Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
The long-awaited final of the 200 men’s free training rose to the occasion during the third day of the Tokyo Olympics finals, since then Tom Dean He took gold with a new British national record of 1:44.22.
Dean, 21, started racing strong, just as he did at the British Olympic Trials in April, but not quite as quickly as the South Korean teenager. Hwang Sunwoo. Hwang, the fastest swimmer in the preliminary series with 1:44.62, took the lead on the opening bars of the event, with a time of 49.78 in the 100m pass.
Dean finished third at 50.46, and held that position until 150, before the race changed dramatically at the finish line. Hwang began to fall behind and fellow Dean, Duncan Scott, who set a British record of 1:44.47 in the April trials, set out to shape the ground.
With Hwang slipping, Dean took the lead and narrowly defeated Scott to win the gold medal in 1:44.22, lowering Britain’s Scott’s record by a quarter of a second.
Scott finished second with a time of 1:44.26, downgrading his best, while Dean’s time improved from his personal best of 1:44.58, which also set the British Trials in April.
Particle comparison
| Scott, former British record | DEAN, the best time ever | DEAN, a new British record |
| 24.45 | 23.98 | 24.21 |
| 50.25 (25.80) | 50.57 (26.59) | 50.46 (26.25) |
| 1: 16.88 (26.63) | 1: 17.36 (26.79) | 1: 17.38 (26.92) |
| 1: 44.47 (27.59) | 1: 44.58 (27.22) | 1: 44.22 (26.84) |
Dean and Scott also became the first Olympic medalists in UK history in the men’s 200 freestyle training, becoming the sixth and seventh ever in the event, respectively.
Historical Ranking – 200 men free
- Paul Biedermann (Germany), 1:42.00 – 2009
- Michael Phelps (USA), 1:42.96 – 2008
- Yannick Agnelle (France), 1:43:14 – 2012
- Danila Izotov (Russia), 1:43.90 – 2009
- Ian Thorpe (Australia), 1:44.06 – 2002
- Tom Dean (Britain), 1:44.22 – 2021
- Duncan Scott (Britain), 1:44.26 – 2021
- Today Rapsys (LTU), 1:44.38 – 2019
- Sun Yang (CHN), 1:44.39 – 2017
- Ryan Lochte (USA), 1:44.44 – 2011
Two more men cut 1:45 in the fight for bronze with the Brazilian Fernando Scheffer (1:44.66) Re-establishes his record in South America and expels the 16-year-old Romanian David Popovici (1:44.68), who broke the European junior record.
Hwang finished seventh with a score of 1:45.26.
Full Ranking – Men’s 200 Freestyle – Tokyo 2020
- ORO: Tom Dean (Britain), 1:44.22
- paying off: Duncan Scott (Britain), 1:44.26
- Bronze: Fernando Scheffer (Brazil), 1:44.66
- David Popovici (Ro) 1:44.68
- Martin Malyutin (Republic of China) 1:45.01
- Kieran Smith (US), 1:45
- Hwang Sunwoo (KOR) 1:45.26
- Today Rapsys (LTU), 1: 45.78
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