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

The swimming competition than 200 m breaststroke Men at the Olympic Summer Games 1956 took place between 3 December and 6 December 1956. Venue was the Olympic Park Swimming and Diving Stadium.

The competition was for the tenth time in the Olympic program. Of the originally reported 23 athletes 21 athletes participated from 17 countries.

After the competition was determined by swimmers at the two Olympics before, who had practiced the Delphi technique, the rules saw after the introduction of its own competitions for this style breaststroke a return to the original technique before. Rule uncertainties given the competition. Six of the 21 swimmers started had to be disqualified for irregular application of breast technology, including the German Herbert Klein also the winner of the second forward playback.

With the Japanese Masaru Furukawa, the Dane Knud Gleie and the German Herbert Klein were the reigning and two former world record holder at the start. Klein, the bronze medalist in Helsinki, was the only swimmer in the Olympic final four years earlier.

Furukawa, which could improve the Olympic record in his two starts, won last but not least thanks to its long underwater phase after the turn. Six months after the end of the games, this technology was banned by the World Swimming Association. Yoshimura presented a Japanese double victory sure. At the end of the seven evaluated float parted just seven seconds, one of the closest finals so far on this route. All were under the former Olympic record from 1936, as compared to other competitions over the same period, however, comparatively little.

Records

Before the start of the Olympic Games following records were valid.

* After the introduction of its own competitions for the butterfly technique, the times achieved in this style have been removed from the record books and led the Olympic record of Tetsuo Hamuro from 1936 again.

Results

First round

The three heats were held on Monday, December 3, 1956, held from 20:30 clock. For the final, qualified the eight fastest.

Furukawa and Gleie went head - to-head race that decided the Japanese with a new Olympic record in itself.

Small, original winner of the leader, was disqualified for use of a non-compliant swimming technique. Although Zasseda remained under the old Olympic record, came to the time Furukawa not approach from the first heat.

Also Yoshimura undercutting the old Olympic record time significantly, but remained two and a half seconds off the time of his compatriot Furukawa.

Final

The finale was held on Thursday, December 6, 1956 at 19:30 clock.

Up to half of the race Yoshimura and Junitschew were in the lead. Then Furukawa moved past them and swam after the last turn sure to Olympic victory. His Olympic record from the lead he undercut by a further 1.4 seconds. A close race wore Yoshimura and Junitschew from around the silver medal. The Japanese and the Russians separated at the end only a tenth of a second.