200 metres Backstroke, Women

American Melissa Belote was the defending champion and was back in the Montréal final, which was a tough call, with any of five swimmers having shots at gold. The GDR’s Birgit Treiber had won the 1975 World Championship, followed by Canadian favorite Nancy Garapick and East Germany’s Ulrike Richter, although she was considered better in the 100. Since the Munich Olympics, four swimmers had broken Belote’s world – Treiber, Richter, Garapick, and the third East German in the final, Antje Stille. Stille had twice set the mark in February and March 1976 but Richter went 2:12.47 at the June GDR Trials to hold the mark as the final gun went off. In the end she would win the gold, doubling in the backstroke, having won the 100 four days earlier. It was her race all the way, opening a body-length at 100 metres with Canada’s Wendy Hogg in second. Behind Richter the medalists were the same as in the 100 backstroke, with Treiber getting silver and Garapick bronze. Belote and Stille never challenged and finished 5-6, while Hogg struggled on the final 100 and placed eighth and last in the final. Even Richter was surprised by her second backstroke gold, “Quite frankly, I didn’t expect to win the 200 back.”