The Men’s 200 Backstroke World Records Have Stood the Test of Time
Backstroke events have seen generational talents take center stage year after year. In 2024, it was Thomas Ceccon and Hubert Kos who swept the available men’s Olympic gold medals, while the women’s events were swept by Kaylee McKeown.
While the aforementioned McKeown and Team USA’s Regan Smith have traded women’s backstroke world records for a few years now, there are two backstroke records on the men’s side that have managed to stand the test of time.
200 Backstroke (Long Course)
It’s inarguable that Aaron Peirsol is one of the greatest backstroke swimmers in the history of the sport. His accolades speak for themselves: Seven Olympic medals, five of which are gold. 19 World Championships medals, 16 of which are gold. The Irvine native competed in three Olympic Games and three 200 backstroke finals. He set his first world record on April 7, 2002, in the SCM 200 backstroke.
The silver medalist in the 200 backstroke as a 17-year-old at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Peirsol would go on to take the backstroke world by storm, falling to only a small list of swimmers throughout his career. In 2008, Peirsol saw his 200 backstroke world record taken by fellow legend Ryan Lochte, but Peirsol would eventually regain the mark and maintain a grip.
The 2009 World Championships in Rome were a bittersweet affair for Peirsol. At the U.S. National Championships just a month prior, he smashed the 100 backstroke world record with a time of 51.92. But after misjudging his semifinal swim in Rome, Peirsol was locked out of the final.
Shifting his focus to the 200 backstroke, Peirsol picked himself up following his error in the shorter event. Over four laps, the former Texas Longhorn destroyed the 200-meter backstroke world record by more than a second, taking it from a 1:53.08 to a 1:51.92. That swim set him more than a half second faster than anyone else in history, with the closest swimmer being Japan’s Ryosuke Irie at a 1:52.51.
Closest to Breaking It
In the 15 years since the World Championships in Rome, only one swimmer has managed to crack the 1:53 barrier. Ryan Lochte had a stunning World Championships in Shanghai in 2011, including breaking the 200 individual medley world record with a still-standing mark of 1:54.00. He also clocked the third-fastest time in history in the 200 backstroke, going 1:52.96. To emphasize the power of Peirsol’s world Record, no one since Lochte in 2011 has managed to crack the 1:53 barrier, which is more than a second off of the World Record.
It is key to note that Peirsol’s swim from the World Champs in Rome was aided by a supersuit. The meet featured world record after world record (40-plus in total) and arrived at a time when technology pipped pure skill in the pool. With Peirsol rating as one of the premier backstrokers of all-time, the combination of a supersuit has left his world record – at least until now – untouchable.
Russian Evgeny Rylov has been as fast as 1:53.23, but with his support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his presence in the sport is uncertain. In the coming years, is Hubert Kos someone who could take down the standard? The Hungarian captured Olympic gold last summer at the Olympic Games in Paris and does not seem near his ceiling.
Short Course Meters
Photo Courtesy: Dan D’Addona
The 25-meter version of the 200 backstroke has seen less time on the international stage. The first ‘World Best Time’ was established in 1991, when Mark Tewksbury of Canada swam a 1:55.93.
Spain’s Martin Lopez-Zubero broke that time for the first world record in the event a month later, swimming a 1:52.51. It would be another eight years before Lenny Krayzelburg would take over at a 1:52.47. The American captured Olympic gold in the same event in Sydney in 2000.
The top-ranked spot in history traded hands a few times over the ensuing decade, until Russia’s Arkady Vyatchanin grabbed hold of it in 2009. His 1:46.11 was the fastest time in history for six years. However, since 2015, Mitch Larkin has sat well ahead of anyone else, thanks to his swim of 1:45.63 from the 2015 Australian Championships. The Australian had a fantastic 2015, sweeping the backstroke events in Kazan at the World Championships.
2024 World Short Course Championships
Hubert Kos gave Larkin’s record a scare just a few weeks ago. Blitzing the field at the World Short Course Championships in Budapest, the Hungarian exploded to a 1:45.65. In a meet filled with extraordinary world records, the significance of the Olympic Champion’s swim is not to be forgotten. Suddenly, Larkin’s soon-to-be 10-year-old world record is not out of reach.
Hubert Kos of Hungary shows the gold medal after competing in the swimming 200m Backstroke Men Final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Defense Arena in Paris (France), August 01, 2024.
In the Budapest final, Kos touched the wall 3.31 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Lorenzo Mora, who was a second ahead of France’s Mewen Tomac.
Testing Time
The 200 backstroke has remained an interesting event for men for a variety of reasons. While the women’s edition of the world record has been exchanged among several storied names, winning times on the Olympic and World Championships stage in men’s races have stayed in the 1:53 and 1:54 range (LCM).
Kos’ swim represents a major step forward, and could be a huge indicator of what his Texas training could bring in 2025. The Hungarian’s long-course best rests at a 1:54.14. While that may seem far off the 1:51 that Peirsol registered, Kos’ SCM time hints at a potentially massive swim in the big pool.
While the transition from the 25-meter to 50-meter pool has its challenges, Kos is the real deal, winning at three of the last four major international championships in this event (he was not at the 2024 LCM Worlds). Could he be the man who challenges Peirsol’s long-standing record?
We’re all waiting for the first naturally-aspirated 200m Backstroke World Record to take down the cheatsuit-era 1:51.92 “World Record”…
It’s definitely one of those World Records i think people have let fly under the radar in terms of fan significance. It’s going to take the perfect combination of talent and effort but I can’t wait to see someone near this record and eventually break it