| | Event type
200 metres Backstroke, Women
| Date | 4 September 1972 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Schwimmhalle, Olympiapark, München |
| Participants | 37 from 20 countries |
The favorite was American Melissa Belote, who had broken the world record at the US Trials in August, recording 2:20.64. She had already won the 100 back two days earlier, and a gold in the medley relay the day before, and in the heats in Munich she broke her world record in this event with 2:20.58. The 200 final was the final event of the women’s 1972 swimming program. Belote made easy work of it, taking the lead on the first lap and increasing it throughout to win gold in another record time of 2:19.19. Her teammate Susie Atwood was second for much of the race and held on for silver, ahead of Canada’s Donna-Marie Gurr, a surprise bronze medalist.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1057 | Melissa Belote |  USA | 2:20.58 (1 h5) | 2:19.19 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 1053 | Susie Atwood | USA | 2:22.13 (1 h2) | 2:20.38 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 697 | Donna-Marie Gurr |  CAN | 2:25.33 (2 h4) | 2:23.22 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | – | Annegret Kober |  FRG | 2:24.88 (1 h1) | 2:23.35 (4) | |||
| 5 | 793 | Christine Herbst |  GDR | 2:25.09 (2 h5) | 2:23.44 (5) | |||
| 6 | 844 | Enith Brigitha |  NED | 2:23.70 (1 h4) | 2:23.70 (6) | |||
| 7 | 665 | Debbie Palmer |  AUS | 2:24.25 (2 h2) | 2:24.65 (7) | |||
| 8 | 693 | Leslie Cliff | CAN | 2:25.08 (1 h3) | 2:25.80 (8) | |||
| 9 | 661 | Sue Lewis | AUS | 2:25.34 (3 h5) | – | |||
| 10 | 815 | Karin Bormann | FRG | 2:25.59 (2 h3) | – | |||
| 11 | 694 | Wendy Cook | CAN | 2:25.71 (2 h1) | – | |||
| 12 | – | Andrea Gyarmati |  HUN | 2:25.81 (4 h5) | – | |||
| 13 | 1078 | Lynn Skrifvars | USA | 2:26.40 (3 h3) | – | |||
| 14 | 916 | Suzuko Matsumura |  JPN | 2:26.95 (3 h1) | – | |||
| 15 | 654 | Debra Cain | AUS | 2:27.14 (4 h3) | – | |||
| 16 | 747 | Sylvie Le Noach |  FRA | 2:27.18 (3 h4) | – | |||
| 17 | 943 | María Teresa Ramírez |  MEX | 2:27.47 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 18 | 794 | Susanne Hilger | GDR | 2:27.88 (3 h2) | – | |||
| 19 | 848 | Josien Elzerman | NED | 2:28.18 (5 h3) | – | |||
| 20 | 1031 | Tina Lek'veishvili |  URS | 2:28.22 (4 h4) | – | |||
| 21 | 960 | Susan Hunter |  NZL | 2:28.28 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 22 | 1002 | Susanne Niesner |  SUI | 2:28.62 (5 h4) | – | |||
| 23 | 849 | Annemarie Groen | NED | 2:29.17 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 24 | 759 | Pam Bairstow |  GBR | 2:29.28 (6 h4) | – | |||
| 25 | 1029 | Nataliya Yershova | URS | 2:29.46 (5 h5) | – | |||
| 26 | 913 | Kikuyo Ishii | JPN | 2:29.66 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 27 | 758 | Diana Ashton | GBR | 2:29.95 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 28 | 911 | Kazu Fujimura | JPN | 2:30.37 (6 h3) | – | |||
| 29 | 822 | Angelika Kraus | FRG | 2:31.16 (6 h5) | – | |||
| 30 | 652 | Patricia López |  ARG | 2:33.41 (7 h5) | – | |||
| 31 | 1089 | Zdenka Gašparac |  YUG | 2:33.57 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 32 | 878 | Christine Fulcher |  IRL | 2:33.73 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 33 | 946 | María Cecilia Vargas | MEX | 2:37.54 (7 h4) | – | |||
| 34 | 777 | Diana Sutherland | GBR | 2:37.61 (8 h5) | – | |||
| 35 | 1051 | Felicia Ospitaletche |  URU | 2:37.88 (7 h3) | – | |||
| 36 | 992 | Pat Chan |  SGP | 2:41.27 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 37 | 934 | Ong Mei Lin |  MAS | 2:46.40 (8 h4) | – | |||
