Men’s 200m Backstroke – Long Course
World’s Fastest 200m Backstroke – Men’s Long Course
World Record: Aaron Peirsol 1:51.92
Olympic Record: Evgeny Rylov 1:53.27
World Junior Record: Kliment Kolesnikov 1:55.14
Commonwealth Record: Mitchell Larkin 1:53.17
Top 6 All-time Performers:
- Aaron Peirsol (26.52, 28.38, 28.40, 28.62) 1:51.92
- Ryosuke Irie (26.79, 28.82, 29.02, 27.88) 1:52.51
- Ryan Lochte ( 26.66, 28.84, 28.53, 28.93) 1:52.96
- Mitchell Larkin ( 26.39, 28.77, 29.50, 28.51) 1:53.17
- Evgeny Rylov (27.12., 28.26, 28.72, 29.13) 1:53.23
- Tyler Clary (27.37, 28.64, 28.92, 28.48) 1:53.41
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The chart below compares the World’s fastest 200m Backstroke swimmers. Swimmers and coaches can looks at the individual Splits, Stroke Counts and the first 50m split compared to swimmers 50m PB. All swim data has been collected from our team reviewing race footage where possible.
| 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 | ||||||
| 50m PB: | 25.35 | 24.79 | 25.68 | 24.64 | 24.49 | 27.00 | ||||||
| Time off 50m PB: | 1.17 | 2.00 | 0.98 | 1.75 | 2.40 | 0.37 | ||||||
| Percentage of 50m PB: | 104.615% | 108.068% | 103.816% | 107.102% | 109.800% | 101.370% | ||||||
| 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 | ||||||
Here is Aaron Peirsol’s 200m Backstroke World Record swim to view.
Swimmers above those that make the Top 6 list for the Men’s 100m Backstroke Long Course are Aaron Peirsol, and Mitchell Larkin.
Ryan Lochte also appears in the Men’s 200m IM Long Course and 400m IM Long Course lists.
The men’s 200m backstroke in long course swimming involves analyzing various records and performance splits to understand the dynamics of the event.
World Record and Notable Records:
- World Record: Aaron Peirsol – 1:51.92
- Olympic Record: Evgeny Rylov – 1:53.27
- World Junior Record: Kliment Kolesnikov – 1:55.14
- Commonwealth Record: Mitchell Larkin – 1:53.17
Top 6 All-time Performers:
- Aaron Peirsol:
- Splits: 26.52, 28.38, 28.40, 28.62
- Total Time: 1:51.92
- Variance in Splits: 2.10 seconds (from fastest to slowest split)
- Ryosuke Irie:
- Splits: 26.79, 28.82, 29.02, 27.88
- Total Time: 1:52.51
- Variance in Splits: 2.23 seconds
- Ryan Lochte:
- Splits: 26.66, 28.84, 28.53, 28.93
- Total Time: 1:52.96
- Variance in Splits: 2.27 seconds
- Mitchell Larkin:
- Splits: 26.39, 28.77, 29.50, 28.51
- Total Time: 1:53.17
- Variance in Splits: 3.11 seconds
- Evgeny Rylov:
- Splits: 27.12, 28.26, 28.72, 29.13
- Total Time: 1:53.23
- Variance in Splits: 1.87 seconds
- Tyler Clary:
- Splits: 27.37, 28.64, 28.92, 28.48
- Total Time: 1:53.41
- Variance in Splits: 1.54 seconds
Statistical Analysis:
- Average Split Times:
- Aaron Peirsol: 28.36 seconds
- Ryosuke Irie: 28.88 seconds
- Ryan Lochte: 28.74 seconds
- Mitchell Larkin: 28.79 seconds
- Evgeny Rylov: 28.81 seconds
- Tyler Clary: 28.85 seconds
- Variance Analysis:
- Highest Variance: Mitchell Larkin (3.11 seconds)
- Lowest Variance: Tyler Clary (1.54 seconds)
- Average Variance: 2.02 seconds
- Performance Consistency:
- Most Consistent: Tyler Clary with the lowest variance in split times.
- Least Consistent: Mitchell Larkin with the highest variance in split times.
- Segment Analysis:
- Fastest Opening Split: Mitchell Larkin (26.39 seconds)
- Fastest Final Split: Ryosuke Irie (27.88 seconds)
- Slowest Middle Segment: Mitchell Larkin (29.50 seconds)
- Performance Patterns:
- Peirsol, with the world record, showcases a relatively uniform pace, with a small variance of 2.10 seconds between his fastest and slowest splits.
- Irie and Clary tend to finish strong, indicated by their relatively faster final 50 meters.
- Larkin shows the largest drop-off in the third segment, suggesting a pacing strategy that might be strong at the start and end but weaker in the middle.
Note: World’s Fastest 200m Backstroke – Men’s Long Course – Updated June 2024