Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre backstroke

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{{Infobox Olympic event

|event = Women's 200 metre backstroke

|games = 2008 Summer

|image =

|caption =

|venue = Beijing National Aquatics Center

|date =August 14, 2008 (heats)
August 15, 2008 (semifinals)
August 16, 2008 (final)

|competitors = 35

|nations = 24

|win_value = 2:05.24 {{WR|swimming}}

|gold = Kirsty Coventry

|goldNOC = ZIM

|silver = Margaret Hoelzer

|silverNOC = USA

|bronze = Reiko Nakamura

|bronzeNOC = JPN

|prev = 2004

|next = 2012}}

{{SwimmingAt2008SummerOlympics}}

The women's 200 metre backstroke event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 14–16 August at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China.{{cite web|url=http://content.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/schedule.aspx?dc=SW|title=Olympic Swimming Schedule|publisher=USA Today|date=9 August 2008|accessdate=14 May 2013}}

After claiming three silver medals at these Games, Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry stormed home on the final lap to defend her Olympic title in the event. She posted a time of 2:05.24 to crush a world record set by U.S. swimmer Margaret Hoelzer from the Olympic trials one month earlier.{{cite news|last=Evans|first=Simon|title=Coventry's silver mine seeded with gold|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-swimming-coventry-idUSSP24253420080816|publisher=Reuters|date=15 August 2008|accessdate=16 May 2013}} Meanwhile, Hoelzer added a silver to her hardware from the 100 m backstroke, when she touched the wall in 2:06.23, the second-fastest effort of her career.{{cite news|title=Margaret Hoelzer gets Olympic silver in 200 backstroke|url=http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Swimming/Features/2008/August/15/Margaret-Hoelzer-gets-Olympic-silver-in-200-backstroke.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618063259/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Swimming/Features/2008/August/15/Margaret-Hoelzer-gets-Olympic-silver-in-200-backstroke.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 18, 2012|publisher=Team USA|date=15 August 2008|accessdate=19 May 2013}}{{cite news|last=Kelley|first=Steve|title=Margaret Hoelzer wins silver in backstroke|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/stevekelley/2008117622_kelley16.html|publisher=The Seattle Times|date=16 August 2008|accessdate=16 May 2013}} Japan's Reiko Nakamura managed to repeat a bronze from Athens four years earlier, in an Asian record of 2:07.13.{{cite news|last=Lohn|first=John|title=Olympics, Swimming: Kirsty Coventry Wins 200 Back in World Record Fashion|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18842.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=15 August 2008|accessdate=20 May 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623140101/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18842.asp|archivedate=23 June 2013}}

Russia's top favorite Anastasia Zuyeva finished fourth with a time of 2:07.88, and was followed in the fifth spot by American teenager Elizabeth Beisel, aged 16, in 2:08.23. Elizabeth Simmonds set a new British record of 2:08.51 to earn a sixth spot, while Aussies Meagan Nay (2:08.84) and Belinda Hocking (2:10.12) closed out the field.{{cite news|last=Paxinos|first=Stathi|title=Coventry wins backstroke gold|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/swimming/coventry-wins-backstroke-gold/2008/08/15/1218307227446.html|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|date=16 August 2008|accessdate=20 May 2013}} Notable swimmers missed out the top 8 final, featuring Russia's Stanislava Komarova, silver medalist in Athens, and British top favorite Gemma Spofforth.

Before her breakthrough final, Coventry broke one of the oldest Olympic records earlier in the prelims. She posted a top-seeded time of 2:06.76 to lead 34 other swimmers in the race, slashing four-tenths of a second (0.40) off the record set by Hungary's three-time Olympic champion Krisztina Egerszegi from Barcelona in 1992.{{cite news|last=Lohn|first=John|title=Olympics, Swimming: Kirsty Coventry Dominates 200 Back Prelims, Sets Olympic Record|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18823.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=14 August 2008|accessdate=20 May 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502200308/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18823.asp|archivedate=2 May 2012}}{{cite news|last=Harris|first=Beth|title=Americans Hoff, Ziegler fail in 800 free heats|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-08-14-420167997_x.htm|publisher=USA Today|date=16 August 2008|accessdate=20 May 2013}}