After two Wednesday night semifinal heats at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the men’s 200-meter individual medley final is set.
All eyes were on Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, two American swimmers, as they were two of the 16 competitors in the event.
Swimming at the Summer Olympics – 200 Metre Individual Medley
Semifinal results and Thursday’s championship matchup are as follows:
| 2016 Olympics Results: Men’s 200M IM Semifinal Heats | |||
Semifinal No. 1 |
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| Place | Swimmer | Country | Time |
| 1 | Kosuke Hagino | Japan | 1:57.38 |
| 2 | Wang Shun | China | 1:58.12 |
| 3 | Philip Heintz | Germany | 1:58.85 |
| 4 | Henrique Rodrigues | Brazil | 1:59.23 |
| 5 | Alexis Santos | Portugal | 2:00.08 |
| 6 | Bradlee Ashby | New Zealand | 2:00.45 |
| 7 | Eduardo Gomez Solaeche | Spain | 2:00.47 |
| 8 | Simon Sjodin | Sweden | 2:00.81 |
Semifinal No. 2 |
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| Place | Swimmer | Country | Time |
| 1 | Michael Phelps | United States | 1:55.78 |
| 2 | Ryan Lochte | United States | 1:56.28 |
| 3 | Thiago Pereira | Brazil | 1:57.11 |
| 4 | Dan Wallace | Great Britain | 1:57.97 |
| 5 | Hiromasa Fujimori | Japan | 1:58.20 |
| 6 | Ieuan Lloyd | Great Britain | 1:59.49 |
| 7 | Andreas Vazaios | Greece | 1:59.54 |
| 8 | Jeremy Desplanches | Switzerland | 2:00.38 |
Men’s 200M IM Finals Lineup |
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| Lane | Swimmer | Country |
| 1 | Hiromasa Fujimori | Japan |
| 2 | Dan Wallace | Great Britain |
| 3 | Thiago Pereira | Brazil |
| 4 | Michael Phelps | United States |
| 5 | Ryan Lochte | United States |
| 6 | Kosuke Hagino | Japan |
| 7 | Shun Wang | China |
| 8 | Philip Heintz | Germany |
It took some time for fans to witness Phelps and Lochte compete. Kosuke Hagino of Japan, who has already won two medals in Rio (a gold in the 400-meter solo medley and a bronze in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay), set the pace in the first semifinal with a time of 1:57.38, the only time under 1:58 in that heat but still outside the top three overall.
In the second heat, Phelps and Lochte were the only two swimmers to finish in sub 1:57, placing them first and second, respectively.
Phelps completed the race in 1 minute, 55.78 seconds, and Lochte was half a second behind. Thiago Pereira of Brazil is in third place with a time of 1:57.11.
On Tuesday, Lochte teamed up with Phelps in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, which they won. This was Phelps’ 21st Olympic gold medal. Although Phelps has dominated the swimming world, Lochte is no slouch. He has won 12 gold in his own right.
On Thursday, the two will meet in what is likely to be their final bout as competitors. Every time Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte have competed in the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps has come out on top every time.
Fans of swimming and the Olympics will enjoy watching these two compete head-to-head, which may be the final chapter in a fantastic rivalry and brilliant careers.
Thanks for reading our article Swimming at the Summer Olympics – 200 Metre Individual Medley.
