| 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 | Competitor | 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) | – |
| Date | 1 September 1960 — 20:50 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lynn Burke | USA | 1:09.4 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Ria van Velsen | NED | 1:11.1 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Satoko Tanaka | JPN | 1:11.5 | ||
| =4 | 2 | Laura Ranwell | RSA | 1:12.0 | ||
| =4 | 5 | Natalie Steward | GBR | 1:12.0 | ||
| =6 | 3 | Sylvia Lewis | GBR | 1:12.2 | ||
| =6 | 4 | Rosy Piacentini | FRA | 1:12.2 | ||
| 8 | 3 | Nadine Delache | FRA | 1:12.5 | ||
| 9 | 7 | Ethel Ward Petersen | DEN | 1:12.6 | ||
| 10 | 5 | Larisa Viktorova | URS | 1:12.8 | ||
| 11 | 5 | Ingrid Schmidt | GER | 1:13.1 | ||
| 12 | 3 | Helga Schmidt | GER | 1:13.3 | ||
| 13 | 4 | Sara Barber | CAN | 1:13.4 | ||
| 14 | 6 | Gerganiya Beckitt | AUS | 1:13.7 | ||
| =15 | 2 | Marilyn Wilson | AUS | 1:13.8 | ||
| =15 | 5 | Nina Harmar | USA | 1:13.8 | ||
| 17 | 3 | Rini Dobber | NED | 1:14.2 | ||
| 18 | 6 | Kirsten Michaelsen | DEN | 1:14.3 | ||
| 19 | 6 | Lyudmila Klipova | URS | 1:14.5 | ||
| 20 | 1 | Dottie Sutcliffe | RHO | 1:15.2 | ||
| 21 | 2 | Magda Dávid | HUN | 1:15.7 | ||
| 22 | 7 | Lynette Cooper | RHO | 1:15.8 | ||
| 23 | 1 | Arlette Faidiga | ITA | 1:18.5 | ||
| 24 | 8 | Anneliese Rockenbach | VEN | 1:18.6 | ||
| 25 | 1 | Doris Vetterli | SUI | 1:19.6 | ||
| 26 | 2 | Daniela Serpilli | ITA | 1:20.3 | ||
| 27 | 7 | Anne Van Parijs | BEL | 1:20.4 | ||
| 28 | 7 | Lore Trittner | AUT | 1:20.8 | ||
| 29 | 1 | Anna Temesvári | HUN | 1:21.5 | ||
| 30 | 8 | Simone Theis | LUX | 1:23.9 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Laura Ranwell | RSA | 1:12.0 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Nadine Delache | FRA | 1:12.5 | ||
| 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 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lynn Burke | USA | 1:09.4 | ||
| 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 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Ria van Velsen | NED | 1:11.1 | ||
| 2 | 6 | Satoko Tanaka | JPN | 1:11.5 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Natalie Steward | GBR | 1:12.0 | ||
| 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 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Sylvia Lewis | GBR | 1:12.2 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Rosy Piacentini | FRA | 1:12.2 | ||
| 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 |
| Date | 3 September 1960 — 20:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lynn Burke | USA | 1:09.3 | ||
| 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 |
