The Women's 400 metre freestyle event at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 took place on 10–11 August at the Beijing National Aquatics Center. This swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 event used freestyle swimming

Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

, which means that the method of the stroke is not regulated (unlike backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly events). Nearly all swimmers use the front crawl

Front crawl

The front crawl, forward crawl, or freestyle is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is nearly universally used during a freestyle swimming competition, hence the synonymously used term "freestyle". It is one of two...

 or a variant of that stroke. Because an Olympic size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of eight lengths of the pool.

Six heats were held, with most containing the maximum number of swimmers (eight). The heat in which a swimmer competed did not formally matter for advancement, as the swimmers with the top eight times from the entire field qualified for the finals; there, they all competed in a single final heat to earn final placements.

The qualifying norms were for the 2008 event were 4:11.26 (A norm) and 4:20.05 (B norm). NOCs with two or more swimmers meeting the A standard could enter any two such swimmers; otherwise, they could enter a single swimmer meeting the B standard.

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.

Date	Event	Name	Nationality	Time	OR	WR
August 10	Heat 5	Katie Hoff Katie Hoff Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff is an American swimmer. Hoff is strongest in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, though she is a very capable swimmer in many events, ranging from the four 200 meter events to the 800 meter freestyle...		4:03.71	OR
August 10	Heat 6	Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle world record holder...		4:02.19	OR

