Women 200m Breaststroke Swimming XIV Olympic Games 1948 London, Great Britain - Tuesday, 3rd August - Gold Medal: Nel van Vliet, Netherlands
Final time gap L Y 1. Petronella van Vliet 2:57.2 5 22 2. Nancy Lyons 2:57.7 +0.5s 6 18 3. Eva Novak-Gerard 3:00.2 +3.0s 4 18 4. Eva Szekely 3:02.5 +5.3s 7 21 5. Jannie De Groot 3:06.2 +9.0s 1 18 6. Elizabeth Church 3:06.1 +8.9s 3 18 7. Tonnie Hom 3:07.5 +10.3s 8 15 8. Jytte Hansen 3:08.1 +10.9s 2 16
22 Competitors from 14 Nations. Empire Pool.
World Record: Nel van Vliet, Netherlands 2:49.2 Hilversum, Netherlands 20th July 1947 Olympic Record: Hideko Maehata, Japan 3:01.9 Berlin, Germany 8 August 1936
The favourite for the gold was the 22 year old Dutchwoman, Nel van Vliet, who had not even learned to swim until the age of sixteen. Although she was the world record holder, her path to the represent the Netherlands in international competition was not smooth. Her father had not registered her birth and a passport could not be obtained until he appeared in court and paid a fine. Van Vliet broke the Olympic record in her heat but the two Hungarian Évas, Székely and Novák, were also in fine form as was the Australian schoolgirl Nancy Lyons. Éva Székely set the pace in the final but her butterfly technique soon faltered and the duo of Van Vliet and Novák moved away from the rest of the field. The race developed into a duel between the two and it was not until the final length that van Vliet moved clear of her rival. In third place at the start of the final 50m was Lyons. She had already moved through from fifth to fourth to third and now she would make an last desperate to catch the leaders. Moving past a tiring Novák she surged onwards and at the end of the race was only a half second behind the winner Van Vliet. Shortly after returning home, Van Vliet’s medal was stolen from her parent's home. It was only in 2004 that she was awarded a replacement medal by Dutch IOC member Erica Terpstra, herself an Olympic swimmer.
Best 8 times advanced to Final .
Semi 1 time gap L Y Rk 1. Nancy Lyons 3:00.9 +3.9s 4 18 3. 2. Jannie De Groot 3:01.4 +4.4s 6 18 4. 3. Eva Szekely 3:02.8 +5.8s 5 21 5. 4. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove 3:09.7 +12.7s 3 27 9. 5. Jaqueline Bertrand 3:13.1 +16.1s 7 _ 11. 6. Jean Caplin 3:14.4 +17.4s 1 _ 13. 7. Dorotea Turnbull 3:14.4 +17.4s 2 _ 13. 8. Irene Strong 3:16.9 +19.9s 8 19 16.
Semi 2 time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet 2:57.0 OR 5 22 1. 2. Eva Novak-Gerard 2:58.0 +1.0s 4 18 2. 3. Jytte Hansen 3:05.5 +8.5s 7 16 6. 4. Tonnie Hom 3:05.7 +8.7s 6 15 7. 5. Elizabeth Church 3:07.1 +10.1s 3 18 8. 6. Margit Elna Leskinen 3:10.0 +13.0s 2 33 10. 7. Liselotte Kobi 3:13.9 +16.9s 1 18 12. 8. Elenor Gordon 3:15.8 +18.8s 8 15 15.
Heat 3 time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet 2:57.4 OR OR 3 22 1. 2. Jytte Hansen 3:09.1 +11.7s 4 16 9. 3. Margit Elna Leskinen 3:11.4 +14.0s 5 33 11. 4. Elenor Gordon 3:13.3 +15.9s 1 15 13. 5. Irene Strong 3:14.2 +16.8s 7 19 14. 6. Catherine Clara LaMore 3:23.6 +26.2s 6 22 19. 7. Thordis Arnadottir 3:26.1 +28.7s 2 14 20.
Heat 2 time gap L Y Rk 1. Eva Szekely 3:01.2 OR +3.8s 2 21 2. 2. Tonnie Hom 3:06.0 +8.6s 6 15 6. 3. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove 3:09.0 +11.6s 1 27 8. 4. Jaqueline Bertrand 3:10.7 +13.3s 4 _ 10. 5. Jean Caplin 3:17.0 +19.6s 5 _ 16. 6. Helga Diederichsen Schonbude 3:27.8 +30.4s 3 17 21. 7. Penny Pence 3:28.1 +30.7s 7 19 22.
