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 Netherlands2:57.2 5 22 2. Nancy Lyons Australia2:57.7 +0.5s 6 18 3. Eva Novak-Gerard Hungary3:00.2 +3.0s 4 18 4. Eva Szekely Hungary3:02.5 +5.3s 7 21 5. Jannie De Groot Netherlands3:06.2 +9.0s 1 18 6. Elizabeth Church Great Britain3:06.1 +8.9s 3 18 7. Tonnie Hom Netherlands3:07.5 +10.3s 8 15 8. Jytte Hansen Denmark3:08.1 +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 Australia3:00.9 +3.9s 4 18 3. 2. Jannie De Groot Netherlands3:01.4 +4.4s 6 18 4. 3. Eva Szekely Hungary3:02.8 +5.8s 5 21 5. 4. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove Belgium3:09.7 +12.7s 3 27 9. 5. Jaqueline Bertrand France3:13.1 +16.1s 7 _ 11. 6. Jean Caplin Great Britain3:14.4 +17.4s 1 _ 13. 7. Dorotea Turnbull Argentina3:14.4 +17.4s 2 _ 13. 8. Irene Strong Canada3:16.9 +19.9s 8 19 16.
Semi 2 time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet Netherlands2:57.0 OR 5 22 1. 2. Eva Novak-Gerard Hungary2:58.0 +1.0s 4 18 2. 3. Jytte Hansen Denmark3:05.5 +8.5s 7 16 6. 4. Tonnie Hom Netherlands3:05.7 +8.7s 6 15 7. 5. Elizabeth Church Great Britain3:07.1 +10.1s 3 18 8. 6. Margit Elna Leskinen Finland3:10.0 +13.0s 2 33 10. 7. Liselotte Kobi Switzerland3:13.9 +16.9s 1 18 12. 8. Elenor Gordon Great Britain3:15.8 +18.8s 8 15 15.
Heat 3 time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet Netherlands2:57.4 OR OR 3 22 1. 2. Jytte Hansen Denmark3:09.1 +11.7s 4 16 9. 3. Margit Elna Leskinen Finland3:11.4 +14.0s 5 33 11. 4. Elenor Gordon Great Britain3:13.3 +15.9s 1 15 13. 5. Irene Strong Canada3:14.2 +16.8s 7 19 14. 6. Catherine Clara LaMore United States3:23.6 +26.2s 6 22 19. 7. Thordis Arnadottir Iceland3:26.1 +28.7s 2 14 20.
Heat 2 time gap L Y Rk 1. Eva Szekely Hungary3:01.2 OR +3.8s 2 21 2. 2. Tonnie Hom Netherlands3:06.0 +8.6s 6 15 6. 3. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove Belgium3:09.0 +11.6s 1 27 8. 4. Jaqueline Bertrand France3:10.7 +13.3s 4 _ 10. 5. Jean Caplin Great Britain3:17.0 +19.6s 5 _ 16. 6. Helga Diederichsen Schonbude Mexico3:27.8 +30.4s 3 17 21. 7. Penny Pence United States3:28.1 +30.7s 7 19 22.
Heat 1 time gap L Y Rk 1. Nancy Lyons Australia3:02.9 +5.5s 6 18 3. 1. Eva Novak-Gerard Hungary3:02.9 +5.5s 5 18 3. 3. Jannie De Groot Netherlands3:04.4 +7.0s 2 18 5. 4. Elizabeth Church Great Britain3:07.4 +10.0s 7 18 7. 5. Dorotea Turnbull Argentina3:12.2 +14.8s 3 _ 12. 6. Liselotte Kobi Switzerland3:16.2 +18.8s 4 18 15. 7. Jeanne Elizabeth Wilson United States3:18.3 +20.9s 8 22 17. 8. Anna Olafsdottir Iceland3:19.9 +22.5s 1 15 18.