Heats

Rank	Heat	Lane	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	6	4	Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle world record holder...		4:02.19	Q, OR
2	6	3	Rebecca Adlington Rebecca Adlington Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final...		4:02.24	Q, CR
3	5	4	Katie Hoff Katie Hoff Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff is an American swimmer. Hoff is strongest in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, though she is a very capable swimmer in many events, ranging from the four 200 meter events to the 800 meter freestyle...		4:03.71	Q, OR
4	5	4	Joanne Jackson Joanne Jackson (swimmer) Joanne Amy Jackson is a British freestyle swimmer. She is the sister of retired Olympic swimmer Nicola Jackson. She went to Richmond School, North Yorkshire....		4:03.80	Q
5	5	3	Bronte Barratt Bronte Barratt Bronte Amelia Arnold Barratt OAM is a competitive swimmer from Australia. At the World Short Course Championships held in Shanghai in 2006, Barratt won the gold medal in women's 4x200m freestyle relay and an individual silver medal in the 400m freestyle.In 2007, she broke the oldest record in...		4:04.16	Q, OC
6	5	5	Coralie Balmy Coralie Balmy Coralie Balmy is a freestyle swimmer from France, who was born in Martinique . She won her first senior title at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships in Eindhoven in the 4×200 relay freestyle...		4:04.25	Q
7	4	6	Camelia Alina Potec		4:04.55	Q
8	4	4	Laure Manaudou Laure Manaudou Laure Manaudou |Rhône]]) is a French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She is the daughter of a French father and a Dutch mother.- 2004 Olympics :...		4:04.93	Q
9	4	5	Otylia Jędrzejczak Otylia Jedrzejczak Otylia Jędrzejczak is a Polish swimmer. She is the Olympic champion from Athens 2004 in the 200 metre butterfly. She finished 4th in this event in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She also swam in a third Olympiad, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In Athens 2004 she also silvered in...		4:05.50
10	4	3	Linda Mackenzie Linda Mackenzie Linda June Mackenzie OAM is an Australian freestyle swimmer. She tends to prefer the longer 200m/400m/800m events and has won the Australian 400m national title five years in a row...		4:05.91
11	6	1	Stephanie Horner Stephanie Horner Stephanie Horner is a female swimmer from Canada. She is a butterfly and freestyle specialist. After having won four medals at the 2007 Pan American Games Horner competed for her native country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, PR China...		4:07.45
12	5	2	Wendy Trott		4:08.38	AF
13	5	7	Lotte Friis Lotte Friis Lotte Friis is a Danish swimmer from Allerød.Finishing third in the 1500 metre freestyle competition at the European Championships 2008 in Eindhoven she won her first major long course medal. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she won bronze in the 800 metre freestyle competition...		4:08.47
14	6	5	Kate Ziegler Kate Ziegler Kate Marie Ziegler is an American long-distance swimmer. She currently holds the world record in the 1500-meter freestyle ....		4:09.59
14	6	7	Flavia Rigamonti Flavia Rigamonti Flavia Rigamonti is a Swiss swimmer from Sorengo. As of 2010, she holds the Swiss Records in the women's 400, 800 and 1500 freestyles.At the 2007 World Championships, she set the European Record in the women's 1500 free ....		4:09.59
16	4	8	Joerdis Steinegger		4:09.72
17	6	2	Melissa Corfe		4:10.54
18	5	1	Gabriella Fagundez Gabriella Fagundez Gabriella Fagundez is a Swedish swimmer. She currently holds 400 m freestyle , 800 m and 1500 m freestyle national records.-Long course :...		4:11.40
19	4	1	Savannah King Savannah King Savannah King is a female swimmer from Canada, who mostly competes in the freestyle events. She claimed a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil....		4:11.49
20	3	3	Susana Escobar Susana Escobar Susana Escobar is a Mexican swimmer and Olympian. As of October 2008, she attends and swims for the USA's University of Texas at Austin....		4:11.99
21	3	5	Monique Ferreira Monique Ferreira Monique Andrade Ferreira is a freestyle swimmer from Brazil. She won the bronze medal in the women's 400 m freestyle at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A member of Santos, she also represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens,...		4:12.21
22	4	7	Tan Miao Tan Miao Tan Miao is a female Chinese swimmer, who will compete for Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-References:*http://2008teamchina.olympic.cn/index.php/personview/personsen/5363...		4:12.35
23	4	2	Erika Villaécija García Erika Villaecija Garcia Erika Villaécija García is a two-time Spanish Catalan Olympic swimmer from Barcelona. She swam at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics....		4:14.25
24	3	6	Hoi Shun Stephanie Au		4:14.82
25	6	8	Jaana Ehmcke Jaana Ehmcke Jaana Ehmcke is a German swimmer. She is trained by Jörg Hoffmann. In 2006, she took part in the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Helsinki. She also represented Germany in the women's 400 metre and 800 metre freestyle swimming races at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-References:...		4:15.15
26	5	8	Li Mo Li Mo Li Mo is a female Chinese swimmer, who competed for Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Major achievements:*2002 Asian Games - 1st 50 m/100 m free*2002 Asian Games - 1st 50 m back...		4:15.50
27	3	2	Eleftheria Evgenia Efstathiou Eleftheria Evgenia Efstathiou Eleftheria Evgenia Efstathiou is a Greek swimmer. She competed in the 400 and 800 metre freestyle and 200 metre butterfly at the 2008 Summer Olympics-References:...		4:15.78
28	3	4	Daria Belyakina		4:16.21
29	1	4	Boglárka Kapás Boglárka Kapás Boglárka Kapás is a female freestyle swimmer from Hungary. She was the youngest member of the Hungarian Olympic Squad at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, PR China....		4:16.22
30	3	1	Lynette Lim		4:17.67
31	6	6	Ai Shibata Ai Shibata is a Japanese swimmer. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the 800 meter freestyle race and became the first ever female gold medalist for Japan in a freestyle event....		4:17.96
32	2	2	Yanel Andreina Pinto Perez		4:18.09
33	2	1	Nataliya Khudyakova		4:18.34
34	3	7	Cecilia Elizabeth Biagioli		4:19.85
35	2	7	Eva Lehtonen		4:20.07
36	2	3	Kristina Lennox-Silva Kristina Lennox-Silva Kristina Lennox-Silva is a female freestyle and butterfly swimmer from Puerto Rico, who was born in the United States. She represented Puerto Rico at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, PR China and 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy...		4:20.17
37	2	6	Jieun Lee		4:21.53
38	2	5	Cai Lin Khoo		4:23.37
39	2	4	Golda Marcus Golda Marcus Golda Lee Marcus is a two-time Olympic swimmer from El Salvador. She swam at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. As of June 2009, she holds the Salvadoran records in the 400, 800, and 1500 meter freestyles....		4:23.50
40	3	8	Chin-Kuei Yang		4:24.78
41	1	3	Shrone Austin		4:35.86
42	1	5	Natthanan Junkrajang		DNS

Final

Rebecca Adlington earned Great Britain's first female swimming gold medal for 48 years as she came from behind to defeat pre-race favourite Katie Hoff.

