| Men 200m Breaststroke Swimming III World Championship 1978 West Berlin - Wednesday, 23rd August - Gold Medal: Nick Nevid, United States | 
| Final |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | 50m | 100m | 150m |  | 1. Nick Nevid |   United States | 2:16.37 | CR |   | 8 | _ | 30.96s | 1:06.24 | 1:41.88 |  | 2. Arsens Miskarovs |   Soviet Union | 2:16.42 |   | +0.05s | 1 | 17 | 31.52s | 1:06.97 | 1:42.81 |  | 3. Walter Kusch |   West Germany | 2:20.16 |   | +3.79s | 3 | 24 | 32.39s | 1:08.72 | 1:44.92 |  | 4. Duncan Goodhew |   Great Britain | 2:20.49 |   | +4.12s | 2 | 21 | 31.59s | 1:07.23 | 1:43.91 |  | 5. Robertas Zulpa |   Soviet Union | 2:20.53 |   | +4.16s | 5 | 18 | 32.21s | 1:08.16 | 1:44.99 |  | 6. Alban Vermes |   Hungary | 2:20.81 | NR | +4.44s | 7 | 21 | 32.78s | 1:09.16 | 1:45.02 |  | 7. Graham Smith |   Canada | 2:20.91 |   | +4.54s | 6 | 20 | 32.75s | 1:08.95 | 1:44.64 |  | 8. Jeff Freeman |   United States | 2:22.13 |   | +5.76s | 4 | _ | 32.50s | 1:09.56 | 1:46.29  |   
 | 
 |  
| World Record: David Wilkie, Great Britain 2:15.11 (31.24s, 1:06.49, 1:40.84) |  | Championship Record: David Wilkie, Great Britain 2:18.23 (31.74s, 1:07.60, 1:42.46) 1975 |   
|
 Heats - Wednesday, 23rd August |  | Best 8 times advanced to Final>.  |   
| Heat 4 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 3. Walter Kusch |   West Germany | 2:21.30 |   | +0.67s | - | 24 | 1. |  | 9. Shigehiro Takahashi |   Japan | 2:22.39 |   | +1.76s | - | 17 | 2. |  | 10.Jurgen Bruin |   West Germany | 2:22.59 |   | +1.96s | - | _ | 3. |  | 11.Greg Wurzbach |   Canada | 2:23.79 |   | +3.16s | - | _ | 4. |   
| Heat 3 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 6. Alban Vermes |   Hungary | 2:22.08 |   | +1.45s | - | 21 | 1. |  | 7. Arsens Miskarovs |   Soviet Union | 2:22.14 |   | +1.51s | - | 17 | 2. |  | 8. Nick Nevid |   United States | 2:22.34 |   | +1.71s | - | _ | 3. |   
 | 
 |  
 | 
 | 
 | 
| Heat 2 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 1. Jeff Freeman |   United States | 2:20.63 |   | - | - | _ | 1. |  | 2. Robertas Zulpa |   Soviet Union | 2:20.78 |   | +0.15s | - | 18 | 2. |  | 12.Hiroshi Kabatani |   Japan | 2:24.15 |   | +3.52s | - | - | 3. |  | 26.Ronald Hond |   Netherlands | 2:32.51 |   | +11.88s | - | _ |   | 6. |   
 | 
 | 
| Heat 1 |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk  |  | 4. Graham Smith |   Canada | 2:21.43 |   | +0.80s | - | 20 | 1. |  | 5. Duncan Goodhew |   Great Britain | 2:21.69 |   | +1.06s | - | 21 | 2. |  | 13.Glen Christiansen |   Sweden | 2:24.76 |   | +4.13s | - | 21 | 3. |   
 | 
| Heat - |   | time |   | gap | L | ag | Rk |  | 14.Steffen Kriechbaum |   Austria | 2:26.90 |   | +6.27s | - | 31 |   |  | 15.Olivier Borios |   France | 2:26.48 |   | +5.85s | - | 19 |   |  | 16.Gregor Arnicke |   East Germany | 2:27.41 |   | +6.78s | - | _ |   |  | 17.Pablo Restrepo |   Colombia | 2:27.70 |   | +7.07s | - | 18 |   |  | 18.Lindsay Spencer |   Australia | 2:28.30 |   | +7.67s | - | 16 |   |  | 19.Paul Naisby |   Great Britain | 2:28.98 |   | +8.35s | - | 23 |   |  | 20.Giorgio Lalle |   Italy | 2:29.00 |   | +8.37s | - | 21 |   |  | 21.Falk Becker |   East Germany | 2:29.50 |   | +8.87s | - | _ |   |  | 22.Ron Kehrmann |   Israel | 2:30.96 |   | +10.33s | - | _ |   |  | 23.Miguel Santisteban |   Mexico | 2:30.97 |   | +10.34s | - | 18 |   |  | 24.Kun Hantiyo Prastiasto |   Indonesia | 2:31.76 | NR | +11.13s | - | _ |   |  | 25.Andres Aguilar |   Costa Rica | 2:32.07 | NR | +11.44s | - | 17 |   |  | 27.Luis Bajana |   Ecuador | 2:33.13 |   | +12.50s | - | _ |   |  | 28.Helmuth Levy |   Colombia | 2:33.78 |   | +13.15s | - | 19 |   |  | 29.Roberto Neiger |   Switzerland | 2:33.93 |   | +13.30s | - | _ |   |  | 30.Hedi Ben Hassen |   Tunisia | 2:43.70 |   | +23.07s | - | _ |   |  | -. Orlando Catinchi |   Puerto Rico | DNS |   | - | - | 21 |   |   
 | 
 |