| | Event type
300 metres Freestyle, Women
| Date | 26 – 28 August 1920 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Zwemstadion van Antwerpen, Antwerpen |
| Participants | 16 from 7 countries |
As she had done on the 100, Ethelda Bleibtrey broke the world record for this event in both the heats and the finals. The old mark had been 4:43.6, set by Bleibtrey earlier in the year. This is the only time in Olympic history that the 300 metre freestyle has been contested. In 1924 and since, the women have competed over the more standard distance of 400 metres.
| Pos | Swimmer | NOC | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethelda Bleibtrey |  USA | 4:41.4 (1 h1) | 4:34.0 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | Margaret Woodbridge | USA | 4:56.6 (1 h2) | 4:42.8 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Frances Schroth | USA | 5:03.2 (2 h3) | 4:52.0 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | Connie Jeans |  GBR | 4:57.8 (2 h1) | 4:52.4 (4) | |||
| 5 | Eleanor Uhl | USA | 5:02.0 (1 h3) | – (5) | |||
| 6 | Jane Gylling |  SWE | 5:04.8 (3 h2) | – (6) | |||
| 7 | Violet Walrond |  NZL | 5:04.6 (2 h2) | – (7) | |||
| 3 h1 r1/2 | Carin Nilsson | SWE | 5:07.0 (3 h1) | – | |||
| 3 h3 r1/2 | Aina Berg | SWE | 5:29.6 (3 h3) | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/2 | Hilda James | GBR | 5:07.2 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/2 | Grace McKenzie | GBR | – (4 h2) | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/2 | Suzanne Wurtz |  FRA | 5:33.0 (4 h3) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/2 | Lily Beaurepaire |  AUS | – (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/2 | Ernestine Lebrun | FRA | – (5 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/2 | Florence Sancroft | GBR | – (5 h3) | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/2 | Blanche Nash |  RSA | – (6 h3) | – |
Semi-Finals (26 August 1920 — 16:20)
Top two and the next fastest third-place advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Ethelda Bleibtrey | USA | 4:41.4 | |||
| 2 | – | Connie Jeans | GBR | 4:57.8 | |||
| 3 | – | Carin Nilsson | SWE | 5:07.0 | |||
| 4 | – | Hilda James | GBR | 5:07.2 | |||
| 5 | – | Lily Beaurepaire | AUS | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Margaret Woodbridge | USA | 4:56.6 | |||
| 2 | – | Violet Walrond | NZL | 5:04.6 | |||
| 3 | – | Jane Gylling | SWE | 5:04.8 | |||
| 4 | – | Grace McKenzie | GBR | – | |||
| 5 | – | Ernestine Lebrun | FRA | – |
Heat Three
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Eleanor Uhl | USA | 5:02.0 | |||
| 2 | – | Frances Schroth | USA | 5:03.2 | |||
| 3 | – | Aina Berg | SWE | 5:29.6 | |||
| 4 | – | Suzanne Wurtz | FRA | 5:33.0 | |||
| 5 | – | Florence Sancroft | GBR | – | |||
| 6 | – | Blanche Nash | RSA | – |
Final (28 August 1920 — 17:30)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Ethelda Bleibtrey | USA | 4:34.0 | |||
| 2 | – | Margaret Woodbridge | USA | 4:42.8 | |||
| 3 | – | Frances Schroth | USA | 4:52.0 | |||
| 4 | – | Connie Jeans | GBR | 4:52.4 | |||
| 5 | – | Eleanor Uhl | USA | – | |||
| 6 | – | Jane Gylling | SWE | – | |||
| 7 | – | Violet Walrond | NZL | – |