Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre breaststroke

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The men's 200 metre breaststroke was one of 6 swimming events on the Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only breaststroke event on the schedule. 1908 was the first appearance of the 200 metre breaststroke, as 1904 had seen the introduction of the stroke to Olympic competition with the 440 yard event. Each nation could enter up to 12 swimmers.

With a much larger field than in 1904, the 1908 competition expanded to three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The 1908 Games also restored the wild card system from 1900, allowing the fastest swimmers who did not win their heat to advance. The seven heats consisted of between 3 and 5 swimmers, with the winner of the heat advancing along with the fastest loser from across the heats (all tied swimmers advanced in the case of equal times). There were two semifinals, intended to be of 5 swimmers each but one of which actually had 6 due to a tie in the heats; the top 2 finishers in each semifinal (regardless of overall time) advanced to the 4 person final. Each race involved two lengths of the 100 metre pool. The rules required that "both hands of the competitor must be pushed forward and brought backwards simultaneously, the shoulders must be kept perfectly in line with the surface of the water, and when touching at the turn . the touch shall be made with both hands" and that "the touch at the finish shall be made with both hands."

The fastest swimmer in each heat and the fastest loser advanced, qualifying 8 swimmers for the semifinals.

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 Frederick Holman 3:10.6 2 Richard Rösler 3:18.0 3 Max Gumpel Unknown

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 Wilhelm Persson 3:17.6 2 András Baronyi 3:18.0 3 Augustus Goessling Unknown 4 5 Herman Cederberg Unknown Frederick Naylor Unknown

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 Erich Seidel 3:17.2 2 Hjalmar Johansson 3:21.2 3 Alf Davies Unknown 4 Pierre Strauwen Unknown

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 Ödön Toldi 3:14.4 2 Pontus Hanson 3:15.0 3 Sydney Gooday Unknown 4 Amilcare Beretta Unknown

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 William Robinson 3:13.0 2 Per Fjästad 3:31.4 3 John Henriksson Unknown — Edward Cooke Did not finish

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 József Fabinyi 3:23.4 2 Torsten Kumfeldt 3:24.6 3 Harald Klem Unknown — Hugo Jonsson Did not finish

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 Félicien Courbet 3:16.4 2 Percy Courtman 3:18.4 3 Adolf Andersson Unknown

The fastest two swimmers from each semifinal advanced to the final.

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 Frederick Holman 3:10.0 2 Ödön Toldi 3:16.4 3 Erich Seidel Unknown 4 József Fabinyi Unknown

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 William Robinson 3:11.8 2 Pontus Hanson 3:13.0 3 Wilhelm Persson Unknown 4 Félicien Courbet Unknown

Place Swimmer Nation Time 1 Frederick Holman 3:09.2 2 William Robinson 3:12.8 3 Pontus Hanson 3:14.6 4 Ödön Toldi 3:15.2