Graphic data for World Record Progression in Men and Women Swimming 50m-100m-200m Long and Short Course Butterfly-Backstroke-Breaststroke-Freestyle The first world record in the men's 200 metres breaststroke in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1908 and the first world record in the women's 200 metres breaststroke was recognised in 1921 . In the short course (25 metres) swimming events the world's governing body recognizes world records since March 3, 1991.
There have been two rule changes enacted by FINA for this event that have resulted in the nullification of world records.
In the mid-1930s, many breaststroke swimmers began practicing an early variant of the butterfly stroke that involved recovering the arms above the water in an effort to reduce drag. This technique was disallowed when the butterfly stroke was established as a distinct stroke with its own rules in 1953, and world records set using the technique were nullified.
Another style was developed by the Japanese swimmer Masaru Furukawa shortly after this rule change. It involved swimming underwater for as much of each pool length as possible without surfacing, as the act of breaking the water's surface created resistance, slowing a swimmer. This method of swimming the breaststroke was disallowed by FINA in 1956 and records set with the technique were nullified.
#
Time
Name
Nationality
Date
Meet
Location
Ref
1
3:09.2
Frederick Holman Great Britain 18 July 1908 -
London , United Kingdom
2
3:08.3
Robert Andersson Great Britain 18 April 1909 -
Stockholm , Sweden
3
3:00.8
Félicien Courbet Belgium 2 October 1910 -
Schaerbeek , Belgium
4
2:56.6
Percy Courtman Great Britain 28 July 1914 -
Garston , United Kingdom
5
2:54.4
Erich Rademacher Germany 12 November 1922 -
Amsterdam , Netherlands
6
2:52.6
Bob Skelton United States 24 March 1924 -
Milwaukee , United States
7
2:50.4
Erich Rademacher Germany 7 April 1924 -
Magdeburg , Germany
8
2:48.0
Erich Rademacher Germany 11 March 1927 -
Brussels , Belgium
9
2:45.0
Yoshiyuki Tsuruta Japan 29 July 1927 -
Kyoto , Japan
10
2:44.6
Lionel Spence United States 2 April 1931 -
Chicago , United States
11
2:44.0
Lionel Spence United States 1 April 1932 -
New Haven , United States
12
2:42.6
Jacques Cartonnet United States 8 February 1933 -
Paris , France
13
2:42.4
Erwin Sietas Germany 16 March 1935 -
Düsseldorf , Germany
14
2:39.6
Jacques Cartonnet France 4 May 1935 -
Paris , France
-
2:37.2
[a] Jack Kasley United States 28 March 1936 -
New Haven , United States
15
2:36.8
Alfred Nakache France 6 July 1941 -
Marseille , France
-
2:35.6
[b] Joe Verdeur United States 5 April 1946 -
Bainbridge , United States
-
2:35.0
[b] Joe Verdeur United States 15 February 1947 -
New Haven , United States
-
2:32.0
[b] Joe Verdeur United States 14 February 1948 -
New Haven , United States
-
2:30.5
[b] Joe Verdeur United States 2 April 1948 -
New Haven , United States
-
2:30.0
[b] Joe Verdeur United States 28 June 1948 -
New Haven , United States
-
2:36.3
[a] Joe Verdeur United States 10 July 1948 -
Detroit , United States
-
2:28.3
[b] Joe Verdeur United States 15 February 1950 -
New Haven , United States
-
2:34.4
[c] Herbert Klein Germany 13 August 1950 -
Göppingen , West Germany
-
2:27.3
[b] Herbert Klein Germany 9 June 1951 -
Munich , West Germany
-
2:34.4
=, [c]
John Davies Australia 1 August 1952 -
Helsinki , Finland
16
2:37.4
Knud Gleie Denmark 14 February 1953 -
Copenhagen , Denmark
-
2:36.6
[d] Masaru Furukawa Japan 10 April 1954 -
Tokyo , Japan
-
2:35.4
[d] Masaru Furukawa Japan 10 April 1954 -
Tokyo , Japan
-
2:35.2
[d] Mamoru Tanaka Japan 17 September 1954 -
Tokyo , Japan
-
2:33.7
[d] Masaru Furukawa Japan 5 August 1955 -
Tokyo , Japan
-
2:31.0
[d] Masaru Furukawa Japan 1 October 1955 -
Tokyo , Japan
17
2:36.5
Terry Gathercole Australia 28 June 1958 -
Townsville , Australia
18
2:33.6
Chet Jastremski United States 28 July 1961 -
Tokyo , Japan
19
2:29.6
