| | Event type

200 metres Individual Medley, Women

Date	20 October 1968
Status	Olympic
Location	Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez, Ciudad de México
Participants	39 from 26 countries

The 200 metre individual medley was new to the Olympic Program in 1968. At Tokyo, Claudia Kolb had won a surprise silver medal in the 200 metre breaststroke, even though she was only 14-years-old. In the ensuing four years she had become the world’s best all-around swimmer, setting six world records in the 200 IM and four in the 400. At the 1967 Pan American Games she won three individual gold medals, in both individual medleys and the 200 butterfly. In Mexico City she was entered only in her two best events, the IMs, and she came through, easily winning two gold medals. In the 200 she won by 4+ seconds over teammate Sue Pedersen and led an American sweep as Jan Henne came home in third. The race for bronze was very close as Henne trailed East German Sabine Steinbach for most of the race but outtouched her, both recording the same time.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	Final
1	Claudia Kolb	USA	2:28.8 (1 h4)	2:24.7 (1)	Gold
2	Sue Pedersen	USA	2:33.2 (2 h5)	2:28.8 (2)	Silver
3	Jan Henne	USA	2:33.9 (2 h1)	2:31.4 (3)	Bronze
4	Sabine Steinbach	GDR	2:33.2 (1 h1)	2:31.4 (4)
5	Yoshimi Nishigawa	JPN	2:31.5 (1 h3)	2:33.7 (5)
6	Marianne Seydel	GDR	2:32.8 (1 h5)	2:33.7 (6)
7	Larisa Zakharova	URS	2:34.6 (2 h4)	2:37.0 (7)
AC r2/2	Shelagh Ratcliffe	GBR	2:34.9 (3 h4)	– (DQ)		DQ
9	Tui Shipston	NZL	2:35.5 (1 h2)	–
10	Dianna Rickard	AUS	2:36.0 (2 h2)	–
11	Sue Eddy	AUS	2:36.6 (3 h1)	–
12	Hennie Penterman	NED	2:36.7 (1 h6)	–
13	Judit Turóczy	HUN	2:38.8 (2 h6)	–
14	Kirsten Campbell	DEN	2:39.4 (4 h4)	–
15	Danièle Dorléans	FRA	2:39.5 (3 h5)	–
16	Consuelo Changanachi	PER	2:40.0 (3 h2)	–
17	Márta Egerváry	HUN	2:40.7 (3 h6)	–
18	Mariya Nikolova	BUL	2:40.8 (4 h6)	–
19	Carla Galle	BEL	2:40.9 (4 h5)	–
=20	Yvonne Tobis	ISR	2:41.0 (4 h1)	–
=20	Eva Sigg	FIN	2:41.0 (5 h4)	–
22	Pilar Von Carstenn-Lichterfelde	ESP	2:41.7 (5 h6)	–
=23	Heli Matzdorf	FRG	2:42.1 (4 h2)	–
=23	Pru Chapman	NZL	2:42.1 (2 h3)	–
25	Hedy García	PHI	2:42.3 (3 h3)	–
26	Lidia Ramírez	MEX	2:42.6 (6 h4)	–
27	Kristina Moir	PUR	2:42.8 (5 h5)	–
28	Ellen Ingvadóttir	ISL	2:43.1 (4 h3)	–
29	Hrafnhildur Guðmundsdóttir	ISL	2:44.3 (5 h3)	–
30	Carmen Ferracuti	ESA	2:44.7 (6 h5)	–
31	Helmi Boxberger	FRG	2:45.2 (6 h6)	–
32	Ruth Apt	URU	2:45.9 (6 h3)	–
33	Felicia Ospitaletche	URU	2:47.8 (5 h2)	–
34	Shen Bao-Ni	TPE	2:48.1 (7 h6)	–
35	Donatella Ferracuti	ESA	2:48.6 (6 h2)	–
36	Olga de Ángulo	COL	2:48.7 (7 h5)	–
37	María Moreno	ESA	2:51.1 (7 h4)	–
38	Nelly Syro	COL	2:55.7 (5 h1)	–
39	Liana Vicens	PUR	2:57.0 (6 h1)	–
DNS	Adriana Comolli	ARG	– (DNS h1)	–
DNS	Judit Bárányi	HUN	– (DNS h1)	–
DNS	Pat Chan	SGP	– (DNS h2)	–
DNS	Đurđica Bjedov	YUG	– (DNS h3)	–
DNS	Ana Marcial	PUR	– (DNS h4)	–
DNS	Marilyn Corson	CAN	– (DNS h5)	–

