London Olympic Games
- Katie Ledecky: 1:53.73, 2016 Rio Olympic Games
- Federica Pellegrini: 1:53.67 2009 FINA World Champs- semi
- Sarah Sjostrom: 1:54.08, 2016 Rio Olympic Games