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200 metres Individual Medley, Women

Date24 July 1996
StatusOlympic
LocationGeorgia Tech Aquatic Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Participants43 from 39 countries

On July 20 Michelle Smith won Ireland’s first gold medal in Olympic swimming in the 400 metres medley. Two days later she added the 400 metres freestyle title to her collection. By July 24 and her third Olympic final the whole country of Ireland were obsessing over Michelle Smith’s Olympic exploits. There were even stories of pubs in rural Ireland who were illegally extending their opening hours so customers could watch her Olympic races and celebrate her victories.

The third and last of Smith’s victories was the hardest of the three. She led at 100 metres but slumped back to fourth over his breaststroke leg before counterattacking over the last fifty to edge home in front of Canadian Marianne Limpert. When Smith was convicted of tampering with a urine sample in 1998 and subsequently banned from the sport, the Canadian authorities asked the IOC to consider stripping Smith of her Olympic medals but nothing came of this.

PosSwimmerNOCR1B FinalFinal
1Michelle SmithIRL2:16.35 (3 h5)2:13.93 (1)Gold
2Marianne LimpertCAN2:15.12 (1 h4)2:14.35 (2)Silver
3Lin LiCHN2:16.31 (2 h6)2:14.74 (3)Bronze
4Joanne MalarCAN2:16.34 (2 h4)2:15.30 (4)
5Elli OvertonAUS2:15.81 (1 h6)2:16.04 (5)
6Allison WagnerUSA2:16.32 (2 h5)2:16.43 (6)
7Minouche SmitNED2:16.30 (1 h5)2:16.73 (7)
8Louise KarlssonSWE2:16.37 (4 h5)2:17.25 (8)
9Kristine QuanceUSA2:17.48 (4 h4)2:15.24 (1)
10Wu YanyanCHN2:16.55 (3 h6)2:16.61 (2)
11Sabine HerbstGER2:18.00 (5 h5)2:16.68 (3)
12Beatrice CoadăROU2:16.80 (1 h3)2:16.75 (4)
13Martina MoravcováSVK2:16.50 (3 h4)2:17.40 (5)
14Britta VestergaardDEN2:18.35 (5 h4)2:17.95 (6)
15Alicja PęczakPOL2:17.48 (5 h6)2:18.21 (7)
16Silvia PareraESP2:17.67 (2 h3)2:19.92 (8)
17Emma JohnsonAUS2:17.02 (4 h6)1
18Brigitte BecueBEL2:18.28 (6 h6)
19Alenka KejžarSLO2:18.39 (3 h3)
20Lenka MaňhalováCZE2:18.43 (7 h6)
21Sue RolphGBR2:18.81 (6 h5)
22Gabrielle RoseBRA2:18.99 (6 h4)
23Katia SarakatsaniGRE2:19.74 (4 h3)
24Elin AustevollNOR2:19.81 (1 h2)
25Anna WilsonNZL2:19.97 (7 h4)
26Darya ShmelyovaRUS2:20.34 (7 h5)
27Julia RussellRSA2:20.40 (5 h3)
28Fumie KurotoriJPN2:20.58 (8 h5)
29Olena LapunovaUKR2:20.76 (8 h4)
30Martina NemecAUT2:21.10 (6 h3)
31Carolyn AdelSUR2:21.54 (2 h2)
32Joscelin YeoSGP2:21.76 (8 h6)
33Petra ChavesPOR2:22.03 (3 h2)
34Praphalsai MinpraphalTHA2:22.34 (7 h3)
35Lee Ji-HyeonKOR2:22.97 (4 h2)
36Nadège ClitonFRA2:25.25 (8 h3)
37Sonia ÁlvarezPUR2:25.57 (5 h2)
38Akiko ThomsonPHI2:25.87 (6 h2)
39Olga BogatyrevaKGZ2:26.42 (1 h1)
40Beáta ÚjhelyiHUN2:26.77 (7 h2)
41Tsai Shu-MinTPE2:28.71 (8 h2)
42Meritxell SabatéAND2:37.38 (2 h1)
43Mira GhniemJOR2:56.99 (3 h1)
DNSMette JacobsenDEN– (DNS h4)

Round One (24 July 1996)

Fastest eight advanced to the final. Places 9-16 advanced to the B Final.

Heat One (10:00)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Olga BogatyrevaKGZ2:26.420.75
25Meritxell SabatéAND2:37.380.83
33Mira GhniemJOR2:56.990.88

Heat Two (10:08)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
15Elin AustevollNOR2:19.810.81
23Carolyn AdelSUR2:21.540.79
34Petra ChavesPOR2:22.030.83
47Lee Ji-HyeonKOR2:22.970.81
51Sonia ÁlvarezPUR2:25.570.79
62Akiko ThomsonPHI2:25.870.82
76Beáta ÚjhelyiHUN2:26.770.77
88Tsai Shu-MinTPE2:28.710.82

Heat Three (10:16)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Beatrice CoadăROU2:16.800.86q
22Silvia PareraESP2:17.670.71q
38Alenka KejžarSLO2:18.390.86
46Katia SarakatsaniGRE2:19.740.82
57Julia RussellRSA2:20.400.78
65Martina NemecAUT2:21.100.76
71Praphalsai MinpraphalTHA2:22.340.75
83Nadège ClitonFRA2:25.250.78

Heat Four (10:24)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Marianne LimpertCAN2:15.120.78Q
25Joanne MalarCAN2:16.340.86Q
37Martina MoravcováSVK2:16.500.80q
44Kristine QuanceUSA2:17.480.84q
51Britta VestergaardDEN2:18.350.86
66Gabrielle RoseBRA2:18.990.78
72Anna WilsonNZL2:19.970.86
88Olena LapunovaUKR2:20.760.86
DNS3Mette JacobsenDEN

Heat Five (10:32)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Minouche SmitNED2:16.300.75Q
24Allison WagnerUSA2:16.320.74Q
35Michelle SmithIRL2:16.350.83Q
41Louise KarlssonSWE2:16.370.77Q
57Sabine HerbstGER2:18.000.76q
66Sue RolphGBR2:18.810.84
78Darya ShmelyovaRUS2:20.340.86
82Fumie KurotoriJPN2:20.580.78

Heat Six (10:40)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
15Elli OvertonAUS2:15.810.80Q
23Lin LiCHN2:16.310.73Q
34Wu YanyanCHN2:16.550.88q
42Emma JohnsonAUS2:17.020.95q
51Alicja PęczakPOL2:17.480.79q
66Brigitte BecueBEL2:18.280.72
77Lenka MaňhalováCZE2:18.430.81
88Joscelin YeoSGP2:21.760.84

B Final (24 July 1996 — 19:40)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
16Kristine QuanceUSA2:15.240.81
25Wu YanyanCHN2:16.610.84
31Sabine HerbstGER2:16.680.77
43Beatrice CoadăROU2:16.750.82
54Martina MoravcováSVK2:17.400.81
68Britta VestergaardDEN2:17.950.87
72Alicja PęczakPOL2:18.210.78
87Silvia PareraESP2:19.920.70

Final (24 July 1996 — 19:30)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
11Michelle SmithIRL2:13.930.80
24Marianne LimpertCAN2:14.350.79
36Lin LiCHN2:14.740.76
47Joanne MalarCAN2:15.300.85
55Elli OvertonAUS2:16.040.80
62Allison WagnerUSA2:16.430.72
73Minouche SmitNED2:16.730.74
88Louise KarlssonSWE2:17.250.78