Round One (20 October 1968 — 10:00)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	6	Sabine Steinbach	GDR	– (–) –	2:33.2	QOR
2	4	Jan Henne	USA	– (–) –	2:33.9	Q
3	3	Sue Eddy	AUS	– (–) –	2:36.6
4	2	Yvonne Tobis	ISR	– (–) –	2:41.0
5	7	Nelly Syro	COL	– (–) –	2:55.7
6	5	Liana Vicens	PUR	– (–) –	2:57.0
DNS	–	Adriana Comolli	ARG	– (–) –	–
DNS	–	Judit Bárányi	HUN	– (–) –	–

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	6	Tui Shipston	NZL	– (–) –	2:35.5
2	5	Dianna Rickard	AUS	– (–) –	2:36.0
3	7	Consuelo Changanachi	PER	– (–) –	2:40.0
4	2	Heli Matzdorf	FRG	– (–) –	2:42.1
5	3	Felicia Ospitaletche	URU	– (–) –	2:47.8
6	4	Donatella Ferracuti	ESA	– (–) –	2:48.6
DNS	–	Pat Chan	SGP	– (–) –	–

Heat Three

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	5	Yoshimi Nishigawa	JPN	– (–) –	2:31.5	QOR
2	4	Pru Chapman	NZL	– (–) –	2:42.1
3	3	Hedy García	PHI	– (–) –	2:42.3
4	5	Ellen Ingvadóttir	ISL	– (–) –	2:43.1
5	6	Hrafnhildur Guðmundsdóttir	ISL	– (–) –	2:44.3
6	4	Ruth Apt	URU	– (–) –	2:45.9
DNS	–	Đurđica Bjedov	YUG	– (–) –	–

Heat Four

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	6	Claudia Kolb	USA	– (–) –	2:28.8	QOR
2	5	Larisa Zakharova	URS	– (–) –	2:34.6	Q
3	3	Shelagh Ratcliffe	GBR	– (–) –	2:34.9	Q
4	7	Kirsten Campbell	DEN	– (–) –	2:39.4
5	4	Eva Sigg	FIN	– (–) –	2:41.0
6	2	Lidia Ramírez	MEX	– (–) –	2:42.6
7	8	María Moreno	ESA	– (–) –	2:51.1
DNS	–	Ana Marcial	PUR	– (–) –	–

Heat Five

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	6	Marianne Seydel	GDR	– (–) –	2:32.8	Q
2	1	Sue Pedersen	USA	– (–) –	2:33.2	Q
3	2	Danièle Dorléans	FRA	– (–) –	2:39.5
4	5	Carla Galle	BEL	– (–) –	2:40.9
5	4	Kristina Moir	PUR	– (–) –	2:42.8
6	7	Carmen Ferracuti	ESA	– (–) –	2:44.7
7	3	Olga de Ángulo	COL	– (–) –	2:48.7
DNS	–	Marilyn Corson	CAN	– (–) –	–

Heat Six

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	5	Hennie Penterman	NED	– (–) –	2:36.7
2	4	Judit Turóczy	HUN	– (–) –	2:38.8
3	7	Márta Egerváry	HUN	– (–) –	2:40.7
4	2	Mariya Nikolova	BUL	– (–) –	2:40.8
5	6	Pilar Von Carstenn-Lichterfelde	ESP	– (–) –	2:41.7
6	1	Helmi Boxberger	FRG	– (–) –	2:45.2
7	3	Shen Bao-Ni	TPE	– (–) –	2:48.1

Final (20 October 1968 — 17:00)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	4	Claudia Kolb	USA	– (–) –	2:24.7	OR
2	2	Sue Pedersen	USA	– (–) –	2:28.8
3	7	Jan Henne	USA	– (–) –	2:31.4
4	6	Sabine Steinbach	GDR	– (–) –	2:31.4
5	5	Yoshimi Nishigawa	JPN	– (–) –	2:33.7
6	3	Marianne Seydel	GDR	– (–) –	2:33.7
7	1	Larisa Zakharova	URS	– (–) –	2:37.0
DQ	8	Shelagh Ratcliffe	GBR	– (–) –	–