When Tamas Darnyi Took the 200 IM Under 2:00; Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of a Special Achievement
The rich tradition of Hungarian swimming stretches back more than a century, to the days of early Olympians Alfred Hajos and Zoltan Halmay. Most recently, the men’s banner has been carried by Hubert Kos, the reigning Olympic titlist in the 200-meter backstroke. Plenty of stars have filled the years in between, including Laszlo Cseh, the multi-event talent who was recently elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The greatest Hungarian of them all, however, is widely considered to be Tamas Darnyi. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Darnyi established himself as the premier individual medley performer in the world. After doubling in the IM events at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Darnyi replicated that feat at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He also earned multiple world titles in the medley disciplines, set several world records and was a European champion in the 200 butterfly.
This week, we celebrate the 35th anniversary of his barrier-breaking performance in the 200-meter individual medley.
On January 13, 1991, while racing at the World Championships in Perth, Darnyi took the 200 medley under the two-minute threshold for the first time. Clocking a time of 1:59.36, Darnyi earned a comfortable triumph over American Eric Namesnik, who secured the silver medal in 2:01.87. More, Darnyi took down the world record of 2:00.11, set by the United States’ David Wharton at the 1989 Pan Pacific Championships.
Barrier-breaking performances hold a special place in the sport. Jim Montgomery will forever be remembered as the first athlete to crack 50 seconds in the 100 freestyle. Natalie Coughlin will always be the first female to go sub-minute in the 100 backstroke. John Naber was the first athlete to touch in 1:59 in the 200 backstroke.
Before Wharton broke the world record, Darnyi set a pair of global standards in the 200 IM. At the 1987 European Championships, Darnyi registered an effort of 2:00.56, and he took the mark lower at the 1988 Olympic Games, where a 2:00.17 outing landed him the gold medal. At the time, it seemed like a 1:59-something performance was right around the corner. Yet, it would be two-plus years until the barrier was broken.
Darnyi sat in second place after the opening butterfly leg, but was in the lead as the swimmers surfaced on backstroke. From there, Darnyi extended his lead, eventually stopping the clock at a point that previously was unattainable. The Hungarian also set a world record in the 400 medley at that edition of the World Champs, going 4:12.36.
The swim stood as the world record for more than three years, until Finland’s Jani Sievinen blasted a 1:58.16 performance on the way to the gold medal at the 1994 World Champs. Sievinen’s world record endured for almost nine years, until Michael Phelps went 1:57.94 at the 2003 Santa Clara Invitational. Within two months, Phelps had gotten down to 1:55.94, and the event was no longer the same.
Darnyi’s sub-2:00 skill in the 200 IM played a major role in his being named Swimming World’s Male World Swimmer of the Year for 1991, and it was a highlight of a career that eventually was recognized with Hall of Fame induction.