Chet Jastremski United States 19 August 1961 -
Los Angeles , United States
20
2:28.2
Chet Jastremski United States 30 August 1964 -
New York City , United States
21
2:27.8
Ian O'Brien Australia 15 October 1964 Olympic Games
Tokyo , Japan
22
2:27.4
Vladimir Kosinsky Soviet Union 3 April 1968 -
Tallinn , Soviet Union
23
2:26.5
Nikolai Pankin Soviet Union 22 March 1969 -
Minsk , Soviet Union
24
2:25.4
Nikolai Pankin Soviet Union 19 April 1969 -
Magdeburg , East Germany
25
2:23.5
Brian Job United States 22 August 1970 AAU National Championships
Los Angeles , United States
26
2:22.79
John Hencken United States 5 August 1972 US Olympic Trials
Chicago , United States
27
2:21.55
John Hencken United States 2 September 1972 Olympic Games
Munich , West Germany
28
2:20.52
John Hencken United States 24 August 1973 US National Championships
Louisville , United States
29
2:19.28
David Wilkie Great Britain 6 September 1973 World Championships
Belgrade , Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
30
2:18.93
John Hencken United States 24 August 1974 AAU National Championships
Concord , United States
31
2:18.21
John Hencken United States 1 September 1974 USA vs GDR Dual Meet
Concord , United States
32
2:15.11
David Wilkie Great Britain 24 July 1976 Olympic Games
Montreal , Canada
33
2:14.77
Victor Davis Canada 5 August 1982 World Championships
Guayaquil , Ecuador
34
2:14.58
Victor Davis Canada 17 June 1984 -
Etobicoke , Canada
35
2:13.34
Victor Davis Canada 2 August 1984 Olympic Games
Los Angeles , United States
36
2:12.90
Mike Barrowman United States 4 August 1989 US National Championships
Los Angeles , United States
36
2:12.90
=
Nick Gillingham Great Britain 19 August 1989 European Championships
Bonn , West Germany
37
2:12.89
Mike Barrowman United States 20 August 1989 Pan Pacific Championships
Tokyo , Japan
38
2:11.53
Mike Barrowman United States 20 July 1990 Goodwill Games
Seattle , United States
39
2:11.23
Mike Barrowman United States 11 January 1991 World Championships
Perth , Australia
40
2:10.60
Mike Barrowman United States 13 August 1991 US National Championships
Fort Lauderdale , United States
41
2:10.16
Mike Barrowman United States 29 July 1992 Olympic Games
Barcelona , Spain
42
2:09.97
Kosuke Kitajima Japan 2 October 2002 Asian Games
Busan , South Korea[ 1]
43
2:09.52
Dimitri Komornikov Russia 15 June 2003 Mare Nostrum
Barcelona , Spain[ 2]
44
2:09.42
Kosuke Kitajima Japan 24 July 2003 World Championships
Barcelona , Spain[ 3]
45
2:09.04
Brendan Hansen United States 11 July 2004 US Olympic Trials
Long Beach , United States[ 4]
46
2:08.74
Brendan Hansen United States 5 August 2006 US National Championships
Irvine , United States[ 5]
47
2:08.50
Brendan Hansen United States 21 August 2006 Pan Pacific Championships
Victoria , Canada[ 6]
48
2:07.51
Kosuke Kitajima Japan 8 June 2008 Japan Open
Tokyo , Japan[ 7]
49
2:07.31
sf
Christian Sprenger Australia 30 July 2009 World Championships
Rome , Italy[ 8]
50
2:07.28
Dániel Gyurta Hungary 1 August 2012 Olympic Games
London , United Kingdom[ 9]
51
2:07.01
Akihiro Yamaguchi Japan 15 September 2012 Japanese Sports Festival
Gifu , Japan[ 10]
52
2:06.67
Ippei Watanabe Japan 29 January 2017 Kosuke Kitajima Cup
Tokyo , Japan[ 11]
52
2:06.67
sf, =
Matthew Wilson Australia 25 July 2019 World Championships
Gwangju , South Korea[ 12]
53
2:06.12
Anton Chupkov Russia 26 July 2019 World Championships
Gwangju , South Korea[ 13]
54
2:05.95
Zac Stubblety-Cook Australia 22 May 2022 Australian Championships
Adelaide , Australia[ 14]
55
2:05.48
Qin Haiyang China 27 July 2023 World Championships
Fukuoka , Japan[ 15]
^ ^ ^ Herbert Klein's mark from 1950, which John Davies equaled in 1952. However, these records were also later annulled because they employed a butterfly technique.^ Masaru Furukawa and Mamoru Tanaka set their world records by swimming most of the race while underwater. Their records were annulled in 1956.
