to determine advancement; instead, the fastest times from across all heats in a round were used. A "consolation final" had been added in 1984. There were 6 heats of up to 8 swimmers each. The top 8 swimmers advanced to the final. The next 8 (9th through 16th) competed in a consolation final. Swim-offs were used as necessary to break ties. This swimming event used backstroke. Because an Olympic-size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of four lengths of the pool. Records Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows. Schedule All times are Korea Standard Time adjusted for daylight savings (UTC+10) Results Heats The eight fastest swimmers advanced to Final A, while the next eight went to Final B. Finals The finals were held in the evening of 22 September. Final B Final A Zabalotnov led at the halfway mark. Polyansky took the lead during the third length, with Baltrusch and Kingsman also passing Zabolotnov. References External links Official Report USA Swimming Men's backstroke 200 metre 200 metre backstroke at the Olympics Men's events at the 1988 Summer Olympics