200 metres Breaststroke, Women
| Date | 16 – 18 July 1924 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Piscine des Tourelles, Saint-Mandé |
| Participants | 15 from 8 countries |
The decisive moment of the inaugural Olympic women’s backstroke came after the very first heat when Marie Baron of the Netherlands was disqualified for “making an illegal turn”, she was alleged to have touched the wall with only one hand instead of both as required by the rules. Baron had set a time in her heat that was five seconds clear of any of her rivals and, with world record holder Irene Gilbert of Britain struggling with illness, would have left her a strong favourite for the victory. With the removal of Baron the mantle of favouritism fell on Agnes Geraghty of the USA, Geraghty would lead the final for three-quarters of the race but a burst of speed from the unheralded Lucy Morton brought an end to the American monopoly in the pool and a first individual gold in women’s swimming to Great Britain.
| Pos | Swimmer | NOC | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucy Morton |  GBR | 3:29.4 (1 h2) | 3:33.2 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | Agnes Geraghty |  USA | 3:27.6 (1 h1) | 3:34.0 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Gladys Carson | GBR | 3:30.0 (1 h3) | 3:35.4 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | Wivan Pettersson |  SWE | 3:37.0 (3 h1) | 3:37.6 (4) | |||
| 5 | Irene Gilbert | GBR | 3:32.8 (2 h1) | 3:38.0 (5) | |||
| 6 | Laury Koster |  LUX | 3:35.0 (2 h2) | 3:39.2 (6) | |||
| 7 | Hjördis Töpel | SWE | 3:39.0 (2 h3) | 3:47.6 (7) | |||
| 3 h2 r1/2 | Eleanor Coleman | USA | 3:39.2 (3 h2) | – | |||
| 3 h3 r1/2 | Matilda Scheurich | USA | 3:41.2 (3 h3) | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/2 | Odette Monard |  FRA | 3:48.0 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/2 | Ella Molnár |  HUN | 3:39.8 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/2 | Babeta Drážková |  TCH | 3:43.0 (4 h3) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/2 | Alice Stoffel | FRA | 3:48.0 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/2 | Suzanne Kiffer-Porte | FRA | 3:43.6 (5 h3) | – | |||
| AC h1 r1/2 | Marie Baron |  NED | [3:22.6] (DQ h1) | – | DQ |
Semi-Finals (16 July 1924 — 15:00)
Top two in each heat and the fastest third-place advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Agnes Geraghty | USA | 3:27.6 | |||
| 2 | – | Irene Gilbert | GBR | 3:32.8 | |||
| 3 | – | Wivan Pettersson | SWE | 3:37.0 | |||
| 4 | – | Odette Monard | FRA | 3:48.0 | |||
| – | Marie Baron | NED | [3:22.6] |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Lucy Morton | GBR | 3:29.4 | |||
| 2 | – | Laury Koster | LUX | 3:35.0 | |||
| 3 | – | Eleanor Coleman | USA | 3:39.2 | |||
| 4 | – | Ella Molnár | HUN | 3:39.8 | |||
| 5 | – | Alice Stoffel | FRA | 3:48.0 |
Heat Three
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Gladys Carson | GBR | 3:30.0 | |||
| 2 | – | Hjördis Töpel | SWE | 3:39.0 | |||
| 3 | – | Matilda Scheurich | USA | 3:41.2 | |||
| 4 | – | Babeta Drážková | TCH | 3:43.0 | |||
| 5 | – | Suzanne Kiffer-Porte | FRA | 3:43.6 |
Final (18 July 1924 — 15:00)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Lucy Morton | GBR | 3:33.2 | |||
| 2 | – | Agnes Geraghty | USA | 3:34.0 | |||
| 3 | – | Gladys Carson | GBR | 3:35.4 | |||
| 4 | – | Wivan Pettersson | SWE | 3:37.6 | |||
| 5 | – | Irene Gilbert | GBR | 3:38.0 | |||
| 6 | – | Laury Koster | LUX | 3:39.2 | |||
| 7 | – | Hjördis Töpel | SWE | 3:47.6 |