| Date | 31 July 1992 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Piscinas Bernat Picornell, Barcelona |
| Participants | 50 from 35 countries |
At Seoul China’s Yang Wenyi had been favored after being the first swimmer to better 25 seconds, but she faltered and finished only second. It started a pattern as she placed second at the 1989 Pan Pacs to Jenny Thompson and was only fourth at the 1991 World Championships. She was far from favored in this event in Barcelona. The Olympic final began with a false start by her teammate Zhuang Yong, already the 100 free gold medalist in 1992, and the 1991 World Champion. On the actual start, Yang had the best of it, leading by a shoulder as they started stroking. And she never let up, bettering her world record with 24.79, as Zhuang came on for second.
Bronze went to American Angel Martino in her only individual event. She had been thought to have made the 1988 US Olympic team but was then found to have a positive drug test and did not compete in Seoul. Thompson disappointed, finishing fifth.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | B Final | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 121 | Yang Wenyi |  CHN | 25.84 (2 h7) | – | 24.79 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 123 | Zhuang Yong | CHN | 25.56 (1 h6) | – | 25.08 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 622 | Angel Martino |  USA | 25.63 (1 h5) | – | 25.23 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 231 | Catherine Plewinski |  FRA | 25.78 (2 h5) | – | 25.36 (4) | |||
| 5 | 635 | Jenny Thompson | USA | 25.63 (1 h7) | – | 25.37 (5) | |||
| 6 | 183 | Nataliya Meshcheryakova |  EUN | 25.89 (4 h5) | – | 25.47 (6) | |||
| 7 | 281 | Simone Osygus |  GER | 25.79 (2 h6) | – | 25.74 (7) | |||
| 8 | 444 | Inge de Bruijn |  NED | 25.86 (3 h5) | – | 25.84 (8) | |||
| 9 | 13 | Lisa Curry-Kenny |  AUS | 26.07 (3 h6) | 25.87 (1) | – | |||
| 10 | 105 | Kristin Topham |  CAN | 26.32 (6 h5) | 26.17 (2) | – | |||
| =11 | 98 | Andrea Nugent | CAN | 26.29 (4 h7) | 26.24 (=3) | – | |||
| =11 | 447 | Marianne Muis | NED | 26.43 (5 h7) | 26.24 (=3) | – | |||
| 13 | 525 | Marianne Kriel |  RSA | 26.05 (5 h5) | 26.47 (5) | – | |||
| 14 | 172 | Yevgeniya Yermakova | EUN | 26.45 (5 h6) | 26.49 (6) | – | |||
| 15 | 571 | Linda Olofsson |  SWE | 26.43 (4 h6) | 26.51 (7) | – | |||
| 16 | 292 | Franziska van Almsick | GER | 25.96 (3 h7) | – ( | – | |||
| 17 | 211 | Julie Blaise | FRA | 26.48 (6 h6) | – | – | |||
| 18 | 131 | Gitta Jensen |  DEN | 26.54 (6 h7) | – | – | |||
| 19 | 360 | Cristina Chiuso |  ITA | 26.72 (7 h6) | – | – | |||
| 20 | 397 | Ayako Nakano |  JPN | 26.74 (7 h5) | – | – | |||
| =21 | 151 | Claudia Franco |  ESP | 26.76 (=1 h4) | – | – | |||
| =21 | 510 | Luminița Dobrescu |  ROU | 26.76 (=1 h4) | – | – | |||
| 23 | 565 | Louise Karlsson | SWE | 26.77 (8 h5) | – | – | |||
| 24 | 257 | Karen Pickering |  GBR | 26.78 (3 h4) | – | – | |||
| =25 | 40 | Karen Van Wirdum | AUS | 26.80 (8 h6) | – | – | |||
| =25 | 133 | Mette Nørskov Nielsen | DEN | 26.80 (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| =27 | 262 | Alison Sheppard | GBR | 26.90 (=7 h7) | – | – | |||
| =27 | 461 | Toni Jeffs |  NZL | 26.90 (=7 h7) | – | – | |||
| 29 | 583 | Martina Moravcová |  TCH | 26.92 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 30 | 518 | Diana Ureche | ROU | 26.96 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 31 | 206 | Minna Salmela |  FIN | 27.00 (1 h3) | – | – | |||
| 32 | 140 | Rania El-Wani |  EGY | 27.20 (2 h3) | – | – | |||
| 33 | 551 | Eva Gysling |  SUI | 27.21 (3 h3) | – | – | |||
| =34 | 395 | Shina Matsudo | JPN | 27.36 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| =34 | 538 | Joscelin Yeo |  SGP | 27.36 (1 h2) | – | – | |||
| 36 | 315 | Robyn Lamsam |  HKG | 27.40 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 37 | 440 | Monica Dahl |  NAM | 27.45 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 38 | 205 | Marja Päivinen | FIN | 27.49 (2 h2) | – | – | |||
| 39 | 452 | Joshua Ikhaghomi |  NGR | 27.53 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 40 | 353 | Shelley Cramer |  ISV | 27.84 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 41 | 350 | Keren Regal |  ISR | 27.93 (1 h1) | – | – | |||
| 42 | 347 | Helga Sigurðardóttir |  ISL | 27.94 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 43 | 646 | Vola Hanta Ratsifa Andrihamanana |  MAD | 28.22 (2 h1) | – | – | |||
| 44 | 590 | Ratiporn Wong |  THA | 28.42 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 45 | 323 | Ana Fortín |  HON | 28.59 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 46 | 536 | May Ooi | SGP | 28.77 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 47 | 197 | Sharon Pickering |  FIJ | 28.90 (3 h1) | – | – | |||
| 48 | 61 | Paola Peñarrieta |  BOL | 29.71 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 49 | 546 | Sara Casadei |  SMR | 30.05 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 50 | 5 | Elsa Freire |  ANG | 30.17 (6 h1) | – | – |
