The 200m freestyle discipline holds a distinct, curious place on the swimming roster. Swimmers with pure speed focus on the one-lap 50m dash, or the two-lap 100m race. Middle distance swimmers prefer the 400m, the 800m or even the endurance epic, the 1500m. The 200m is too long for unbridled sprinting, and too short for a more measured show of stamina.
In other words, it is the goldilocks event – swimmers must not go too fast so as to blow up, and not too slow so as to lose touch with the field. Finding that just-right middle ground is no easy task.
