Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre freestyle
| Women's 400 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Sydney International Aquatic Centre | ||||||||||||
| Date | September 17, 2000 (heats & final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 39 from 32 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 4:05.80 | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Freestyle | ||
| 50 m | men | women |
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | |
| 800 m | women | |
| 1500 m | men | |
| Backstroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Breaststroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Butterfly | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Individual medley | ||
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| Freestyle relay | ||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women |
| 4 × 200 m | men | women |
| Medley relay | ||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women |
The women's 400 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 17 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.[1]
Brooke Bennett emerged as a major force in long-distance swimming, after effortlessly winning a first gold for the United States in the event since Janet Evans did so in 1988. She maintained a powerful lead from start to finish, and posted a lifetime best of 4:05.80, making her the third fastest all-time swimmer in history behind Evans and China's Chen Hua.[2][3] At only 18 years of age, Diana Munz fought off a sprint challenge from Costa Rica's Claudia Poll and Jamaica's Janelle Atkinson on the final lap to take home the silver in 4:07.07, extending a distance swimming legacy for the Americans with a one–two finish.[4] Meanwhile, Poll settled only for the bronze in 4:07.83.[5][6]
Atkinson made an Olympic milestone as the first Jamaican to reach a swimming final, but missed out the podium by almost a full second in a national record of 4:08.79.[7] Russia's Nadezhda Chemezova finished fifth in 4:10.37, holding off a fast-pacing Hannah Stockbauer of Germany (4:10.38) by a hundredth of a second (0.01). Netherlands' Carla Geurts (4:12.36), and China's Chen Hua (4:13.11), the second fastest all-time swimmer, rounded out the finale.[6]
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | 4:03.85 | Seoul, South Korea | 22 September 1988 | [8] | |
| Olympic record | 4:03.85 | Seoul, South Korea | 22 September 1988 | [8] |
Results
Heats
Final
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Brooke Bennett | 4:05.80 | |||
| 6 | Diana Munz | 4:07.07 | |||
| 5 | Claudia Poll | 4:07.83 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Janelle Atkinson | 4:08.79 | NR | |
| 5 | 7 | Nadezhda Chemezova | 4:10.37 | ||
| 6 | 1 | Hannah Stockbauer | 4:10.38 | ||
| 7 | 8 | Carla Geurts | 4:12.36 | ||
| 8 | 2 | Chen Hua | 4:13.11 |
References
- ^ "Swimming schedule". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 September 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ "De Bruijn soars to butterfly gold". BBC Sport. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Dolan, Bennett bring home gold for U.S. swimming". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 16 September 2000. Archived from the original on May 7, 2001. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Dolan, Munz overcome ailments to win". ESPN. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Americans Bennett, Munz go 1-2 in 400 free". Canoe.ca. 17 September 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ a b Whitten, Phillip (17 September 2000). "Olympic Day 2 Finals". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "Atkinson superb; just misses medal in 400m freestyle". Jamaica Gleaner. 18 September 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 400m Freestyle Heats" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. pp. 192–193. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
