Men’s 200m Backstroke – Long Course World Record & Splits

Updated August 2026

Current Records

Record	Athlete	Time
World Record	Aaron Peirsol	1:51.92
Olympic Record	Evgeny Rylov	1:53.27
World Junior Record	Nathan Muratory	1:54.87
Commonwealth Record	Mitch Larkin	1:53.17

Top 10 All-Time Performers

#	Athlete	50	100	150	200	Time
1	Aaron Peirsol	26.52	28.38	28.40	28.62	1:51.92
2	Hubert Kos	25.82	27.82	28.68	29.98	1:52.30
3	Ryosuke Irie	26.79	28.82	29.02	27.88	1:52.51
4	Ryan Lochte	26.66	28.84	28.53	28.93	1:52.96
5	Mitch Larkin	26.39	28.77	29.50	28.51	1:53.17
6	Evgeny Rylov	27.12	28.26	28.72	29.13	1:53.23
7	Pieter Coetze	25.88	28.60	29.26	29.62	1:53.36
8	Tyler Clary	27.37	28.64	28.92	28.48	1:53.41
9	Ryan Murphy	26.42	28.45	28.89	29.81	1:53.57
10	Apostolos Siskos	26.74	28.82	29.17	29.08	1:53.81

Split columns are 50m splits (not cumulative).

Split Analysis & Comparison

The table below compares elite 200m backstroke long-course performances.
Use it to review 50m splits, stroke counts, and race patterns. Data is collected
from official results and race footage where available.

Men’s 100m Backstroke Long Course

Men’s 200m Backstroke – Long Course
	Aaron Peirsol	Ryosuke Irie	Ryan Lochte	Mitchell Larkin	Evgeny Rylov	Tyler Clary
Height:	6ft 3in 1.91m	5ft 10in 1.78m	6 ft 2 in 188cm	6 ft 2 in 188cm	6 ft 1 in 185cm	6 ft 1 in 185cm
Weight:	201lb 91kg	137lb 62kg	195Ib 88kg	165Ib 75kg	172Ib 78kg	185Ib 84kg
Country:	USA	Japan	USA	AUS	RUS	USA
DOB:	1983-07-23	1990-01-24	1984-08-03	1993-07-09	1996-09-23	1989-03-12
Meet:	13th FINA World Championships 2009	13th FINA World Championships 2009	14th FINA World Championships 2011	FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2015	2021 Russian National Championships	Olympic Games London 2012

1st 50m Split
Strokes	30	26	28			29
Split Time:	26.52	26.79	26.66	26.39	27.12	27.37

2nd 50m Split	28.38	28.82	28.84	28.77	28.26	28.64
Strokes	31	28	28			30
Split Time:	54.90	55.61	55.50	55.16	55.38	56.01

3rd 50m Split	28.40	29.02	28.53	29.50	28.72	28.92
Strokes	32	30	29			31
Split Time:	1:23.30	1:24.63	1:24.03	1:24.66	1:24.10	1:24.93

4th 50m Split	28.62	27.88	28.93	28.51	29.13	28.48
Strokes	36	33	31			34

Total Time:	1:51.92	1:52.51	1:52.96	1:53.17	1:53.23	1:53.41

Race Videos

Aaron Peirsol – 1:51.92 World Record

Swim Calculators

Tool	What it does
Swim Pace Calculator	Pace, time, and distance (min/100m or min/100yds).
Goal Time / Split Calculator	Target splits for metres racing.
Yards Goal Calculator	Target splits for yards racing.
Race Review Calculator	Find strengths and weaknesses in a completed race.
Medley Relay Calculator	Build the fastest relay order from up to 6 swimmers’ PBs.