| 687 | Svetlozara Ignatova |  BUL | – (DNS h1) | – | ||||
| 927 | Mireille Bassoul |  LBN | – (DNS h3) | – |
Round One
| Date | 4 September 1972 — 10:30 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. |
Heat #1
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 100 m | 150 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | 100-150 m Time (Rank) | 150-200 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Annegret Kober | FRG | 2:24.88 | 32.98 (1) | 1:09.35 (1) | 1:46.77 (1) | 36.37 (1) | 37.42 (1) | 38.11 (4) | ||
| 2 | – | Wendy Cook | CAN | 2:25.71 | 33.53 (3) | 1:10.00 (2) | 1:48.06 (2) | 36.47 (2) | 38.06 (4) | 37.65 (1) | ||
| 3 | – | Suzuko Matsumura | JPN | 2:26.95 | 34.59 (5) | 1:11.25 (4) | 1:49.22 (3) | 36.66 (3) | 37.97 (3) | 37.73 (2) | ||
| 4 | – | María Teresa Ramírez | MEX | 2:27.47 | 34.70 (6) | 1:11.90 (6) | 1:49.50 (5) | 37.20 (5) | 37.60 (2) | 37.97 (3) | ||
| 5 | – | Annemarie Groen | NED | 2:29.17 | 33.55 (4) | 1:10.59 (3) | 1:49.30 (4) | 37.04 (4) | 38.71 (6) | 39.87 (6) | ||
| 6 | – | Diana Ashton | GBR | 2:29.95 | 33.46 (2) | 1:11.88 (5) | 1:50.58 (6) | 38.42 (6) | 38.70 (5) | 39.37 (5) | ||
| – | Svetlozara Ignatova | BUL | – | – (–) | – (–) | – (–) | – | – | – |
Heat #2
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 100 m | 150 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | 100-150 m Time (Rank) | 150-200 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Susie Atwood | USA | 2:22.13 | 33.86 (1) | 1:09.33 (1) | 1:46.02 (1) | 35.47 (2) | 36.69 (1) | 36.11 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Debbie Palmer | AUS | 2:24.25 | 34.39 (3) | 1:09.62 (2) | 1:46.86 (2) | 35.23 (1) | 37.24 (3) | 37.39 (2) | ||
| 3 | – | Susanne Hilger | GDR | 2:27.88 | 35.44 (7) | 1:11.71 (3) | 1:49.86 (3) | 36.27 (3) | 38.15 (4) | 38.02 (3) | ||
| 4 | – | Susan Hunter | NZL | 2:28.28 | 34.97 (5) | 1:12.97 (5) | 1:50.19 (4) | 38.00 (5) | 37.22 (2) | 38.09 (4) | ||
| 5 | – | Kikuyo Ishii | JPN | 2:29.66 | 35.12 (6) | 1:12.56 (4) | 1:51.48 (5) | 37.44 (4) | 38.92 (5) | 38.18 (5) | ||
| 6 | – | Zdenka Gašparac | YUG | 2:33.57 | 34.88 (4) | 1:13.48 (6) | 1:52.92 (6) | 38.60 (6) | 39.44 (7) | 40.65 (7) | ||
| 7 | – | Christine Fulcher | IRL | 2:33.73 | 34.31 (2) | 1:14.05 (7) | 1:53.35 (7) | 39.74 (7) | 39.30 (6) | 40.38 (6) | ||
| 8 | – | Pat Chan | SGP | 2:41.27 | 36.95 (8) | 1:17.51 (8) | 1:59.02 (8) | 40.56 (8) | 41.51 (8) | 42.25 (8) |
Heat #3
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 100 m | 150 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | 100-150 m Time (Rank) | 150-200 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Leslie Cliff | CAN | 2:25.08 | 33.91 (2) | 1:10.58 (3) | 1:48.21 (2) | 36.67 (=3) | 37.63 (2) | 36.87 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Karin Bormann | FRG | 2:25.59 | 33.14 (1) | 1:08.98 (1) | 1:46.59 (1) | 35.84 (2) | 37.61 (1) | 39.00 (6) | ||
| 3 | – | Lynn Skrifvars | USA | 2:26.40 | 34.66 (5) | 1:11.33 (4) | 1:49.03 (4) | 36.67 (=3) | 37.70 (3) | 37.37 (2) | ||
| 4 | – | Debra Cain | AUS | 2:27.14 | 34.49 (4) | 1:10.29 (2) | 1:48.23 (3) | 35.80 (1) | 37.94 (4) | 38.91 (5) | ||
| 5 | – | Josien Elzerman | NED | 2:28.18 | 34.42 (3) | 1:11.65 (5) | 1:50.03 (5) | 37.23 (5) | 38.38 (5) | 38.15 (3) | ||
| 6 | – | Kazu Fujimura | JPN | 2:30.37 | 34.67 (6) | 1:12.88 (6) | 1:51.89 (6) | 38.21 (6) | 39.01 (6) | 38.48 (4) | ||
| 7 | – | Felicia Ospitaletche | URU | 2:37.88 | 36.81 (7) | 1:17.45 (7) | 1:58.03 (7) | 40.64 (7) | 40.58 (7) | 39.85 (7) | ||
| – | Mireille Bassoul | LBN | – | – (–) | – (–) | – (–) | – | – | – |
