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| Event type

200 metres Breaststroke, Men

Date15 – 18 July 1908
StatusOlympic
LocationWhite City Stadium, London
Participants27 from 10 countries

In the final, Pontus Hanson took the lead and held a 2 metre margin through 50 metres. At 100 metres, William Robinson (GBR) and Hanson were equal first. By 150 metres, Hanson had faded to last, but he would recover slightly to get the bronze medal. Fred Holman did not take the lead until the last lap but pulled away to win by 2 yards.

Holman never won a British breaststroke championship, as he could never defeat the top breaststroker of the era, Percy Courtman, who was ASA champion at 220 yards in 1907-09, and 1912-13. Courtman competed in this event, but in round one, he finished second to Belgium’s Félicien Courbet, and did not qualify for the semi-finals.

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Fred HolmanGBR3:10.6 (1 h1)3:10.0 (1 h1)3:09.2 (1)Gold
2William RobinsonGBR3:13.0 (1 h5)3:11.8 (1 h2)3:12.8 (2)Silver
3Pontus HansonSWE3:15.0 (2 h4)3:13.0 (2 h2)3:14.6 (3)Bronze
4Ödön ToldiHUN3:14.4 (1 h4)3:16.4 (2 h1)3:15.2 (4)
3 h1 r2/3Erich SeidelGER3:17.2 (1 h3)at 1½ yards (3 h1)
3 h2 r2/3Wilhelm PerssonSWE3:17.6 (1 h2)– (3 h2)
4 h1 r2/3József FabinyiHUN3:23.4 (1 h6)– (4 h1)
4 h2 r2/3Félicien CourbetBEL3:16.4 (1 h7)– (4 h2)
2 h1 r1/3Richard RößlerGER3:18.0 (2 h1)
2 h2 r1/3András BaronyiHUN3:18.0 (2 h2)
2 h3 r1/3Hjalmar JohanssonSWE3:21.2 (2 h3)
2 h5 r1/3Per FjästadSWE3:31.4 (2 h5)
2 h6 r1/3Torsten KumfeldtSWE3:24.6 (2 h6)
2 h7 r1/3Percy CourtmanGBR3:18.4 (2 h7)
3 h1 r1/3Max GumpelSWE– (3 h1)
3 h2 r1/3Gus GoesslingUSA– (3 h2)
3 h3 r1/3Alf DaviesGBRat 10 yards (3 h3)
3 h4 r1/3Sydney GoodayGBRat 2½ yards (3 h4)
3 h5 r1/3John HenrikssonFIN– (3 h5)
3 h6 r1/3Harald KlemDEN– (3 h6)
3 h7 r1/3Adolf AnderssonSWE– (3 h7)
4 h3 r1/3Pierre StrauwenBEL– (4 h3)
4 h4 r1/3Amilcare BerettaITA– (4 h4)
AC h2 r1/3Herman CederbergFIN– (AC h2)
AC h2 r1/3Frederick NaylorGBR– (AC h2)
AC h5 r1/3Edward CookeANZ– (DNF h5)DNF
AC h6 r1/3Hugo JonssonFIN– (DNF h6)DNF
DNSG. BowidonFRA– (DNS h3)
DNSA. FrickFRA– (DNS h6)
DNSWalter BrackGER– (DNS h7)
DNSGeorg ZachariasGER– (DNS h4)
DNSImre WaiznerHUN– (DNS h1)
DNSFrancesco NegriITA– (DNS h7)
DNSG. PetitITA– (DNS h1)
DNSAl GosnellUSA– (DNS h5)

Round One (15 July 1908 — 14:30)

Winner in each heat and the fastest loser advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Fred HolmanGBR3:10.6QOR
2Richard RößlerGER3:18.0
3Max GumpelSWE
DNSImre WaiznerHUN
DNSG. PetitITA

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Wilhelm PerssonSWE3:17.6Q
2András BaronyiHUN3:18.0
3Gus GoesslingUSA
ACHerman CederbergFIN
ACFrederick NaylorGBR

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Erich SeidelGER3:17.2Q
2Hjalmar JohanssonSWE3:21.2
3Alf DaviesGBRat 10 yards
4Pierre StrauwenBEL
DNSG. BowidonFRA

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Ödön ToldiHUN3:14.4Q
2Pontus HansonSWE3:15.0q
3Sydney GoodayGBRat 2½ yards
4Amilcare BerettaITA
DNSGeorg ZachariasGER

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1William RobinsonGBR3:13.0Q
2Per FjästadSWE3:31.4
3John HenrikssonFIN
DNFEdward CookeANZ
DNSAl GosnellUSA

Heat Six

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1József FabinyiHUN3:23.4Q
2Torsten KumfeldtSWE3:24.6
3Harald KlemDEN
DNFHugo JonssonFIN
DNSA. FrickFRA

Heat Seven

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Félicien CourbetBEL3:16.4Q
2Percy CourtmanGBR3:18.4
3Adolf AnderssonSWE
DNSWalter BrackGER
DNSFrancesco NegriITA

Semi-Finals (16 July 1908 — 14:30)

Top two in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Fred HolmanGBR3:10.0QOR
2Ödön ToldiHUN3:16.4Q
3Erich SeidelGERat 1½ yards
4József FabinyiHUN

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1William RobinsonGBR3:11.8Q
2Pontus HansonSWE3:13.0Q
3Wilhelm PerssonSWE
4Félicien CourbetBEL

Final (18 July 1908 — 14:30)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
1Fred HolmanGBR3:09.2WR
2William RobinsonGBR3:12.8
3Pontus HansonSWE3:14.6
4Ödön ToldiHUN3:15.2