Final time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet Netherlands2:57.2 5 22 1. 2. Nancy Lyons Australia2:57.7 +0.5s 6 18 2. 3. Eva Novak-Gerard Hungary3:00.2 +3.0s 4 18 3. 4. Eva Szekely Hungary3:02.5 +5.3s 7 21 4. 5. Jannie De Groot Netherlands3:06.2 +9.0s 1 18 5. 6. Elizabeth Church Great Britain3:06.1 +8.9s 3 18 6. 7. Tonnie Hom Netherlands3:07.5 +10.3s 8 15 7. 8. Jytte Hansen Denmark3:08.1 +10.9s 2 16 8. Semis time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet Netherlands2:57.0 OR 5 22 1. 2. Eva Novak-Gerard Hungary2:58.0 +1.0s 4 18 2. 1. Nancy Lyons Australia3:00.9 +3.9s 4 18 3. 2. Jannie De Groot Netherlands3:01.4 +4.4s 6 18 4. 3. Eva Szekely Hungary3:02.8 +5.8s 5 21 5. 3. Jytte Hansen Denmark3:05.5 +8.5s 7 16 6. 4. Tonnie Hom Netherlands3:05.7 +8.7s 6 15 7. 5. Elizabeth Church Great Britain3:07.1 +10.1s 3 18 8. 4. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove Belgium3:09.7 +12.7s 3 27 9. 6. Margit Elna Leskinen Finland3:10.0 +13.0s 2 33 10. 5. Jaqueline Bertrand France3:13.1 +16.1s 7 _ 11. 7. Liselotte Kobi Switzerland3:13.9 +16.9s 1 18 12. 6. Jean Caplin Great Britain3:14.4 +17.4s 1 _ 13. 7. Dorotea Turnbull Argentina3:14.4 +17.4s 2 _ 13. 8. Elenor Gordon Great Britain3:15.8 +18.8s 8 15 15. 8. Irene Strong Canada3:16.9 +19.9s 8 19 16. Heats time gap L Y Rk 1. Petronella van Vliet Netherlands2:57.4 OR OR 3 22 1. 1. Eva Szekely Hungary3:01.2 OR +3.8s 2 21 2. 1. Nancy Lyons Australia3:02.9 +5.5s 6 18 3. 1. Eva Novak-Gerard Hungary3:02.9 +5.5s 5 18 3. 3. Jannie De Groot Netherlands3:04.4 +7.0s 2 18 5. 2. Tonnie Hom Netherlands3:06.0 +8.6s 6 15 6. 4. Elizabeth Church Great Britain3:07.4 +10.0s 7 18 7. 3. Yvonne Van De Kerckhove Belgium3:09.0 +11.6s 1 27 8. 2. Jytte Hansen Denmark3:09.1 +11.7s 4 16 9. 4. Jaqueline Bertrand France3:10.7 +13.3s 4 _ 10. 3. Margit Elna Leskinen Finland3:11.4 +14.0s 5 33 11. 5. Dorotea Turnbull Argentina3:12.2 +14.8s 3 _ 12. 4. Elenor Gordon Great Britain3:13.3 +15.9s 1 15 13. 5. Irene Strong Canada3:14.2 +16.8s 7 19 14. 6. Liselotte Kobi Switzerland3:16.2 +18.8s 4 18 15. 5. Jean Caplin Great Britain3:17.0 +19.6s 5 _ 16. 7. Jeanne Elizabeth Wilson United States3:18.3 +20.9s 8 22 17. 8. Anna Olafsdottir Iceland3:19.9 +22.5s 1 15 18. 6. Catherine Clara LaMore United States3:23.6 +26.2s 6 22 19. 7. Thordis Arnadottir Iceland3:26.1 +28.7s 2 14 20. 6. Helga Diederichsen Schonbude Mexico3:27.8 +30.4s 3 17 21. 7. Penny Pence United States3:28.1 +30.7s 7 19 22.
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Last updated: 17 Apr 2023Facebook Todor Krastev