#
Time
Name
Nationality
Date
Meet
Location
Ref
1
2:07.93
Nick Gillingham Great Britain 20 October 1991 -
Birmingham , United Kingdom
2
2:07.80
Philip Rogers Australia 28 August 1993 Australian Championships
Melbourne , Australia
3
2:07.79
Andrey Korneyev Russia 20 January 1998 World Cup
Paris , France
4
2:07.59
Roman Sludnov Russia 19 March 2000 World Championships
Athens , Greece
5
2:06.40
Ed Moses United States 25 March 2000 NCAA Division I Championships
Minneapolis , United States
6
2:04.37
Ed Moses United States 18 January 2002 World Cup
Paris , France
7
2:03.28
Ed Moses United States 22 January 2002 World Cup
Stockholm , Sweden
8
2:03.17
Ed Moses United States 26 January 2002 World Cup
Berlin , Germany
9
2:02.92
Ed Moses United States 17 January 2004 World Cup
Berlin , Germany
10
2:01.98
Christian Sprenger Australia 10 August 2009 Australian Championships
Hobart , Australia[ 16]
11
2:00.67
Dániel Gyurta Hungary 13 December 2009 European Championships
Istanbul , Turkey[ 17]
12
2:00.48
Dániel Gyurta Hungary 31 August 2014 World Cup
Dubai , United Arab Emirates[ 18]
13
2:00.44
Marco Koch Germany 20 November 2016 German Championships
Berlin , Germany[ 19]
14
2:00.16
Kirill Prigoda Russia 13 December 2018 World Championships
Hangzhou , China[ 20]
#
Time
Name
Nationality
Date
Meet
Location
Ref
1
3:38.2
Ellie Van Den Bogaert Belgium 7 August 1921 -
Antwerp , Belgium
2
3:34.6
Ellie Van Den Bogaert Belgium 6 May 1922 -
Brussels , Belgium
3
3:31.4
Ellie Van Den Bogaert Belgium 4 October 1922 -
Antwerp , Belgium
4
3:20.4
Irene Gilbert Great Britain 18 June 1923 -
Rotherham , United Kingdom
5
3:20.2
Erna Murray Germany 5 April 1925 -
Leipzig , Germany
6
3:19.1
Brita Hazelius Sweden 11 August 1926 -
Stockholm , Sweden
7
3:18.4
Mietje Baron Netherlands 24 October 1926 -
Brussels , Belgium
8
3:16.6
Else Jacobsen Denmark 20 August 1927 -
Oslo , Norway
9
3:15.8
Charlotte Mühe Germany 15 April 1928 -
Magdeburg , Germany
10
3:11.2
Mietje Baron Netherlands 22 April 1928 -
Rotterdam , Netherlands
10
3:11.2
=
Charlotte Mühe Germany 15 July 1928 -
Berlin , Germany
11
3:10.6
Margery Hinton Great Britain 20 July 1931 -
Manchester , United Kingdom
12
3:08.4
Clare Dennis Australia 18 January 1932 -
Sydney , Australia
13
3:08.2
Lisa Rocke Germany 21 April 1932 -
Leipzig , Germany
14
3:03.4
Else Jacobsen Denmark 11 May 1932 -
Stockholm , Sweden
15
3:00.4
Hideko Maehata Japan 30 September 1933 -
Tokyo , Japan
16
3:00.2
Jopie Waalberg Netherlands 11 May 1937 -
Amsterdam , Netherlands
17
2:58.0
Jopie Waalberg Netherlands 27 June 1937 -
Zaandijk , Netherlands
18
2:56.9
Jopie Waalberg Netherlands 2 October 1937 -
Ghent , Belgium
19
2:56.0
Maria Lenk Brazil 8 November 1939 -
Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
-
2:55.5
Anni Kapell United States 19 March 1941 -
Düsseldorf , Germany
-
2:52.6
Nel van Vliet Netherlands 17 August 1946 -
Bilthoven , Netherlands
-
2:51.9
Nel van Vliet Netherlands 29 March 1947 -
Amsterdam , Netherlands
-
2:49.2
Nel van Vliet Netherlands 20 July 1947 -
Hilversum , Netherlands
-
2:48.8
Éva Novák Hungary 21 October 1950 -
Székesfehérvár , Hungary
-
2:48.5
Éva Novák Hungary 5 May 1951 -
Moscow , Soviet Union
-
2:46.4
Ada den Haan Netherlands 13 November 1956 -
Naarden , Netherlands
20
2:52.6
