[2] Despite his criticisms about Michael Phelps during training camp before apologizing for the remarks, U.S. swimmer Tyler Clary put aside all the drama to capture an Olympic title in the event.

Trailing behind at the 150-metre turn, he made a late charge on the final lap to edge out Japan's Ryosuke Irie and defending champion Ryan Lochte for an Olympic record and a gold medal in 1:53.41.

[3][4] Clary's gold was the fifth consecutive (and eighth overall) victory by an American swimmer in the event, all by different men.

[2] Irie also overhauled Lochte about the midway through the leg, but could not catch Clary near the wall to finish only with a silver in 1:53.78.

[5] Leading almost an entire race in the first of a difficult double, Lochte faded down the stretch to pick up a bronze in 1:53.94.

Poland's Radosław Kawęcki matched China's Zhang Fenglin with a fourth-place time in 1:55.59, while Irie's teammate Kazuki Watanabe earned a sixth spot in 1:57.03.

Israel's Yakov-Yan Toumarkin (1:57.62) and Australia's Mitch Larkin (1:58.02) also vied for an Olympic medal to round out the finale.

[7][8] Other notable swimmers featured Russia's defending bronze medalist Arkady Vyatchanin, who missed a chance to climb the podium again after placing seventeenth in the prelims (1:58.69); and Turkey's Derya Büyükuncu, who opened the event with a top finish in heat one, but posted a thirty-third place time of 2:01.68 in his astonishing sixth Olympic appearance.