Following the World Record in the women’s 400m free on Day 1, Katie Ledecky (USA) had this time more difficulties in getting the gold in the 200m. Swimming in lane 5, the US prodigy (also 2015 world champion) touched home in 1:53.73, but was closely followed by Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), silver medallist in 1:54.08 (and winner of the 100m fly here in Rio). The bronze went to Emma McKeon, from Australia, in 1:54.92. The world record holder in the distance, Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, had to content with the fourth place, in 1:55.18 (her global mark stands at 1:52.98, since July 2009). The Italian champion has been in the podium at the last six consecutive World Championships, and was Olympic gold medallist in this event in Beijing 2008.
Skipping the 200m butterfly heats, Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu wanted to preserve some energy for the evening’s 200m IM – the tactics paid off, with one slight difficulty: the win was not accompanied by a new World Record. Swimming under WR pace at the 50m (-0.07) and 100m (-0.05), the Magyar great could not keep the rhythm in the second half of the race, touching home for gold in 2:06.58, a new Olympic record (that she has established on the previous day, in 2:07.45). In the last 25m, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (GBR) tried a final attack on Katinka, but in the end had to content with silver in 2:06.68. The bronze went to Maya Dirado (USA) in 2:08.79. With this performance, Katinka Hosszu equals the best performance ever achieved by a female Hungarian swimmer in a single edition of the Games – her compatriot Krisztina Egerszegi got three Olympic titles in Barcelona 1992.
In semi-final action, the highlight of the session went to the Olympic Record set by Ippei Watanabe in the men’s 200m breaststroke – the Japanese ace clocked 2:07.22, bettering the time set by Daniel Gyurta (HUN), the 2012 Olympic champion in 2:07.28, and not qualified in the heats of the morning!
QUOTES
Katie Ledecky (USA), gold, women’s 200m free
“I don’t count my strokes but I get statistics after the race. Apparently I took too many strokes yesterday but I feel I’ve done better today.”
“I have the relay tomorrow night and then the 800m semi-final and then the finals so I am excited for all of this coming.”
“I did come pretty close to throw up but I have been in that position in training time so I knew I could do it. Every part of my body hurt at the end of the race."
"It was a lot of fun but it can be stressful to be part of these type of finals but I really enjoy it. It was a great honour to be in a collective final.”
“I only breath on one side so I didn’t see Sarah but I am just happy I touched the wall first.”
“It is such a great honour to be on the same team with Michael (Phelps) for the second time. He is such a leader, the best leadership I have ever seen, very inspiring. He is leading by example at only 31. I just can’t wait to see what he does the rest of the week. At the camp he told us a lot of Olympic Games stories, it has been great to have him by our side.”
“Katinka is having a fantastic meet. She has been continuously improving over the past years.”
“It is really hard to sleep after a great performance. But this week I have a lot of events so I need a lot of sleep. I take naps too. I need to feel fresh.”
“It was a really tough race but a lot of fun. It's amazing to get another medal. Once I hit the water I was on auto-control. I got in the lead and wasn't about to let it go."
"I'm kind of the present, too."
"That hurt pretty badly. It's the closest I've come to throwing up at the end of a race. I was just glad to get my hand on the wall first. It was a stressful race and I feel good now it's over. I took it pretty fast and forced everyone and once I was ahead I was not going to let it out of my hands."
Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), silver, women’s 200m free
“Freestyle has always been the hardest event for me even though I have always wanted to swim it. I focused on this one this season.”
“I was closer to Katie than I thought. I didn’t have any more to give in the last 50 meter. I was exhausted. I was just standing still but it was fun anyway.”
“The 200m is a sprint for Katie but a long distance for me so I guess it is easier for her. She is the queen of freestyle. She has a unique technique and she is strong girl. I just surfed over Katie’s waves. I get some extra speed for free in the turn.
"It's my first international medal in the 200 freestyle and it was my best time in 200 free so I couldn't be happier. Of course, (Katie) Ledecky, she's one of a kind so it feels like a gold to me that I'm after her."
"It's amazing. I couldn't have a better Olympics. It's like one gold, and now one silver and now maybe another medal in another competition."
"I was so happy. It's a Swedish record as well and my best time. I couldn't have done faster today, it's impossible."
Emma McKeon (AUS), bronze, women’s 200m free
“I really felt I was going to throw up yes, just like Katie. It is a normal sensation because it is very physical in the last 50 meters.”
“My father competed in the Olympics a long time ago, my uncle too and my brother took part in the London 2012 Games so it is nice to have this Olympic connection with my family. They can share their knowledge and experience with me. It is really nice.”
"I can't really put it into words. I'm just so happy and relieved, relieved that it's over because I did put a lot of pressure on myself in the 200 freestyle just because I feel that's where my potential is. Yeah just feel so happy with a bronze medal."
"My coach Michael Bohl (AUS) just before said to me, just treat it like it's trials back in Adelaide where I did swim my own race and just took it out pretty hard and hung on so that was the tactics this time. Just keep the pressure up."
"I don't think it was so much physical, it was more mental, turning it around, putting that behind and moving on to the 200 freestyle where I did have a chance to medal."
"To be honest I couldn't really see much in the middle in the first 100. It was only in that last lap that I saw there was a lot of other girls close to me. Just kept looking towards the middle and pushing towards the wall."
