|
| Event type

200 metres Freestyle, Women

Date16 – 17 August 2004
StatusOlympic
LocationOlympiako Kentro Ugrou Stivou, Olympiako Athletiko Kentro Athinon Spiros Loues, Athina (Main Pool)
Participants41 from 36 countries

The 200 metres freestyle was a difficult event to predict. The turnover between the 2003 World Championships final and the 2004 Olympic final was such that only two swimmers competed in both and all three of the 2003 medallists were eliminated at the semi-final stage in Athens. Italian Federica Pellegrini, at only 16-years-old, burst into contention for the title when she easily won the first semi-final with Solenne Figuès of France winning the second semi in a much slower time. As the early leaders dropped away in the final Pellegrini and Figuès battled away for the lead in the middle lanes and what seemed to be an Olympic title for one of them. What nobody could anticipate was the finishing kick of European champion Camelia Potec of Romania from out in the wastelands of lane one. Potec had crept into the final as the second slowest qualifier but, in a race that never threatened to produce a genuinely fast time; she took the lead in the last ten metres to record a victory that seemed impossible when the race started.

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Camelia PotecROU2:00.50 (3 h4)1:59.25 (5 h2)1:58.03 (1)Gold
2Federica PellegriniITA1:59.80 (2 h5)1:58.02 (1 h1)1:58.22 (2)Silver
3Solenne FiguèsFRA1:59.90 (2 h6)1:58.65 (1 h2)1:58.45 (3)Bronze
4Paulina BarzyckaPOL1:59.52 (1 h5)1:59.10 (3 h2)1:58.62 (4)
5Franziska van AlmsickGER2:00.23 (5 h6)1:59.13 (4 h2)1:58.88 (5)
6Dana VollmerUSA1:59.49 (1 h4)1:59.04 (2 h2)1:58.98 (6)
7Pang JiayingCHN2:00.80 (5 h5)1:58.68 (2 h1)1:59.16 (7)
8Josefin LillhageSWE2:00.04 (3 h6)1:59.31 (3 h1)1:59.20 (8)
9Elka GrahamAUS2:00.13 (2 h4)1:59.44 (6 h2)
10Claudia PollCRC1:59.50 (1 h6)1:59.79 (4 h1)
11Alena PopchankaBLR2:00.67 (4 h5)1:59.87 (5 h1)
12Martina MoravcováSVK2:01.00 (5 h4)1:59.96 (7 h2)
13Tomoko NagaiJPN2:00.73 (4 h4)2:00.09 (8 h2)
14Lindsay BenkoUSA2:00.21 (4 h6)2:00.22 (6 h1)
15Yang YuCHN2:01.33 (6 h4)2:00.52 (7 h1)
16Melanie MarshallGBR2:00.46 (3 h5)2:01.06 (8 h1)
17Brittany ReimerCAN2:01.39 (6 h6)
18Sara IsakovičSLO2:01.71 (7 h4)
19Linda MacKenzieAUS2:02.04 (7 h6)
20Sara HarstickGER2:02.25 (6 h5)
21Nataliya ShalaginaRUS2:02.37 (7 h5)
22Olena LapunovaUKR2:02.71 (1 h3)
23Mariana BrochadoBRA2:02.91 (8 h5)
24Hanna MiluskaSUI2:03.28 (2 h3)
25Florencia SzigetiARG2:03.29 (3 h3)
26Kim Hyeon-JuKOR2:03.33 (8 h4)
27Zoi DimoschakiGRE2:03.38 (8 h6)
28Elina PartõkaEST2:03.54 (4 h3)
29Alison FitchNZL2:03.58 (5 h3)
30Janelle AtkinsonJAM2:04.06 (6 h3)
31Katinka HosszúHUN2:04.22 (7 h3)
32Petra BanovićCRO2:04.24 (8 h3)
33Jana MyškováCZE2:04.62 (1 h2)
34Vesna StojanovskaMKD2:04.64 (2 h2)
35Pilin TachakittirananTHA2:05.29 (1 h1)
36Yang Chin-KueiTPE2:05.65 (2 h1)
37Louise JansenDEN2:06.06 (3 h2)
38Larisa LăcusțăROU2:06.62 (4 h2)
39Rosanna SzeHKG2:07.55 (5 h2)
40Khadija CissSEN2:09.04 (6 h2)
41Yuliya RisikKAZ2:09.93 (3 h1)

