Dimitry Balandin Takes 1st Kazakhstan Gold In Tightest 200 Breaststroke Final Ever

Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Men’s 200m breaststroke

A race impossible to predict beyond the notion that anyong could have won. There was not a single man in the final less capable of winning the crown than the next. There were those more capable in terms of the titles and medals win, the things proven, the statements made about the prospects of a sub-2:07.

Outcome often takes the runes, rips them to shreds, throws them into the air, history written only when the pieces land in their new form. So it proved in the 100m freestyle final in Rio tonight as Australia got its first champion since 1968, the name … Kyle Chalmers.

And so, too, it was that Kazakstan found a hero in Dimitry Balandin, his country’s first Olympic swimming champion and the first from all countries for twenty years to pan gold from lane 8.

Kazakstan has known swimming podium placers before back in the days of the Soviet Union but in the colours of his modern country he writes new history, adds to that book of outside Olympic smokers in which the last entry was Kieren Perkins (AUS) in the 1500m freestyle at Atlanta 1996, and adds a line in swimming history as the winner who won by the highest of margins.

If London 2012 produced the tightest win in history when Hungarian Daniel Gyurta pipped Britain’s Michael Jamieson by 0.15sec, then Rio 2016 established a new standard in squeeze. And that in a race without either of the top two in London in the race, Gyurta out in the rounds, Jamieson out in domestic trials.

Balandin and his 2:07.46 were followed home by Josh Prenot (USA) and 2:07.53, the battle for bronze going to Anton Chupkov (RUS) in 2:07.70, the next three home within 0.17sec, the entire final all done just 0.54 back from bronze.

Yasuhiro Koseki (JPN) set a sharp pace to the half-way mark, turning in …

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