Heat #4
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 100 m | 150 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | 100-150 m Time (Rank) | 150-200 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Enith Brigitha | NED | 2:23.70 | 32.89 (1) | 1:09.49 (1) | 1:46.89 (1) | 36.60 (1) | 37.40 (1) | 36.81 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Donna-Marie Gurr | CAN | 2:25.33 | 33.55 (2) | 1:10.23 (2) | 1:48.02 (2) | 36.68 (2) | 37.79 (2) | 37.31 (3) | ||
| 3 | – | Sylvie Le Noach | FRA | 2:27.18 | 34.45 (=5) | 1:11.69 (3) | 1:49.64 (3) | 37.24 (3) | 37.95 (4) | 37.54 (4) | ||
| 4 | – | Tina Lek'veishvili | URS | 2:28.22 | 33.80 (3) | 1:11.86 (4) | 1:50.98 (6) | 38.06 (5) | 39.12 (6) | 37.24 (2) | ||
| 5 | – | Susanne Niesner | SUI | 2:28.62 | 34.33 (4) | 1:12.72 (6) | 1:50.58 (4) | 38.39 (6) | 37.86 (3) | 38.04 (5) | ||
| 6 | – | Pam Bairstow | GBR | 2:29.28 | 34.45 (=5) | 1:12.16 (5) | 1:50.90 (5) | 37.71 (4) | 38.74 (5) | 38.38 (6) | ||
| 7 | – | María Cecilia Vargas | MEX | 2:37.54 | 35.77 (7) | 1:15.87 (7) | 1:56.57 (7) | 40.10 (7) | 40.70 (7) | 40.97 (7) | ||
| 8 | – | Ong Mei Lin | MAS | 2:46.40 | 39.14 (8) | 1:22.09 (8) | 2:04.30 (8) | 42.95 (8) | 42.21 (8) | 42.10 (8) |
Heat #5
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 100 m | 150 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | 100-150 m Time (Rank) | 150-200 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Melissa Belote | USA | 2:20.58 | 32.14 (1) | 1:07.32 (1) | 1:43.84 (1) | 35.18 (1) | 36.52 (1) | 36.74 (1) | ||
| 2 | – | Christine Herbst | GDR | 2:25.09 | 32.94 (3) | 1:09.05 (3) | 1:46.80 (2) | 36.11 (4) | 37.75 (3) | 38.29 (3) | ||
| 3 | – | Sue Lewis | AUS | 2:25.34 | 34.30 (5) | 1:10.34 (4) | 1:47.67 (4) | 36.04 (2) | 37.33 (2) | 37.67 (2) | ||
| 4 | – | Andrea Gyarmati | HUN | 2:25.81 | 32.92 (2) | 1:09.02 (2) | 1:47.28 (3) | 36.10 (3) | 38.26 (4) | 38.53 (4) | ||
| 5 | – | Nataliya Yershova | URS | 2:29.46 | 33.61 (4) | 1:11.32 (5) | 1:50.49 (5) | 37.71 (5) | 39.17 (6) | 38.97 (5) | ||
| 6 | – | Angelika Kraus | FRG | 2:31.16 | 34.72 (6) | 1:12.96 (6) | 1:51.87 (6) | 38.24 (6) | 38.91 (5) | 39.29 (6) | ||
| 7 | – | Patricia López | ARG | 2:33.41 | 34.97 (7) | 1:13.25 (7) | 1:52.61 (7) | 38.28 (7) | 39.36 (7) | 40.80 (7) | ||
| 8 | – | Diana Sutherland | GBR | 2:37.61 | 35.35 (8) | 1:14.56 (8) | 1:55.57 (8) | 39.21 (8) | 41.01 (8) | 42.04 (8) |
Final Round
| Date | 4 September 1972 — 18:50 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | 50 m | 100 m | 150 m | 50-100 m Time (Rank) | 100-150 m Time (Rank) | 150-200 m Time (Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Melissa Belote | USA | 2:19.19 | 32.11 (1) | 1:06.59 (1) | 1:42.55 (1) | 34.48 (1) | 35.96 (1) | 36.64 (2) | ||
| 2 | – | Susie Atwood | USA | 2:20.38 | 33.01 (6) | 1:08.04 (2) | 1:44.37 (2) | 35.03 (2) | 36.33 (2) | 36.01 (1) | ||
| 3 | – | Donna-Marie Gurr | CAN | 2:23.22 | 32.97 (5) | 1:09.23 (5) | 1:45.89 (3) | 36.26 (4) | 36.66 (3) | 37.33 (5) | ||
| 4 | – | Annegret Kober | FRG | 2:23.35 | 32.41 (=2) | 1:08.73 (4) | 1:46.27 (5) | 36.32 (5) | 37.54 (7) | 37.08 (3) | ||
| 5 | – | Christine Herbst | GDR | 2:23.44 | 32.53 (4) | 1:09.24 (6) | 1:46.26 (4) | 36.71 (7) | 37.02 (4) | 37.18 (4) | ||
| 6 | – | Enith Brigitha | NED | 2:23.70 | 32.41 (=2) | 1:08.54 (3) | 1:46.29 (6) | 36.13 (3) | 37.75 (8) | 37.41 (6) | ||
| 7 | – | Debbie Palmer | AUS | 2:24.65 | 33.35 (7) | 1:09.70 (7) | 1:46.86 (7) | 36.35 (6) | 37.16 (5) | 37.79 (7) | ||
| 8 | – | Leslie Cliff | CAN | 2:25.80 | 33.67 (8) | 1:10.61 (8) | 1:47.95 (8) | 36.94 (8) | 37.34 (6) | 37.85 (8) |