Laure Manaudou

Laure Manaudou

Laure Manaudou |Rhône]]) is a French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She is the daughter of a French father and a Dutch mother.- 2004 Olympics :...

 led the first 150m, but was closed down on the fourth length, where Hoff took the lead from Coralie Balmy

Coralie Balmy

Coralie Balmy is a freestyle swimmer from France, who was born in Martinique . She won her first senior title at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships in Eindhoven in the 4×200 relay freestyle...

 and Federica Pellegrini

Federica Pellegrini

Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle world record holder...

, although the whole field were within striking distance. Hoff lead through 200m in 1:59.60 and 300m (3:01:91) taking a body-length lead into the last 100m. Joanne Jackson

Joanne Jackson (swimmer)

Joanne Amy Jackson is a British freestyle swimmer. She is the sister of retired Olympic swimmer Nicola Jackson. She went to Richmond School, North Yorkshire....

 moved into second place on the penultimate length, but Adlington stormed through from fourth to first inside the last 25m, taking the lead inside the last 5m from Hoff, with Jackson holding on for the bronze medal.

Rank	Lane	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	5	Rebecca Adlington Rebecca Adlington Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final...		4:03.22
	3	Katie Hoff Katie Hoff Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff is an American swimmer. Hoff is strongest in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, though she is a very capable swimmer in many events, ranging from the four 200 meter events to the 800 meter freestyle...		4:03.29
	6	Joanne Jackson Joanne Jackson (swimmer) Joanne Amy Jackson is a British freestyle swimmer. She is the sister of retired Olympic swimmer Nicola Jackson. She went to Richmond School, North Yorkshire....		4:03.52
4	7	Coralie Balmy Coralie Balmy Coralie Balmy is a freestyle swimmer from France, who was born in Martinique . She won her first senior title at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships in Eindhoven in the 4×200 relay freestyle...		4:03.60
5	4	Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle world record holder...		4:04.56
6	1	Camelia Alina Potec		4:04.66
7	2	Bronte Barratt Bronte Barratt Bronte Amelia Arnold Barratt OAM is a competitive swimmer from Australia. At the World Short Course Championships held in Shanghai in 2006, Barratt won the gold medal in women's 4x200m freestyle relay and an individual silver medal in the 400m freestyle.In 2007, she broke the oldest record in...		4:05.05
8	8	Laure Manaudou Laure Manaudou Laure Manaudou |Rhône]]) is a French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She is the daughter of a French father and a Dutch mother.- 2004 Olympics :...		4:11.26

• Q = Qualified, DNS = Did Not Start
• WR = World Record; OR = Olympic Record
• OC = Oceania Record, AF = African Record
• CR = Commonwealth Record, NR = National Record; PB = Personal Best

New Records

Date	Round	Athlete	Nationality	Record	Type
August 10, 2008	Heat 5	Katie Hoff Katie Hoff Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff is an American swimmer. Hoff is strongest in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, though she is a very capable swimmer in many events, ranging from the four 200 meter events to the 800 meter freestyle...		4:03.71	Olympic Record
August 10, 2008	Heat 5	Bronte Barratt Bronte Barratt Bronte Amelia Arnold Barratt OAM is a competitive swimmer from Australia. At the World Short Course Championships held in Shanghai in 2006, Barratt won the gold medal in women's 4x200m freestyle relay and an individual silver medal in the 400m freestyle.In 2007, she broke the oldest record in...		4:04.16	Oceania Record Oceanian records in swimming Below is a list of current Oceanian swimming records as ratified by the continental governing body Oceania Swimming Association.Currently, Australian swimmers hold all but 2 Oceanian records, held by a New Zealander:...
August 10, 2008	Heat 5	Wendy Trott		4:08.38	African Record African records in swimming The African records in swimming are the fastest times ever by a swimmer representing an African country. These records are ratified by CANA, the African Swimming Confederation...
August 10, 2008	Heat 6	Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle world record holder...		4:02.19	Olympic Record
August 10, 2008	Heat 6	Rebecca Adlington Rebecca Adlington Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, OBE, is an English and British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final...		4:02.24	Commonwealth Record Commonwealth records in swimming Below is a list of current Commonwealth swimming records. This includes all countries that make up the Commonwealth of Nations. Of the 82 events, Australia currently holds records in 45 of them, Great Britain 15, South Africa 13, Canada 6, New Zealand 2, and Kenya...