Olympic Swimming 2016: Women's 200M Breaststroke Medal Winners, Times, Results

Japan's Rie Kaneto came on strong over the final 100 meters of Thursday evening's women's 200-meter breaststroke final to capture gold ahead of Russia's Yulia Efimova and China's Shi Jinglin. 

Efimova's second-place finish represented her second of the 2016 Olympics after she came away with silver in the 100-meter breaststroke earlier in the week.

Here's a look at the final standings and times from Thursday night's 200-meter breaststroke festivities: 

Place	Swimmer	Country	Time
1	Rie Kaneto	Japan	2:20.30
2	Yulia Efimova	Russia	2:21.97
3	Shi Jinglin	China	2:22.28
4	Chloe Tutton	Great Britain	2:22.34
5	Taylor McKeown	Australia	2:22.43
6	Molly Renshaw	Great Britain	2:22.72
7	Kierra Smith	Canada	2:23.19
8	Rikke Moller Pedersen	Denmark	2:23.74

And here's a rundown of the latest medal count, which features the United States and China in the top two spots with Friday's action on the horizon: 

There were no Americans in action after red, white and blue darling Lilly King and teammate Molly Hannis failed to qualify for the final, and their absences represented the end of an impressive streak the United States had established in the event. 

Specifically, the U.S. had captured three straight gold medals in the women's 200-meter breaststroke dating back to 2004 thanks to the efforts of Amanda Beard and Rebecca Sonni. 

However, 2016 proved to be a changing of the guard as Kaneto snapped the Americans' streak and nabbed the podium's top spot. 

World-record holder Rikke Moller Pedersen of Denmark appeared primed for a successful swim after leading through 50 meters, but she quickly fell off as Australia's Taylor McKeown touched the second wall with a slight edge before Kaneto made her run for glory. 

Now the Japanese swimmer is officially on a roll. 

Although the 27-year-old failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London, she "unleashed a 2:19.65 at the Japan Open in April to smash her own national record and become the first Japanese woman under 2:20," according to SwimSwam.com's Karl Ortegon. 

That's called building on positive momentum. 

In other news, fourth-place finisher Chloe Tutton of Great Britain—who is considered a rising star in the breaststroke at 20 years old—narrowly missed out on a historic mark. According to SwimSwam on Twitter, Tutton's final time fell 0.01 seconds short of Great Britain's record in the 200-meter swim.  

Based on Tutton's superlative effort, Efimova's late push and King's up-and-coming status, the 200-meter breaststroke should remain one of the more competitive and captivating events in women's swimming for years to come—especially if King and Efimova are able to renew their rivalry at some point down the line.  

Post-Race Reaction

"I can’t believe it," Kaneto said, per Reuters (via the Japan Times). "I am so glad that I kept on believing in my coach (Tsuyoshi Kato). I have had support from my family and coach Kato’s family, and that is why I was able to aim for and reach the top of the world."

"It was a great race, crazy and super close because all the girls were strong," Efimova added, according to the Olympic News Service on Twitter. "I'm so tired."