Round One (16 August 2004)

Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One (10:00)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Pilin TachakittirananTHA2:05.290.93
24Yang Chin-KueiTPE2:05.650.90
35Yuliya RisikKAZ2:09.930.92

Heat Two (10:04)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
12Jana MyškováCZE2:04.620.91
24Vesna StojanovskaMKD2:04.640.79
33Louise JansenDEN2:06.060.78
45Larisa LăcusțăROU2:06.620.88
56Rosanna SzeHKG2:07.550.81
67Khadija CissSEN2:09.040.90

Heat Three (10:08)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
15Olena LapunovaUKR2:02.710.89
23Hanna MiluskaSUI2:03.280.88
31Florencia SzigetiARG2:03.290.75
44Elina PartõkaEST2:03.540.84
52Alison FitchNZL2:03.580.93
68Janelle AtkinsonJAM2:04.060.67
77Katinka HosszúHUN2:04.220.95
86Petra BanovićCRO2:04.240.81

Heat Four (10:12)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
12Dana VollmerUSA1:59.490.72Q
26Elka GrahamAUS2:00.130.86Q
35Camelia PotecROU2:00.500.92Q
41Tomoko NagaiJPN2:00.730.75Q
53Martina MoravcováSVK2:01.000.83Q
64Yang YuCHN2:01.330.75Q
77Sara IsakovičSLO2:01.710.89
88Kim Hyeon-JuKOR2:03.330.77

Heat Five (10:16)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
17Paulina BarzyckaPOL1:59.520.88Q
26Federica PellegriniITA1:59.800.85Q
34Melanie MarshallGBR2:00.460.71Q
43Alena PopchankaBLR2:00.670.75Q
55Pang JiayingCHN2:00.800.82Q
62Sara HarstickGER2:02.250.87
71Nataliya ShalaginaRUS2:02.370.86
88Mariana BrochadoBRA2:02.910.79

Heat Six (10:20)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
12Claudia PollCRC1:59.500.87Q
24Solenne FiguèsFRA1:59.900.85Q
37Josefin LillhageSWE2:00.040.81Q
44Lindsay BenkoUSA2:00.210.79Q
55Franziska van AlmsickGER2:00.230.89Q
68Brittany ReimerCAN2:01.390.91
76Linda MacKenzieAUS2:02.040.78
81Zoi DimoschakiGRE2:03.380.86

Semi-Finals (16 August 2004)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One (19:30)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
15Federica PellegriniITA1:58.020.82Q
21Pang JiayingCHN1:58.680.77Q
33Josefin LillhageSWE1:59.310.85Q
44Claudia PollCRC1:59.790.89
57Alena PopchankaBLR1:59.870.73
66Lindsay BenkoUSA2:00.220.81
78Yang YuCHN2:00.520.74
82Melanie MarshallGBR2:01.060.71

Heat Two (19:38)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
13Solenne FiguèsFRA1:58.650.81Q
24Dana VollmerUSA1:59.040.74Q
35Paulina BarzyckaPOL1:59.100.87Q
42Franziska van AlmsickGER1:59.130.86Q
57Camelia PotecROU1:59.250.89Q
66Elka GrahamAUS1:59.440.86
78Martina MoravcováSVK1:59.960.73
81Tomoko NagaiJPN2:00.090.73

Final (17 August 2004 — 19:43)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
11Camelia PotecROU1:58.030.90
24Federica PellegriniITA1:58.220.86
35Solenne FiguèsFRA1:58.450.82
42Paulina BarzyckaPOL1:58.620.90
57Franziska van AlmsickGER1:58.880.85
66Dana VollmerUSA1:58.980.75
73Pang JiayingCHN1:59.160.78
88Josefin LillhageSWE1:59.200.86