The finals and the qualifying heats of the men's 200 metres freestyle event at the 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships were held on the first day of the championships, on Thursday, 17 April 1997 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
| RANK | FINAL A | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:45.45 | |||
| 1:45.81 | |||
| 1:46.44 | |||
| 4. | 1:46.72 | ||
| 5. | 1:47.32 | ||
| 6. | 1:47.71 | ||
| 7. | 1:47.83 | ||
| 8. | 1:48.95 |
| RANK | FINAL B | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | 1:47.31 | ||
| 10. | 1:47.74 | ||
| 11. | 1:48.16 | ||
| 12. | 1:48.45 | ||
| 13. | 1:48.66 | ||
| 14. | [1] | 1:49.15 | |
| 15. | 1:49.17 | ||
| 16. | 1:49.58 |
| RANK | HEATS RANKING | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1:46.94 | ||
| 2. | 1:47.19 | ||
| 3. | 1:47.25 | ||
| 4. | 1:47.55 | ||
| 5. | 1:47.57 | ||
| 6. | 1:47.58 | ||
| 7. | 1:47.73 | ||
| 8. | 1:47.80 | ||
| 9. | 1:47.97 | ||
| 10. | 1:48.03 | ||
| 11. | 1:48.48 | ||
| 12. | 1:48.83 | ||
| 13. | 1:48.91 | ||
| 14. | 1:48.93 | ||
| 15. | 1:48.98 | ||
| 16. | 1:49.50 | ||
| 17. | 1:49.67 | ||
| 18. | 1:49.73 | ||
| 19. | 1:49.87 | ||
| 20. | 1:50.16 | ||
| 21. | 1:50.26 | ||
| 22. | 1:50.80 | ||
| 23. | 1:51.02 | ||
| 24. | 1:51.03 | ||
| 25. | 1:51.06 | ||
| 26. | 1:51.21 | ||
| 27. | 1:51.44 | ||
| 28. | 1:51.55 | ||
| 29. | 1:51.59 | ||
| 30. | 1:51.64 |