Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre backstroke

{{Short description|none}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

{{Infobox Olympic event

|event = Men's 200 metre backstroke

|games = 2000 Summer

|image = Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre 2.jpg

|caption = The pool at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre

|venue = Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre

|dates = September 20, 2000 (heats & semifinals)
September 21, 2000 (final)

|competitors = 45

|nations = 38

|win_value = 1:56.76 {{OlyR|swimming}}

|gold = Lenny Krayzelburg

|goldNOC = USA

|silver = Aaron Peirsol

|silverNOC = USA

|bronze = Matt Welsh

|bronzeNOC = AUS

|prev = 1996

|next = 2004}}

{{SwimmingAt2000SummerOlympics}}

The men's 200 metre backstroke event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 20–21 September at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2000/SWIMMING/schedule.htm|title=Swimming schedule |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=14 September 2000|accessdate=14 May 2013}} There were 45 competitors from 38 nations. Each nation had been limited to two swimmers in the event since 1984. The event was won by Lenny Krayzelburg of the United States, with his countryman Aaron Peirsol taking silver. It was the second consecutive Games that Americans had finished one-two in the event (Brad Bridgewater and Tripp Schwenk had done so in 1996). Bronze went to Matt Welsh of Australia, the nation's first medal in the event since 1980.

Soviet-born American Krayzelburg became the fourth swimmer in Olympic history to strike a backstroke double, since Roland Matthes did so in 1968 and 1972, John Naber in 1976, and Rick Carey in 1984. He powered past his nearest rivals Peirsol and Australia's overwhelming favorite Welsh to hit the wall first in a new Olympic record of 1:56.76.{{cite news|title=Double gold for Krayzelburg|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics2000/swimming/935375.stm|publisher=BBC Sport|date=18 September 2000|accessdate=3 June 2013}}{{cite news|last=Dillman|first=Lisa|title=Thrills & Chills|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-22-ss-25072-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=22 September 2000|access-date=2 June 2013}} At only 17 years of age, Peirsol trailed behind by over half a second (0.59) to take a silver in 1:57.35. Meanwhile, Welsh settled only for the bronze in an Oceanian record of 1:57.59.{{cite news|last=Berlin|first=Peter|title=De Bruijn Takes Second Gold; Hungarian and Italian Also Triumph : European Swimmers Steal the Show|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/22/sports/22iht-oswim.2.t_4.html|work=New York Times|date=22 September 2000|accessdate=2 June 2013}}{{cite news|last=Whitten|first=Phillip|title=Olympic Day 6 Finals|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/1813.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=21 September 2000|accessdate=23 May 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902050655/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/1813.asp|archivedate=2 September 2012}}

Iceland's Örn Arnarson came up with a spectacular swim to earn a fourth spot in 1:59.00, holding off Italy's Emanuele Merisi (1:59.01), bronze medalist in Atlanta four years earlier, by a hundredth of a second (0.01). Romania's Răzvan Florea finished sixth with a time of 1:59.05, while Brazil's Rogério Romero (1:59.27), competing at his fourth Olympics, and Croatia's Gordan Kožulj (1:59.38) closed out the field. For the first time in Olympic history, all eight swimmers went under a two-minute barrier.

Earlier, Krayzelburg established a new Olympic standard of 1:58.40 on the morning prelims to cut off Martin López-Zubero's eight-year record by seven hundredths of a second (0.07). He lowered it to 1:57.27 in the semifinals.{{cite news|last=Whitten|first=Phillip|title=Olympic Day 5 Prelims|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/1805.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=20 September 2000|accessdate=23 May 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130624172243/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/1805.asp|archivedate=24 June 2013}}{{cite news|last=Peterson|first=Lauren|title=States Athletic Teams Krayzelburg, Ervin Advance in Sydney|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-21-sp-24331-story.html|work=New York Times|date=21 September 2000|access-date=2 June 2013}}