Ada den Haan Netherlands 18 May 1957 Netherlands vs Great Britain International
Blackpool , United Kingdom
21
2:51.9
Ada den Haan Netherlands 3 August 1957 -
Rhenen , Netherlands
22
2:51.3
Ada den Haan Netherlands 4 August 1957 -
Rhenen , Netherlands
23
2:50.3
Anita Lonsbrough Great Britain 25 July 1959 Netherlands vs Great Britain International
Waalwijk , Netherlands
24
2:50.2
Wiltrud Urselmann Germany 6 June 1960 -
Aachen , West Germany
25
2:49.5
Anita Lonsbrough Great Britain 27 August 1960 Olympic Games
Rome , Italy
26
2:48.0
Karin Beyer East Germany 5 August 1961 -
Budapest , Hungary
27
2:47.7
Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union 11 April 1964 -
Blackpool , United Kingdom
28
2:45.4
Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union 17 May 1964 -
East Berlin , East Germany
29
2:45.3
Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union 12 September 1965 -
Groningen , Netherlands
30
2:43.0
Irina Pozdnyakova Soviet Union 16 July 1966 -
Moscow , Soviet Union
31
2:40.8
Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union 22 August 1966 European Championships
Utrecht , Netherlands
32
2:40.5
Catie Ball United States 9 July 1967 Santa Clara Invitational
Santa Clara , United States
33
2:39.5
Catie Ball United States 20 August 1967 AAU National Championships
Philadelphia , United States
34
2:38.5
Catie Ball United States 26 August 1968 US Olympic Trials
Los Angeles , United States
35
2:37.89
Anne-Katrin Schott East Germany 6 July 1974 GDR National Championships
Rostock , East Germany
36
2:37.44
h
Karla Linke East Germany 19 August 1974 European Championships
Vienna , Austria
37
2:34.99
Karla Linke East Germany 19 August 1974 European Championships
Vienna , Austria
38
2:33.35
Marina Koshevaya Soviet Union 21 July 1976 Olympic Games
Montreal , Canada
39
2:33.32
Yulia Bogdanova Soviet Union 7 April 1978 -
Leningrad , Soviet Union
40
2:33.11
h
Lina Kačiušytė Soviet Union 24 August 1978 World Championships
West Berlin , West Germany
41
2:31.42
Lina Kačiušytė Soviet Union 24 August 1978 World Championships
West Berlin , West Germany
42
2:31.09
Svetlana Varganova Soviet Union 30 March 1979 USSR vs GDR Duel
Minsk , Soviet Union
43
2:28.36
Lina Kačiušytė Soviet Union 6 April 1979 USSR vs GDR Junior Meet
Potsdam , East Germany
44
2:28.33
Silke Hörner East Germany 5 June 1985 -
Leipzig , East Germany
45
2:28.20
Sylvia Gerasch East Germany 1 March 1986 -
Leningrad , Soviet Union
46
2:27.40
Silke Hörner East Germany 18 August 1986 World Championships
Madrid , Spain
47
2:27.27
Allison Higson Canada 28 May 1988 -
Montreal , Canada
48
2:26.71
Silke Hörner East Germany 21 September 1988 Olympic Games
Seoul , South Korea
49
2:25.92
h
Anita Nall United States 2 March 1992 US Olympic Trials
Indianapolis , United States
50
2:25.35
Anita Nall United States 2 March 1992 US Olympic Trials
Indianapolis , United States
51
2:24.76
Rebecca Brown Australia 15 March 1994 Australian Championships
Brisbane , Australia
52
2:24.69
h
Penelope Heyns South Africa 17 July 1999 Janet Evans Invitational
Los Angeles , United States
53
2:24.51
Penelope Heyns South Africa 17 July 1999 Janet Evans Invitational
Los Angeles , United States
54
2:24.42
sf
Penelope Heyns South Africa 26 August 1999 Pan Pacific Championships
Sydney , Australia
55
2:23.64
