The women's 200 metre individual medley event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 26 to 28 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It will be the event's twelfth appearance, having been first held in 1968 and 1972 and then at every edition since 1984.
The medals for the competition were presented by Dániel Gyurta, Hungary; IOC Member, Olympian, Gold Medalist and Silver Medalists, and the medalists' bouquets were presented by Verónica Stanham, Uruguay; FINA Bureau Member.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
No new records were set during the competition.
Qualification
The Olympic Qualifying Time for the event is 2:12.56. Up to two swimmers per National Olympic Committee (NOC) can automatically qualify by swimming that time at an approved qualification event. The Olympic Selection Time is 2:16.54. Up to one swimmer per NOC meeting that time is eligible for selection, allocated by world ranking until the maximum quota for all swimming events is reached. NOCs without a female swimmer qualified in any event can also use their universality place.
Competition format
The competition consists of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advance to the semifinals. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advance to the final. Swim-offs are used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.
Schedule
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Results
Heats
The swimmers with the top 16 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the semifinals.
Semifinals
The swimmers with the best 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final.