400 metres Individual Medley, Men

Since his Munich bronze medal, Hungary’s András Hargitay had been the world’s IM swimmer, winning both the 200 and 400 at the 1975 World Championships, and setting the 400 IM world record in Vienna in 1974 with 4:28.89. That record was broken in April 1976 by his countryman, Zoltán Verraszto, but he was not in Montréal. The US Trials were won in June by Rod Strachan, who was also NCAA Champion in 1976. Hargitay and Strachan were expected to be challenged by Tim McKee, silver medalist in this event in 1972. The opening butterfly leg of the final was led by the third American, Steve Furniss, but Strachan then opened a two-second lead on his strongest leg, the backstroke. Strachan later noted, “I knew I had the weakest breaststroke out there, so I felt I had to have a lead at the end of the backstroke.” And on the third leg, the breaststroke, McKee took back the lead, just over ½-second ahead of Strachan, only to see Strachan race home in the freestyle 100 in under a minute and claim the gold medal in world record time, 4:32.68. McKee settled for a second consecutive silver, while Soviet Andrey Smirnov surprised a tiring Hargitay to win bronze.