The men's 200 metre breaststroke event at the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
took place on 19–20 September at the
Sydney International Aquatic Centre in
Sydney, Australia.
emerged as a major force on the international swimming after effortlessly winning his second gold at these Games. He maintained a lead from start to finish and posted a European record of 2:10.87, the second-fastest of all time, making him the first ever swimmer in Olympic history to strike a breaststroke double. South Africa's
Terence Parkin, a deaf mute since birth, enjoyed the race of his life to take a silver medal in an African record of 2:12.50. Fioravanti's fellowman
Davide Rummolo
Davide Rummolo (born 12 November 1977, in Naples) is an Italian swimmer who won the bronze medal in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also know ...
gave Italy a further reason to celebrate, as he powered home with the bronze in 2:12.73.
Acknowledging a massive cheer from the home crowd, Australia's
Regan Harrison
Regan Dean Harrison (born 25 November 1977) is an Australian former breaststroke swimmer of the 1990s and 2000s, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as part of the 4×100-metre medley relay team. He was educated at t ...
swam his lifetime best, but finished outside the podium by 15-hundredths of a second in 2:12.88. Czech Republic's
Daniel Málek pulled off a fifth-place finish in a national record of 2:13.20, while
Kyle Salyards
Mark Kyle Salyards (born December 17, 1980) is an American former competition swimmer who participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He competed in the men's 200-meter breaststroke, and finished sixth in the event final with ...
, the only U.S. swimmer in the final, earned a sixth spot with a time of 2:13.27. France's
Yohann Bernard (2:13.31) and another Aussie
Ryan Mitchell (2:14.00) rounded out the finale.
[ Notable swimmers failed to reach the top 8 final, featuring Hungary's ]Norbert Rózsa
Norbert Rózsa (born 9 February 1972) is a former breaststroker from Hungary, who competed at three consecutive Olympics, beginning with the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He won two silver medals, in the 100 m and 200 m breaststr ...
, the defending Olympic champion, who placed thirteenth (2:14.67), and Canada's Morgan Knabe
Morgan Knabe (born May 20, 1981) is a former breaststroke swimmer from Canada, who competed for his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 2000 (2000 - Sydney, AUS and 2004 - Athens, GR). His best Olympic results were a s ...
, who had the fastest 100-metre split, but faded badly on the final lap to place tenth (2:14.01).
Shortly before the next Olympics, Fioravanti was forced to retire from swimming after failing a routine medical test carried by the Italian National Olympic Committee
The Italian National Olympic Committee ( it, Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy. ...
. Tests revealed that he was diagnosed with a genetic heart anomaly.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
Results
Heats
[
]
Semifinals
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Final
References
External links
Official Olympic Report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swimming At The 2000 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 Metre Breaststroke
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Men's events at the 2000 Summer Olympics