| | Event type

100 metres Backstroke, Women

Date	1 – 3 September 1960
Status	Olympic
Location	Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto, Roma
Participants	30 from 19 countries

In 1960 the United States’ Lynn Burke had broken the world record for this event four times, capped at the US Trials in Detroit, when she bettered it in both the heats and the final, leaving it at 1:09.2 coming into Rome. Heavily favored for the gold medal, she approached the world record in the heats with 1:09.4, and won the final easily in 1:09.3. Burke would win another gold medal in Rome as a member of the winning medley relay team.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	Final
1	Lynn Burke	USA	1:09.4 (1 h2)	1:09.3 (1)	Gold
2	Natalie Steward	GBR	1:12.0 (3 h3)	1:10.8 (2)	Silver
3	Satoko Tanaka	JPN	1:11.5 (2 h3)	1:11.4 (3)	Bronze
4	Laura Ranwell	RSA	1:12.0 (1 h1)	1:11.4 (4)
5	Rosy Piacentini	FRA	1:12.2 (2 h4)	1:11.4 (5)
6	Sylvia Lewis	GBR	1:12.2 (1 h4)	1:11.8 (6)
7	Ria van Velsen	NED	1:11.1 (1 h3)	1:12.1 (7)
8	Nadine Delache	FRA	1:12.5 (2 h1)	1:12.4 (8)
9	Ethel Ward Petersen	DEN	1:12.6 (2 h2)	–
10	Larisa Viktorova	URS	1:12.8 (3 h1)	–
11	Ingrid Schmidt	GER	1:13.1 (3 h2)	–
12	Helga Schmidt	GER	1:13.3 (4 h3)	–
13	Sara Barber	CAN	1:13.4 (4 h1)	–
14	Gerganiya Beckitt	AUS	1:13.7 (5 h1)	–
=15	Marilyn Wilson	AUS	1:13.8 (4 h2)	–
=15	Nina Harmar	USA	1:13.8 (3 h4)	–
17	Rini Dobber	NED	1:14.2 (5 h2)	–
18	Kirsten Michaelsen	DEN	1:14.3 (4 h4)	–
19	Lyudmila Klipova	URS	1:14.5 (6 h2)	–
20	Dottie Sutcliffe	RHO	1:15.2 (5 h4)	–
21	Magda Dávid	HUN	1:15.7 (5 h3)	–
22	Lynette Cooper	RHO	1:15.8 (6 h1)	–
23	Arlette Faidiga	ITA	1:18.5 (6 h3)	–
24	Anneliese Rockenbach	VEN	1:18.6 (7 h1)	–
25	Doris Vetterli	SUI	1:19.6 (7 h2)	–
26	Daniela Serpilli	ITA	1:20.3 (6 h4)	–
27	Anne Van Parijs	BEL	1:20.4 (7 h3)	–
28	Lore Trittner	AUT	1:20.8 (7 h4)	–
29	Anna Temesvári	HUN	1:21.5 (8 h1)	–
30	Simone Theis	LUX	1:23.9 (8 h2)	–

Round One (1 September 1960 — 20:50)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	2	Laura Ranwell	RSA	– (–) –	1:12.0	QOR
2	3	Nadine Delache	FRA	– (–) –	1:12.5	Q
3	5	Larisa Viktorova	URS	– (–) –	1:12.8
4	4	Sara Barber	CAN	– (–) –	1:13.4
5	6	Gerganiya Beckitt	AUS	– (–) –	1:13.7
6	7	Lynette Cooper	RHO	– (–) –	1:15.8
7	8	Anneliese Rockenbach	VEN	– (–) –	1:18.6
8	1	Anna Temesvári	HUN	– (–) –	1:21.5

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	4	Lynn Burke	USA	– (–) –	1:09.4	QOR
2	7	Ethel Ward Petersen	DEN	– (–) –	1:12.6
3	5	Ingrid Schmidt	GER	– (–) –	1:13.1
4	2	Marilyn Wilson	AUS	– (–) –	1:13.8
5	3	Rini Dobber	NED	– (–) –	1:14.2
6	6	Lyudmila Klipova	URS	– (–) –	1:14.5
7	1	Doris Vetterli	SUI	– (–) –	1:19.6
8	8	Simone Theis	LUX	– (–) –	1:23.9

Heat Three

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	4	Ria van Velsen	NED	– (–) –	1:11.1	Q
2	6	Satoko Tanaka	JPN	– (–) –	1:11.5	Q
3	5	Natalie Steward	GBR	– (–) –	1:12.0	Q
4	3	Helga Schmidt	GER	– (–) –	1:13.3
5	2	Magda Dávid	HUN	– (–) –	1:15.7
6	1	Arlette Faidiga	ITA	– (–) –	1:18.5
7	7	Anne Van Parijs	BEL	– (–) –	1:20.4

Heat Four

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	3	Sylvia Lewis	GBR	– (–) –	1:12.2	Q
2	4	Rosy Piacentini	FRA	– (–) –	1:12.2	Q
3	5	Nina Harmar	USA	– (–) –	1:13.8
4	6	Kirsten Michaelsen	DEN	– (–) –	1:14.3
5	1	Dottie Sutcliffe	RHO	– (–) –	1:15.2
6	2	Daniela Serpilli	ITA	– (–) –	1:20.3
7	7	Lore Trittner	AUT	– (–) –	1:20.8

Final (3 September 1960 — 20:30)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	4	Lynn Burke	USA	– (–) –	1:09.3	OR
2	2	Natalie Steward	GBR	– (–) –	1:10.8
3	3	Satoko Tanaka	JPN	– (–) –	1:11.4
4	6	Laura Ranwell	RSA	– (–) –	1:11.4
5	1	Rosy Piacentini	FRA	– (–) –	1:11.4
6	7	Sylvia Lewis	GBR	– (–) –	1:11.8
7	5	Ria van Velsen	NED	– (–) –	1:12.1
8	8	Nadine Delache	FRA	– (–) –	1:12.4