| | Event type

200 metres Backstroke, Men

Date	25 October 1968
Status	Olympic
Location	Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez, Ciudad de México
Participants	30 from 21 countries

Roland Matthes of the GDR had already won the 100 backstroke in Mexico City, and had set two world records in this event in Leipzig, in 1967 and earlier in 1968. The early pace in the final was set by Mitch Ivey and Jack Horsley of the United States and they still led at 150 metres, Matthes just behind. But on the final lap Matthes increased his turnover and pulled away to a full second victory over Ivey, with Horsley taking the bronze, Gary Hall of the USA placing fourth. In 1972 Matthes would repeat in this event at Munich and also win the 100 back, taking the backstroke double-double in 1968-72.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	Final
1	23062	Roland Matthes	GDR	2:13.6 (1 h3)	2:09.6 (1)	Gold
2	15350	Mitch Ivey	USA	2:11.3 (1 h1)	2:10.6 (2)	Silver
3	15349	Jack Horsley	USA	2:13.7 (1 h2)	2:10.9 (3)	Bronze
4	15347	Gary Hall	USA	2:16.2 (1 h5)	2:12.6 (4)
5	15082	Santiago Esteva	ESP	2:15.8 (2 h3)	2:12.9 (5)
6	21024	Leonid Dobroskokin	URS	2:16.1 (1 h4)	2:15.4 (6)
7	23070	Joachim Rother	GDR	2:16.1 (3 h3)	2:15.8 (7)
8	17854	Franco Del Campo	ITA	2:16.3 (2 h1)	2:16.5 (8)
9	12236	Reinhard Blechert	FRG	2:16.5 (2 h2)	–
10	14811	Ejvind Pedersen	DEN	2:16.6 (4 h3)	–
11	–	Mátyás Borlói	HUN	2:17.9 (2 h5)	–
12	17081	Bob Schoutsen	NED	2:18.2 (2 h4)	–
13	17922	Franco Chino	ITA	2:19.5 (3 h1)	–
14	15083	Jaime Monzo	ESP	2:20.1 (3 h2)	–
=15	18764	José Joaquín Santibáñez	MEX	2:20.7 (4 h1)	–
=15	12046	Karl Byrom	AUS	2:20.7 (5 h3)	–
=15	18765	Jaime Rivera	MEX	2:20.7 (3 h4)	–
18	13940	Jim Shaw	CAN	2:21.0 (5 h1)	–
19	17107	Rinus van Beek	NED	2:21.2 (3 h5)	–
20	14414	Eliseo Vidal	CUB	2:21.3 (6 h3)	–
21	20408	Hans Ljungberg	SWE	2:22.3 (6 h1)	–
22	14812	Lars Kraus Jensen	DEN	2:22.5 (4 h4)	–
23	18766	Luis Ángel Acosta	MEX	2:24.0 (4 h5)	–
24	20568	Gerald Evard	SUI	2:24.7 (5 h4)	–
25	12808	Leonardo Barenboim	ARG	2:25.2 (7 h3)	–
26	15865	Tony Asamli	PHI	2:30.0 (7 h1)	–
27	–	Francisco Ramis	PUR	2:30.4 (8 h3)	–
28	16847	Antonio Cruz	GUA	2:36.3 (8 h1)	–
29	21939	Ronnie Wong	HKG	2:38.6 (5 h5)	–
30	23707	Chan King-Ming	TPE	2:46.9 (6 h4)	–
DNS	12814	Carlos van der Maath	ARG	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	13550	César Filardi	BRA	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	13938	Ralph Hutton	CAN	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	20409	Hans Tegeback	SWE	– (DNS h4)	–
DNS	16690	Neil Jackson	GBR	– (DNS h5)	–
DNS	20404	Olle Ferm	SWE	– (DNS h5)	–

Round One

Date	25 October 1968 — 10:00
Format	Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Mitch Ivey	USA	2:11.3	Q
2	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	2:13.6	Q
3	–	Jack Horsley	USA	2:13.7	Q
4	–	Santiago Esteva	ESP	2:15.8	Q
=5	–	Joachim Rother	GDR	2:16.1	Q
=5	–	Leonid Dobroskokin	URS	2:16.1	Q
7	–	Gary Hall	USA	2:16.2	Q
8	–	Franco Del Campo	ITA	2:16.3	Q
9	–	Reinhard Blechert	FRG	2:16.5
10	–	Ejvind Pedersen	DEN	2:16.6
11	–	Mátyás Borlói	HUN	2:17.9
12	–	Bob Schoutsen	NED	2:18.2
13	–	Franco Chino	ITA	2:19.5
14	–	Jaime Monzo	ESP	2:20.1
=15	–	José Joaquín Santibáñez	MEX	2:20.7
=15	–	Karl Byrom	AUS	2:20.7
=15	–	Jaime Rivera	MEX	2:20.7
18	–	Jim Shaw	CAN	2:21.0
19	–	Rinus van Beek	NED	2:21.2
20	–	Eliseo Vidal	CUB	2:21.3
21	–	Hans Ljungberg	SWE	2:22.3
22	–	Lars Kraus Jensen	DEN	2:22.5
23	–	Luis Ángel Acosta	MEX	2:24.0
24	–	Gerald Evard	SUI	2:24.7
25	–	Leonardo Barenboim	ARG	2:25.2
26	–	Tony Asamli	PHI	2:30.0
27	–	Francisco Ramis	PUR	2:30.4
28	–	Antonio Cruz	GUA	2:36.3
29	–	Ronnie Wong	HKG	2:38.6
30	–	Chan King-Ming	TPE	2:46.9
DNS	–	Carlos van der Maath	ARG	–
DNS	–	César Filardi	BRA	–
DNS	–	Ralph Hutton	CAN	–
DNS	–	Hans Tegeback	SWE	–
DNS	–	Neil Jackson	GBR	–
DNS	–	Olle Ferm	SWE	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Mitch Ivey	USA	2:11.3	1:02.6 (1)	1:08.7 (1)	Q
2	–	Franco Del Campo	ITA	2:16.3	1:05.2 (2)	1:11.1 (2)	Q
3	–	Franco Chino	ITA	2:19.5	1:08.2 (6)	1:11.3 (3)
4	–	José Joaquín Santibáñez	MEX	2:20.7	1:08.1 (5)	1:12.6 (4)
5	–	Jim Shaw	CAN	2:21.0	1:07.2 (3)	1:13.8 (5)
6	–	Hans Ljungberg	SWE	2:22.3	1:07.9 (4)	1:14.4 (6)
7	–	Tony Asamli	PHI	2:30.0	1:09.8 (7)	1:20.2 (8)
8	–	Antonio Cruz	GUA	2:36.3	1:17.3 (8)	1:19.0 (7)