Penelope Heyns South Africa 27 August 1999 Pan Pacific Championships
Sydney , Australia
56
2:22.99
Qi Hui China 13 April 2001 Chinese National Championships
Hangzhou , China
56
2:22.99
=
Amanda Beard United States 25 July 2003 World Championships
Barcelona , Spain
57
2:22.96
Leisel Jones Australia 10 July 2004 Swimming Australia Grand Prix
Brisbane , Australia
58
2:22.44
Amanda Beard United States 12 July 2004 US Olympic Trials
Long Beach , United States
59
2:21.72
Leisel Jones Australia 29 July 2005 World Championships
Montreal , Canada
60
2:20.54
Leisel Jones Australia 1 February 2006 Australian Championships
Melbourne , Australia[ 21]
61
2:20.22
Rebecca Soni United States 15 August 2008 Olympic Games
Beijing , China
62
2:20.12
sf
Annamay Pierse Canada 29 July 2009 World Championships
Rome , Italy[ 22]
63
2:20.00
sf
Rebecca Soni United States 1 August 2012 Olympic Games
London , United Kingdom
64
2:19.59
Rebecca Soni United States 2 August 2012 Olympic Games
London , United Kingdom[ 23]
65
2:19.11
sf
Rikke Møller Pedersen Denmark 1 August 2013 World Championships
Barcelona , Spain[ 24]
66
2:18.95
Tatjana Schoenmaker South Africa 30 July 2021 Olympic Games
Tokyo , Japan[ 25]
67
2:17.55
Evgeniia Chikunova Russia 21 April 2023 Russian Championships
Kazan , Russia[ 26]
#
Time
Name
Nationality
Date
Meet
Location
Ref
1
2:22.92
Susanne Bornike East Germany 12 February 1989 World Cup
Bonn , West Germany
2
2:22.89
h
Dai Guohong China 3 December 1993 World Championships
Palma de Mallorca , Spain
3
2:21.99
Dai Guohong China 3 December 1993 World Championships
Palma de Mallorca , Spain
4
2:20.85
Samantha Riley Australia 1 December 1995 World Championships
Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
5
2:20.22
Masami Tanaka Japan 2 April 1999 World Championships
Hong Kong
6
2:19.25
Qi Hui China 28 January 2001 World Cup
Paris , France
7
2:18.86
Qi Hui China 2 December 2002 World Cup
Shanghai , China
8
2:17.75
Leisel Jones Australia 29 November 2003 World Cup
Melbourne , Australia
9
2:17.50
Annamay Pierse Canada 14 March 2009 Canadian Spring Nationals
Toronto , Canada
10
2:16.83
Annamay Pierse Canada 7 August 2009 British Grand Prix
Leeds , United Kingdom[ 27]
11
2:15.42
Leisel Jones Australia 15 November 2009 World Cup
Berlin , Germany[ 28]
12
2:14.57
Rebecca Soni United States 18 December 2009 Duel in the Pool
Manchester , United Kingdom[ 29]
-
2:14.39
[a] Yuliya Yefimova Russia 14 December 2013 European Championships
Herning , Denmark[ 30]
13
2:14.16
Kate Douglass United States 24 October 2024 World Cup
Incheon , South Korea[ 31] [ 32]
14
2:12.72
Kate Douglass United States 31 October 2024 World Cup
Singapore
[ 33] [ 34]
15
2:12.50
Kate Douglass United States 13 December 2024 World Championships
Budapest , Hungary[ 35]
^
Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 200 m breaststroke times and the top 25 athletes :
- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 200 m breaststroke times
- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 200 m breaststroke times , by repeat athletes
- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 200 m breaststroke times
Correct as of July 2025[ 36] Correct as of December 2024[ 58] Correct as of August 2025[ 83] Correct as of August 2025[ 112] 
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