Heat 1 time gap L Y Rk 1. Nancy Lyons 3:02.9 +5.5s 6 18 3. 1. Eva Novak-Gerard 3:02.9 +5.5s 5 18 3. 3. Jannie De Groot 3:04.4 +7.0s 2 18 5. 4. Elizabeth Church 3:07.4 +10.0s 7 18 7. 5. Dorotea Turnbull 3:12.2 +14.8s 3 _ 12. 6. Liselotte Kobi 3:16.2 +18.8s 4 18 15. 7. Jeanne Elizabeth Wilson 3:18.3 +20.9s 8 22 17. 8. Anna Olafsdottir 3:19.9 +22.5s 1 15 18.
Final time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet 2:57.2 5 22 1. 2. Nancy Lyons 2:57.7 +0.5s 6 18 2. 3. Eva Novak-Gerard 3:00.2 +3.0s 4 18 3. 4. Eva Szekely 3:02.5 +5.3s 7 21 4. 5. Jannie De Groot 3:06.2 +9.0s 1 18 5. 6. Elizabeth Church 3:06.1 +8.9s 3 18 6. 7. Tonnie Hom 3:07.5 +10.3s 8 15 7. 8. Jytte Hansen 3:08.1 +10.9s 2 16 8. Semis time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet 2:57.0 OR 5 22 1. 2. Eva Novak-Gerard 2:58.0 +1.0s 4 18 2. 1. Nancy Lyons 3:00.9 +3.9s 4 18 3. 2. Jannie De Groot 3:01.4 +4.4s 6 18 4. 3. Eva Szekely 3:02.8 +5.8s 5 21 5. 3. Jytte Hansen 3:05.5 +8.5s 7 16 6. 4. Tonnie Hom 3:05.7 +8.7s 6 15 7. 5. Elizabeth Church 3:07.1 +10.1s 3 18 8. 4. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove 3:09.7 +12.7s 3 27 9. 6. Margit Elna Leskinen 3:10.0 +13.0s 2 33 10. 5. Jaqueline Bertrand 3:13.1 +16.1s 7 _ 11. 7. Liselotte Kobi 3:13.9 +16.9s 1 18 12. 6. Jean Caplin 3:14.4 +17.4s 1 _ 13. 7. Dorotea Turnbull 3:14.4 +17.4s 2 _ 13. 8. Elenor Gordon 3:15.8 +18.8s 8 15 15. 8. Irene Strong 3:16.9 +19.9s 8 19 16. Heats time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet 2:57.4 OR OR 3 22 1. 1. Eva Szekely 3:01.2 OR +3.8s 2 21 2. 1. Nancy Lyons 3:02.9 +5.5s 6 18 3. 1. Eva Novak-Gerard 3:02.9 +5.5s 5 18 3. 3. Jannie De Groot 3:04.4 +7.0s 2 18 5. 2. Tonnie Hom 3:06.0 +8.6s 6 15 6. 4. Elizabeth Church 3:07.4 +10.0s 7 18 7. 3. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove 3:09.0 +11.6s 1 27 8. 2. Jytte Hansen 3:09.1 +11.7s 4 16 9. 4. Jaqueline Bertrand 3:10.7 +13.3s 4 _ 10. 3. Margit Elna Leskinen 3:11.4 +14.0s 5 33 11. 5. Dorotea Turnbull 3:12.2 +14.8s 3 _ 12. 4. Elenor Gordon 3:13.3 +15.9s 1 15 13. 5. Irene Strong 3:14.2 +16.8s 7 19 14. 6. Liselotte Kobi 3:16.2 +18.8s 4 18 15. 5. Jean Caplin 3:17.0 +19.6s 5 _ 16. 7. Jeanne Elizabeth Wilson 3:18.3 +20.9s 8 22 17. 8. Anna Olafsdottir 3:19.9 +22.5s 1 15 18. 6. Catherine Clara LaMore 3:23.6 +26.2s 6 22 19. 7. Thordis Arnadottir 3:26.1 +28.7s 2 14 20. 6. Helga Diederichsen Schonbude 3:27.8 +30.4s 3 17 21. 7. Penny Pence 3:28.1 +30.7s 7 19 22.
Prepared and maintained by Todor Krastev
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