Swimming at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre breaststroke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Women's 200 metre breaststrokeat the Games of the XV Olympiad
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Venue | Helsinki Swimming Stadium | ||||||||||||
Date | 26 July (heats) 27 July (semifinals) 29 July (final) |
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Competitors | 34 from 19 nations | ||||||||||||
Winning time | 2:51.7 (OR) | ||||||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||||||
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The women's 200 metre breaststroke was a thrilling swimming event at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Swimmers raced 200 meters, which is like swimming four lengths of a 50-meter Olympic pool. They used the breaststroke style.
This event took place from July 26 to 29 at the Helsinki Swimming Stadium. It was the sixth time this event was part of the Olympic Games, first appearing in 1924. A total of 33 swimmers from 19 different countries competed.
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Setting New Records in Breaststroke
Before the 1952 Olympics, there were already world and Olympic records for the women's 200-meter breaststroke. A world record is the fastest time ever recorded anywhere. An Olympic record is the fastest time recorded at the Olympic Games.
Here were the records before the competition started:
World record | ![]() |
2:48.5 s | Moscow, Soviet Union | 5 May 1951 |
Olympic record | ![]() |
2:57.2 s | London, United Kingdom | 31 July 1948 |
During the 1952 competition, swimmers broke the Olympic record three times! This shows how fast and exciting the races were.
Date | Round | Name | Nationality | Time | OR | WR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 July | Heat 1 | Éva Novák-Gerard | ![]() |
2:54.0 | OR | |
27 July | Semifinal 2 | Éva Székely | ![]() |
2:54.0 | OR | |
29 July | Final | Éva Székely | ![]() |
2:51.7 | OR |
Interestingly, Hungarian swimmer Éva Székely used the butterfly stroke during this event. At that time, it was allowed in breaststroke races. However, for the 1956 Summer Olympics, the rules changed. The 200-meter breaststroke event only allowed the traditional breaststroke. A new 100-meter butterfly event was then created for swimmers who preferred that style.
How the Competition Worked
The competition had three main stages: heats, semifinals, and the final. Swimmers had to perform well in each stage to move on to the next.
Heats: The First Round
The heats were the first races. Swimmers competed in different groups, and the fastest ones moved on to the semifinals. "Q" means they qualified for the next round, and "OR" means they set a new Olympic Record. "DSQ" means disqualified.
Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Éva Novák-Gerard | ![]() |
2:54.0 | Q, OR |
2 | 4 | Éva Székely | ![]() |
2:55.1 | Q |
3 | 5 | Jytte Hansen | ![]() |
2:57.7 | Q |
4 | 3 | Elenor Gordon | ![]() |
2:58.6 | Q |
5 | 3 | Klára Killermann | ![]() |
2:59.1 | Q |
6 | 5 | Nel Garritsen | ![]() |
2:59.4 | Q |
7 | 2 | Lies Bonnier | ![]() |
3:00.6 | Q |
8 | 5 | Ulla-Britt Eklund | ![]() |
3:01.2 | Q |
9 | 5 | Mariya Havrysh | ![]() |
3:01.6 | Q |
10 | 1 | Ursula Happe | ![]() |
3:02.7 | Q |
10 | 3 | Kazuko Sakamoto | ![]() |
3:02.7 | Q |
12 | 4 | Raymonde Vergauwen | ![]() |
3:02.8 | Q |
13 | 2 | Nancy Lyons | ![]() |
3:04.4 | Q |
14 | 4 | Jean Wrigley | ![]() |
3:04.5 | Q |
15 | 1 | Rika Bruins | ![]() |
3:04.7 | Q |
16 | 4 | Kaija Mäkelä | ![]() |
3:04.7 | Q |
17 | 2 | Valerie Harris | ![]() |
3:04.6 | |
18 | 5 | Masayo Aoki | ![]() |
3:05.6 | |
19 | 3 | Odette Lusien | ![]() |
3:06.7 | |
20 | 1 | Vera Kostina | ![]() |
3:07.3 | |
21 | 4 | Kirsten Hedegaard Jensen | ![]() |
3:07.5 | |
22 | 3 | Eileen Ward Petersen | ![]() |
3:09.3 | |
23 | 2 | Roza Zenziveyeva | ![]() |
3:10.5 | |
24 | 1 | Ilse Albert | ![]() |
3:12.5 | |
25 | 1 | Gail Peters | ![]() |
3:13.3 | |
26 | 4 | Irene Strong | ![]() |
3:13.5 | |
27 | 5 | Della Sehorn | ![]() |
3:13.7 | |
28 | 1 | Margrit Knabenhans | ![]() |
3:17.4 | |
29 | 2 | Judy Cornell | ![]() |
3:17.7 | |
30 | 2 | Irene Kwok | ![]() |
3:19.2 | |
31 | 5 | Liselotte Kobi | ![]() |
3:22.0 | |
32 | 4 | Dolly Nazir | ![]() |
3:37.9 | |
33 | 3 | Arati Saha | ![]() |
3:40.8 | |
34 | 2 | Aleksandra Mróz | ![]() |
— | DSQ |
Semifinals: Getting Closer to the Final
The top swimmers from the heats moved on to the semifinals. Here, they competed again to earn a spot in the final race. Éva Székely set another Olympic Record in her semifinal heat!
Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Éva Székely | ![]() |
2:54.0 | Q, OR |
2 | 1 | Éva Novák-Gerard | ![]() |
2:55.8 | Q |
3 | 1 | Klára Killermann | ![]() |
2:56.5 | Q |
4 | 2 | Elenor Gordon | ![]() |
2:57.8 | Q |
5 | 1 | Mariya Havrysh | ![]() |
2:58.6 | Q |
6 | 2 | Nel Garritsen | ![]() |
2:59.5 | Q |
7 | 1 | Jytte Hansen | ![]() |
2:59.5 | Q |
8 | 2 | Ulla-Britt Eklund | ![]() |
2:59.6 | Q |
9 | 1 | Lies Bonnier | ![]() |
3:00.3 | |
10 | 1 | Rika Bruins | ![]() |
3:02.4 | |
11 | 2 | Raymonde Vergauwen | ![]() |
3:02.6 | |
12 | 2 | Jean Wrigley | ![]() |
3:03.2 | |
13 | 2 | Ursula Happe | ![]() |
3:03.8 | |
14 | 1 | Kazuko Sakamoto | ![]() |
3:04.2 | |
15 | 1 | Nancy Lyons | ![]() |
3:05.6 | |
16 | 2 | Kaija Mäkelä | ![]() |
3:06.2 |
The Big Final Race
The final race was held on July 29. Eight swimmers competed for the Olympic medals. It was a very close and exciting finish!
Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Éva Székely | ![]() |
2:51.7 | OR |
![]() |
Éva Novák-Gerard | ![]() |
2:54.4 | |
![]() |
Elenor Gordon | ![]() |
2:57.6 | |
4 | Klára Killermann | ![]() |
2:57.6 | |
5 | Jytte Hansen | ![]() |
2:57.8 | |
6 | Mariya Havrysh | ![]() |
2:58.9 | |
7 | Ulla-Britt Eklund | ![]() |
3:01.8 | |
8 | Nel Garritsen | ![]() |
3:02.1 |
Éva Székely from Hungary won the gold medal, setting a new Olympic record! Her fellow Hungarian, Éva Novák-Gerard, won the silver medal. The bronze medal went to Elenor Gordon from Great Britain. It was a fantastic display of swimming talent at the 1952 Summer Olympics!