[1] Hungary's Dániel Gyurta blasted the field with a stunning world record to become the country's third gold medalist in the event since József Szabó topped the podium in 1988 and Norbert Rózsa in 1996.

[2][3] With the delight of a raucous home crowd, Great Britain's Michael Jamieson enjoyed the race of his life to snatch the silver in 2:07.43, moving him up to fourth in the event's all time rankings.

[4][5] Meanwhile, Japan's Ryo Tateishi powered home with a bronze in 2:08.29 to edge out Kosuke Kitajima (2:08.35) by six-hundredths of a second, ending the defending champion's hopes for an Olympic three-peat bid.

[8] Australia's Brenton Rickard (2:09.28), the reigning silver medalist, and Great Britain's home favorite Andrew Willis (2:09.44) rounded out the championship field.

[7][9] Notable swimmers missed the final roster featuring Lithuania's Giedrius Titenis, a top eight finalist in the 100 m breaststroke; and Luxembourg's Laurent Carnol, who became the nation's first ever semifinalist in swimming.