Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre breaststroke

The men's 200 metre breaststroke event at the 1956 Olympic Games took place between November 30 and December 6.[1] This swimming event used the breaststroke. Because an Olympic-size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of four lengths of the pool.

Medalists

GoldMasaru Furukawa
 Japan
SilverMasahiro Yoshimura
 Japan
BronzeKharis Yunichev
 Soviet Union

Results

Heats

Three heats were held; the swimmers with the fastest eight times advanced to the Finals. The athletes that advanced are highlighted.

Heat One

Rank Athlete Country Time
1Masaru FurukawaJapan2:36.1
2Knud GleieDenmark2:36.4
3Farid DosayevSoviet Union2:43.9
4Louis KozmaBelgium2:48.4
5Shamsher KhanIndia3:19.0
-Octávio MobigliaBrazilDSQ
-Palsons NaibulaPhilippinesDSQ

Heat Two

Rank Athlete Country Time
1Igor ZasedaSoviet Union2:40.1
2Terry GathercoleAustralia2:40.2
3Manuel SanguilyCuba2:41.8
4Ren KohnLuxembourg2:50.9
5István SzívósHungary3:18.7
-Álvaro GómezColombiaDSQ
-Herbert KleinGermanyDSQ

Heat Three

Rank Athlete Country Time
1Masahiro YoshimuraJapan2:38.6
2Kharis YunichevSoviet Union2:41.2
3Hugues BroussardFrance2:43.0
4Gilbert DesmitBelgium2:43.5
5Christopher WalkdenGreat Britain2:47.1
6Robert HughesUnited States2:52.2
-Ghulam RasulPakistanDSQ

Final

RankAthleteCountryTimeNotes
Masaru Furukawa Japan2:34.7
Masahiro Yoshimura Japan2:36.7
Kharis Yunichev Soviet Union2:36.8
4Terry Gathercole Australia2:38.7
5Igor Zaseda Soviet Union2:39.0
6Knud Gleie Denmark2:40.0
7Manuel Sanguily Cuba2:42.0
Hugues Broussard FranceDSQ

A loophole in the rules allowed swimmers to swim below the surface of the water, which was quicker and more efficient, with Furukawa spending 75% of the race underwater. Underwater swimming was banned in early 1957.[2]

Key: DSQ = Disqualified

References

  1. "Swimming at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games: Men's 200 metres Breaststroke". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  2. Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. England: Penguin Books. p. 407. ISBN 0140066322.
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