Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre freestyle

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.[1] It will be the event's fifteenth appearance, having been held in 1904 and then at every edition since 1968.

Men's 200 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad
Venue	Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Dates	TBC

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

World record	Paul Biedermann (GER)	1:42.00	Rome, Italy	28 July 2009	[2][3]
Olympic record	Michael Phelps (USA)	1:42.96	Beijing, China	12 August 2008	[4]

Qualification

The Olympic Qualifying Time for the event is 1:47.02. Up to two swimmers per National Olympic Committee (NOC) can automatically qualify by swimming that time at an approved qualification event. The Olympic Selection Time is 1:50.23. Up to one swimmer per NOC meeting that time is eligible for selection, allocated by world ranking until the maximum quota for all swimming events is reached. NOCs without a male swimmer qualified in any event can also use their universality place.[5]

Competition format

The competition consists of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advance to the semifinals. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advance to the final. Swim-offs are used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.[6]

Schedule

All times are Japan standard time (UTC+9)[1]

Date	Time	Round
TBC	19:00	Heats
TBC	10:30	Semifinals
TBC	10:30	Final

Results

Heats

The swimmers with the top 16 times, regardless of heat, advance to the semifinals.

Semifinals

The swimmers with the best 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final.

References

1. "Tokyo 2020: Swimming Schedule". Tokyo 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
2. Dillman, Lisa (29 July 2009). "Suit case: German ends Phelps' reign". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
3. Jeffery, Nicole (29 July 2009). "Paul Biedermann beats Michael Phelps in 200m freestyle". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
4. "Phelps breaks 200 free world record by nearly a second". ESPN. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
5. "Tokyo 2020 – FINA Swimming Qualification System" (pdf). Tokyo 2020. FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
6. "FINA Swimming Rulebook, 2017–21" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.