| Men 200m Freestyle Swimming III World Championship 1978 West Berlin - Sunday, 20th August - Gold Medal: Bill Forrester, United States | 
| Final |   | time |   | gap | L | pts | ag | 50m | 100m | 150m |  | 1. Bill Forrester |   United States | 1:51.02 | CR |   | 4 | 848 | 20 | 26.51s | 54.83s | 1:51.02  |  | 2. Rowdy Gaines |   United States | 1:51.10 |   | +0.08s | 3 | 846 | 19 | 26.79s | 54.90s | 1:51.10  |  | 3. Sergei Kopliakov |   Soviet Union | 1:51.33 |   | +0.31s | 2 | 841 | 19 | 26.86s | 55.03s | 1:51.33  |  | 4. Peter Szmidt |   Canada | 1:51.94 | CWR | +0.92s | 6 | 827 | 17 | 26.93s | 55.55s | 1:51.94  |  | 5. Marcello Guarducci |   Italy | 1:52.82 |   | +1.80s | 5 | 808 | 22 | 26.75s | 55.26s | 1:52.82  |  | 6. Andrey Krylov |   Soviet Union | 1:53.25 |   | +2.23s | 8 | 799 | 22 | 27.00s | 55.39s | 1:53.25  |  | 7. Ron Mckeon |   Australia | 1:53.26 |   | +2.24s | 1 | 798 | 17 | 27.07s | 55.70s | 1:53.26  |  | 8. Andreas Schmidt |   West Germany | 1:53.48 |   | +2.46s | 7 | 794 | 18 | 26.05s | 55.07s | 1:53.48 |   
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| World Record: Bruce Furniss, United States 1:50.29 (26.43s, 54.47s, 1:22.55) |  | Championship Record: Tim Shaw, United States 1:51.04 (26.70s, 55.18s, 1:23.43) 1975 |   
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 Heats - Sunday, 20th August |  | Best 8 times advanced to Final>.  |   
| Heat 7 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 4. Peter Szmidt |   Canada | 1:52.65 |   | +0.56s | - | 17 | 1. |  | 5. Sergei Kopliakov |   Soviet Union | 1:52.69 |   | +0.60s | - | 19 | 2. |  | 17.Arne Borgstrom |   Norway | 1:53.71 | NR | +1.62s | - | 19 | 3. |   
| Heat 6 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 1. Bill Forrester |   United States | 1:52.09 |   | - | - | 20 | 1. |  | 14.Graeme Brewer |   Australia | 1:53.58 |   | +1.49s | - | 19 | 2.  |  | 21.Bill Sawchuk |   Canada | 1:55.02 |   | +2.93s | - | 19 | 3. |   
| Heat 5 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 3. Rowdy Gaines |   United States | 1:52.29 |   | +0.20s | - | 19 | 1. |  | 13.Pelle Holmertz |   Sweden | 1:53.56 |   | +1.47s | - | 18 | 2. |  | 19.Rainer Strohbach |   East Germany | 1:54.86 |   | +2.77s | - | 20 | 3. |   
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| Heat 4 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 7. Andrey Krylov |   Soviet Union | 1:53.18 |   | +1.09s | - | 22 | 1. |  | 9. Jorge Delgado Jr |   Ecuador | 1:53.28 | SA | +1.19s | - | 24 | 2. |  | 11.Per-Alvar Magnusson |   Sweden | 1:53.39 | NR | +1.30s | - | 20 | 3. |  | 12.Fernando Canales |   Puerto Rico | 1:53.54 | NR | +1.45s | - | 18 | 4. |   
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| Heat 3 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 10.Frank Wennmann |   West Germany | 1:53.30 |   | +1.21s | - | _ | 1. |  | 15.Paolo Revelli |   Italy | 1:53.62 |   | +1.53s | - | 19 | 2.  |  | 18.Pierre Andraca |   France | 1:54.06 | NR | +1.97s | - | 19 | 3. |  | 22.Martin Smith |   Great Britain | 1:55.16 |   | +3.07s | - | 20 | 3. |   
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| Heat 2 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 6. Andreas Schmidt |   West Germany | 1:53.08 |   | +0.99s | - | 18 | 1. |  | 7. Ron McKeon |   Australia | 1:53.18 |   | +1.09s | - | 17 | 2. |  | 22.Detlev Grabs |   East Germany | 1:55.16 |   | +3.07s | - | 17 | 3. |  | 36.Gerard Smits |   Netherlands | 1:57.44 |   | +5.35s | - | _ | 4. |  | 37.Hidenori Ishii |   Japan | 1:57.48 |   | +5.39s | - | _ | 5. |  | 43.Jasper Nordsted |   Denmark | 1:59.93 |   | +7.84s | - | _ | 6. |   
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| Heat 1 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 2. Marcello Guarducci |   Italy | 1:52.23 |   | +0.14s | - | 22 | 1. |  | 15.David Dunne |   Great Britain | 1:53.62 |   | +1.53s | - | 22 | 2.  |  | 19.Kees Vervoorn |   Netherlands | 1:54.86 |   | +2.77s | - | 18 | 3.  |  | 26.Daniel Machek |   Czechoslovakia | 1:55.69 | NR | +3.60s | - | 18 | 4.  |  | 41.Paulo Frischknecht |   Portugal | 1:58.94 |   | +6.85s | - | 17 | 5.  |  | 42.David Cummins |   Ireland | 1:59.17 |   | +7.08s | - | 16 | 6.  |   
