Missy Franklin (USA) blew out the Women’s 200m Backstroke World Record and the field along with it. Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) was in the pool to see her world and Olympic records shattered, well back in sixth. Franklin dropped a 0.75 off of the 2:04.81 swum by Coventry in 2009 in a Speedo LZR, putting up a 2:04.06. Franklin was out in a blistering 1:00.50 and hung onto her lead, besting the rest of the field by almost a full two seconds.
Anastasia Zueva (RUS) picked up the silver in 2:05.92 and Franklin’s teammate Elizabeth Beisel (USA) took the bronze in 2:06.55. Beisel adds that bronze to the silver medal she won in the women’s 200 IM.
The gold was the third that Franklin has won at these, her first, Olympics at only 17. She has also earned a bronze and looks to add to that in her final race, the women’s 4x100m Medley tomorrow night.
Splits Compared:
| Women’s 200m Breaststroke | 50m | 100m (50m) | 150m (50m) | 200m (50m) |
| Kirsty Coventry (Rome 2009) WR | 29.44 | 1:00.91 (31.47) | 1:32.81 (31.90) | 2:04.81 (32.00) |
| Missy Franklin (London 2012) WR | 29.53 | 1:00.50 (30.97) | 1:32.16 (31.66) | 2:04.06(31.90) |
Kirsty Coventry Sets the World Record in Rome:
Honestly, I’ve always felt that once she got the finishing speed in the 400 IM that Florida has trained into her, the 400 free was going to overtake the 200 back as her second best event. It still might, but after watching her in London, she’s going to get under 2:06 in the 200 back soon.
I’d like to see Beisel swim the 200 free more. I bet if she time trialed it she would be a 1;57 high to 1:58 low right now.
she will be eventually!
But will it improve her finishing free? 😉
I’ve followed her career closely, because I used to coach on the club team where she started, and I can tell you she doesn’t YET have the speed for that. However, the events swimmers are BEST at can change, so I agree, maybe as she gets older she’ll forgo the 400 free/IM in favor of the 200 free. Backstroke and ENDURANCE events have always been where she excelled.
The first 3 legs of our medley relay have set world records at this meet (albiet not all in 100’s, but still). That’s kind of hard to beat.
So proud of you Beisel! Also, she got silver in the 400 IM, not 200 🙂 Go Gators!
She is gonna go back home with 4 golds , one bronze . The most decorated female of this huge meet ….so happy for her + a WR in such a fashion way .
Well deserved …her Coach must be very very happy today .
One more gold likely – women’s medley relay.
It will be interesting to see what she can do in th 100 back without having to swim the 200 free right before. I’d like to think she can be faster, but then again, Phelps swam slower in the 100 fly today without the 200 IM before his race, so who knows.
They’ll be swimming to break the WR, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Missy does break the 100 back WR. I just don’t think they CAN break the 400 MR WR, because Soni’s 100 breast time has been much slower this year, and Allison, as much as I love her, really can’t match Franklin’s 100 free time.