| Date | 31 July 1992 — 12:00 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. Places 9-16 advanced to the B Final. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Keren Regal | ISR | 27.93 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Vola Hanta Ratsifa Andrihamanana | MAD | 28.22 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Sharon Pickering | FIJ | 28.90 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Paola Peñarrieta | BOL | 29.71 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Sara Casadei | SMR | 30.05 | ||
| 6 | 4 | Elsa Freire | ANG | 30.17 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Joscelin Yeo | SGP | 27.36 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Marja Päivinen | FIN | 27.49 | ||
| 3 | 7 | Shelley Cramer | ISV | 27.84 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Ratiporn Wong | THA | 28.42 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Ana Fortín | HON | 28.59 | ||
| 6 | 2 | May Ooi | SGP | 28.77 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Minna Salmela | FIN | 27.00 | ||
| 2 | 6 | Rania El-Wani | EGY | 27.20 | ||
| 3 | 4 | Eva Gysling | SUI | 27.21 | ||
| 4 | 5 | Shina Matsudo | JPN | 27.36 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Robyn Lamsam | HKG | 27.40 | ||
| 6 | 7 | Monica Dahl | NAM | 27.45 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Joshua Ikhaghomi | NGR | 27.53 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | 5 | Luminița Dobrescu | ROU | 26.76 | ||
| =1 | 3 | Claudia Franco | ESP | 26.76 | ||
| 3 | 4 | Karen Pickering | GBR | 26.78 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Mette Nørskov Nielsen | DEN | 26.80 | ||
| 5 | 7 | Martina Moravcová | TCH | 26.92 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Diana Ureche | ROU | 26.96 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Helga Sigurðardóttir | ISL | 27.94 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Angel Martino | USA | 25.63 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Catherine Plewinski | FRA | 25.78 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Inge de Bruijn | NED | 25.86 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Nataliya Meshcheryakova | EUN | 25.89 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Marianne Kriel | RSA | 26.05 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Kristin Topham | CAN | 26.32 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Ayako Nakano | JPN | 26.74 | ||
| 8 | 7 | Louise Karlsson | SWE | 26.77 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Zhuang Yong | CHN | 25.56 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Simone Osygus | GER | 25.79 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Lisa Curry-Kenny | AUS | 26.07 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Linda Olofsson | SWE | 26.43 | ||
| 5 | 7 | Yevgeniya Yermakova | EUN | 26.45 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Julie Blaise | FRA | 26.48 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Cristina Chiuso | ITA | 26.72 | ||
| 8 | 6 | Karen Van Wirdum | AUS | 26.80 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Jenny Thompson | USA | 25.63 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Yang Wenyi | CHN | 25.84 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Franziska van Almsick | GER | 25.96 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Andrea Nugent | CAN | 26.29 | ||
| 5 | 8 | Marianne Muis | NED | 26.43 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Gitta Jensen | DEN | 26.54 | ||
| =7 | 7 | Toni Jeffs | NZL | 26.90 | ||
| =7 | 1 | Alison Sheppard | GBR | 26.90 |
| Date | 31 July 1992 — 20:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Lisa Curry-Kenny | AUS | 25.87 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Kristin Topham | CAN | 26.17 | ||
| =3 | 7 | Marianne Muis | NED | 26.24 | ||
| =3 | 6 | Andrea Nugent | CAN | 26.24 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Marianne Kriel | RSA | 26.47 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Yevgeniya Yermakova | EUN | 26.49 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Linda Olofsson | SWE | 26.51 | ||
| 4 | Franziska van Almsick | GER | – |
| Date | 31 July 1992 — 20:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Yang Wenyi | CHN | 24.79 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Zhuang Yong | CHN | 25.08 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Angel Martino | USA | 25.23 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Catherine Plewinski | FRA | 25.36 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Jenny Thompson | USA | 25.37 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Nataliya Meshcheryakova | EUN | 25.47 | ||
| 7 | 2 | Simone Osygus | GER | 25.74 | ||
| 8 | 1 | Inge de Bruijn | NED | 25.84 |