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| Heat - |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk  |  | 24.Bent Brask |   Norway | 1:55.18 |   | +3.09s | - | 20 |   |  | 25.Borut Petric |   Yugoslavia | 1:55.53 |   | +3.44s | - | 17 |   |  | 27.Amir Ganiel |   Israel | 1:55.78 | NR | +3.69s | - | _ |   |  | 28.Rui Abreu |   Portugal | 1:56.13 | NR | +4.04s | - | 17 |   |  | 29.Marcus Mattioli |   Brazil | 1:56.16 |   | +4.07s | - | 17 |   |  | 30.Hiroshi Sakamoto |   Japan | 1:57.04 | NR | +4.95s | - | 18 |   |  | 31.Jorge Fernandes |   Brazil | 1:57.16 |   | +5.07s | - | 16 |   |  | 32.Fabien Noel |   France | 1:57.20 |   | +5.11s | - | 19 |   |  | 33.Petar Georgiev |   Bulgaria | 1:57.29 | NR | +5.20s | - | 19 |   |  | 34.Ali Gharbi |   Tunisia | 1:57.30 |   | +5.21s | - | 23 |   |  | 35.Dariusz Broda |   Poland | 1:57.34 |   | +5.25s | - | _ |   |  | 38.Bill Chao |   Taiwan | 1:57.94 |   | +5.85s | - | _ |   |  | 39.Nir Shamir |   Israel | 1:58.45 |   | +6.36s | - | _ |   |  | 40.Jens Bronnum |   Denmark | 1:58.81 |   | +6.72s | - | _ |   |  | 44.Diego Quiroga |   Ecuador | 2:00.17 |   | +8.08s | - | 17 |   |  | 45.Scott Newkirk |   US Virgin Islands | 2:01.63 |   | +9.54s | - | 17 |   |  | 46.Murat Ozuak |   Turkey | 2:02.42 |   | +10.33s | - | _ |   |  | 47.Dariusz Gil |   Poland | 2:03.69 |   | +11.60s | - | _ |   |  | 48.Habib Soukni |   Tunisia | 2:06.65 |   | +14.56s | - | _ |   |  | -. Barry Salisbury |   New Zealand | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |  | -. Brett Naylor |   New Zealand | DNS |   | - | - | 21 |   |  | -. Ari Wiren |   Finland | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |  | -. Ilkka Lahtl |   Finland | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |  | -. Zafer Atamar |   Turkey | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |   
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| Heat - |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk  |  | 24.Bent Brask |   Norway | 1:55.18 |   | +3.09s | - | 20 |   |  | 25.Borut Petric |   Yugoslavia | 1:55.53 |   | +3.44s | - | 17 |   |  | 27.Amir Ganiel |   Israel | 1:55.78 | NR | +3.69s | - | _ |   |  | 28.Rui Abreu |   Portugal | 1:56.13 | NR | +4.04s | - | 17 |   |  | 29.Marcus Mattioli |   Brazil | 1:56.16 |   | +4.07s | - | 17 |   |  | 30.Hiroshi Sakamoto |   Japan | 1:57.04 | NR | +4.95s | - | 18 |   |  | 31.Jorge Fernandes |   Brazil | 1:57.16 |   | +5.07s | - | 16 |   |  | 32.Fabien Noel |   France | 1:57.20 |   | +5.11s | - | 19 |   |  | 33.Petar Georgiev |   Bulgaria | 1:57.29 | NR | +5.20s | - | 19 |   |  | 34.Ali Gharbi |   Tunisia | 1:57.30 |   | +5.21s | - | 23 |   |  | 35.Dariusz Broda |   Poland | 1:57.34 |   | +5.25s | - | _ |   |  | 38.Bill Chao |   Taiwan | 1:57.94 |   | +5.85s | - | _ |   |  | 39.Nir Shamir |   Israel | 1:58.45 |   | +6.36s | - | _ |   |  | 40.Jens Bronnum |   Denmark | 1:58.81 |   | +6.72s | - | _ |   |  | 44.Diego Quiroga |   Ecuador | 2:00.17 |   | +8.08s | - | 17 |   |  | 45.Scott Newkirk |   US Virgin Islands | 2:01.63 |   | +9.54s | - | 17 |   |  | 46.Murat Ozuak |   Turkey | 2:02.42 |   | +10.33s | - | _ |   |  | 47.Dariusz Gil |   Poland | 2:03.69 |   | +11.60s | - | _ |   |  | 48.Habib Soukni |   Tunisia | 2:06.65 |   | +14.56s | - | _ |   |  | -. Barry Salisbury |   New Zealand | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |  | -. Brett Naylor |   New Zealand | DNS |   | - | - | 21 |   |  | -. Ari Wiren |   Finland | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |  | -. Ilkka Lahtl |   Finland | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |  | -. Zafer Atamar |   Turkey | DNS |   | - | - | _ |   |   
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