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Jack Horsley	USA	2:13.7	1:04.8 (1)	1:08.9 (1)	Q
2	–	Reinhard Blechert	FRG	2:16.5	1:05.7 (2)	1:10.8 (2)
3	–	Jaime Monzo	ESP	2:20.1	1:07.0 (3)	1:13.1 (3)
DNS	–	Carlos van der Maath	ARG	–	– (–)	–
DNS	–	César Filardi	BRA	–	– (–)	–
DNS	–	Ralph Hutton	CAN	–	– (–)	–

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	2:13.6	1:06.4 (=1)	1:07.2 (1)	Q
2	–	Santiago Esteva	ESP	2:15.8	1:07.4 (4)	1:08.4 (3)	Q
3	–	Joachim Rother	GDR	2:16.1	1:07.9 (5)	1:08.2 (2)	Q
4	–	Ejvind Pedersen	DEN	2:16.6	1:06.7 (3)	1:09.9 (4)
5	–	Karl Byrom	AUS	2:20.7	1:06.4 (=1)	1:14.3 (6)
6	–	Eliseo Vidal	CUB	2:21.3	1:09.3 (6)	1:12.0 (5)
7	–	Leonardo Barenboim	ARG	2:25.2	1:09.7 (7)	1:15.5 (7)
8	–	Francisco Ramis	PUR	2:30.4	1:12.8 (8)	1:17.6 (8)

Heat #4

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Leonid Dobroskokin	URS	2:16.1	1:08.1 (3)	1:08.0 (1)	Q
2	–	Bob Schoutsen	NED	2:18.2	1:07.4 (1)	1:10.8 (2)
3	–	Jaime Rivera	MEX	2:20.7	1:08.5 (4)	1:12.2 (3)
4	–	Lars Kraus Jensen	DEN	2:22.5	1:07.7 (2)	1:14.8 (4)
5	–	Gerald Evard	SUI	2:24.7	1:08.9 (5)	1:15.8 (5)
6	–	Chan King-Ming	TPE	2:46.9	1:16.5 (6)	1:30.4 (6)
DNS	–	Hans Tegeback	SWE	–	– (–)	–

Heat #5

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Gary Hall	USA	2:16.2	1:07.2 (1)	1:09.0 (1)	Q
2	–	Mátyás Borlói	HUN	2:17.9	1:07.5 (2)	1:10.4 (2)
3	–	Rinus van Beek	NED	2:21.2	1:08.7 (=3)	1:12.5 (3)
4	–	Luis Ángel Acosta	MEX	2:24.0	1:08.7 (=3)	1:15.3 (4)
5	–	Ronnie Wong	HKG	2:38.6	1:17.3 (5)	1:21.3 (5)
DNS	–	Neil Jackson	GBR	–	– (–)	–
DNS	–	Olle Ferm	SWE	–	– (–)	–

Final Round

Date	25 October 1968 — 17:00

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time	100 m	100-200 m Time (Rank)
1	–	Roland Matthes	GDR	2:09.6	1:03.8 (3)	1:05.8 (1)	OR
2	–	Mitch Ivey	USA	2:10.6	1:03.2 (=1)	1:07.4 (2)
3	–	Jack Horsley	USA	2:10.9	1:03.2 (=1)	1:07.7 (4)
4	–	Gary Hall	USA	2:12.6	1:04.8 (5)	1:07.8 (5)
5	–	Santiago Esteva	ESP	2:12.9	1:05.4 (=6)	1:07.5 (3)
6	–	Leonid Dobroskokin	URS	2:15.4	1:04.7 (4)	1:10.7 (7)
7	–	Joachim Rother	GDR	2:15.8	1:06.1 (8)	1:09.7 (6)
8	–	Franco Del Campo	ITA	2:16.5	1:05.4 (=6)	1:11.1 (8)