| | Event type

100 metres Backstroke, Women

Date	13 – 14 October 1964
Status	Olympic
Location	Kokuritsu Yoyogi Kyogijo, Shibuya, Tokyo
Participants	31 from 17 countries

In June 1964 Kiki Caron of France bettered the world record of 1:08.6 and came to Tokyo as a slight favorite. She was expected to be challenged by America’s Ginny Duenkel, who had broken Caron’s mark in September by posting 1:08.3. Japan’s Satoko Tanaka was also highly considered, but she was better in the 200 backstroke, having set eight straight world records in that event from July 1960 to August 1963. Her 200 record had been broken just before the Tokyo Olympics by Cathy Ferguson, who was also entered in this event. In the final Ferguson, Caron and Duenkel were almost even at 50 metres. But Caron pulled ahead just after the turn, only to see Ferguson catch her near the end of the race and outtouch her to win the gold medal, 1:07.7 to 1:07.9. Duenkel held on for third, with Tanaka in fourth place.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	Final
1	Cathy Ferguson	USA	1:08.8 (1 h3)	1:07.7 (1)	Gold
2	Kiki Caron	FRA	1:08.5 (1 h4)	1:07.9 (2)	Silver
3	Ginny Duenkel	USA	1:08.9 (1 h2)	1:08.0 (3)	Bronze
4	Satoko Tanaka	JPN	1:10.0 (2 h1)	1:08.6 (4)
5	Nina Harmar	USA	1:09.8 (1 h1)	1:09.4 (5)
6	Linda Ludgrove	GBR	1:10.3 (3 h1)	1:09.5 (6)
7	Eileen Weir	CAN	1:09.7 (2 h2)	1:09.8 (7)
8	Jill Norfolk	GBR	1:10.6 (2 h4)	1:11.2 (8)
=9	Michiko Kihara	JPN	1:11.1 (3 h2)	–
=9	Ingrid Schmidt	GER	1:11.1 (3 h4)	–
11	Kirsten Michaelsen	DEN	1:11.2 (4 h2)	–
=12	Helga Neuber	GER	1:11.4 (4 h1)	–
=12	Nataliya Mikhaylova	URS	1:11.4 (4 h4)	–
14	Corrie Winkel	NED	1:11.6 (5 h4)	–
=15	Tatyana Savelyeva	URS	1:11.8 (5 h2)	–
=15	Françoise Borie	FRA	1:11.8 (2 h3)	–
17	Mária Balla	HUN	1:12.0 (6 h2)	–
18	Petra Nerger	GER	1:12.1 (3 h3)	–
=19	Sylvia Lewis	GBR	1:12.2 (4 h3)	–
=19	Ria van Velsen	NED	1:12.2 (5 h3)	–
21	Nanette Duncan	AUS	1:12.4 (6 h4)	–
22	Louise Kennedy	CAN	1:12.5 (5 h1)	–
23	Marlene Dayman	AUS	1:12.9 (6 h3)	–
24	Bep Weeteling	NED	1:13.1 (7 h2)	–
25	Susana Peper	ARG	1:13.2 (7 h4)	–
26	Ursula Seitz	AUT	1:13.3 (8 h2)	–
27	Anneliese Rockenbach	VEN	1:14.1 (7 h3)	–
28	Belinda Woosley	AUS	1:15.3 (6 h1)	–
29	Margaret Harding	PUR	1:19.5 (8 h3)	–
30	Jovina Tseng	MAS	1:20.7 (7 h1)	–
31	Jeon Ok-Ja	KOR	1:21.7 (8 h4)	–

Round One (13 October 1964 — 12:10)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	3	Nina Harmar	USA	– (–) –	1:09.8	Q
2	6	Satoko Tanaka	JPN	– (–) –	1:10.0	Q
3	2	Linda Ludgrove	GBR	– (–) –	1:10.3	Q
4	4	Helga Neuber	GER	– (–) –	1:11.4
5	5	Louise Kennedy	CAN	– (–) –	1:12.5
6	1	Belinda Woosley	AUS	– (–) –	1:15.3
7	7	Jovina Tseng	MAS	– (–) –	1:20.7

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	2	Ginny Duenkel	USA	– (–) –	1:08.9	QOR
2	4	Eileen Weir	CAN	– (–) –	1:09.7	Q
3	1	Michiko Kihara	JPN	– (–) –	1:11.1
4	8	Kirsten Michaelsen	DEN	– (–) –	1:11.2
5	5	Tatyana Savelyeva	URS	– (–) –	1:11.8
6	3	Mária Balla	HUN	– (–) –	1:12.0
7	7	Bep Weeteling	NED	– (–) –	1:13.1
8	8	Ursula Seitz	AUT	– (–) –	1:13.3

Heat Three

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	2	Cathy Ferguson	USA	– (–) –	1:08.8	QOR
2	6	Françoise Borie	FRA	– (–) –	1:11.8
3	7	Petra Nerger	GER	– (–) –	1:12.1
4	4	Sylvia Lewis	GBR	– (–) –	1:12.2
5	3	Ria van Velsen	NED	– (–) –	1:12.2
6	8	Marlene Dayman	AUS	– (–) –	1:12.9
7	5	Anneliese Rockenbach	VEN	– (–) –	1:14.1
8	1	Margaret Harding	PUR	– (–) –	1:19.5

Heat Four

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	3	Kiki Caron	FRA	– (–) –	1:08.5	QOR
2	7	Jill Norfolk	GBR	– (–) –	1:10.6	Q
3	1	Ingrid Schmidt	GER	– (–) –	1:11.1
4	2	Nataliya Mikhaylova	URS	– (–) –	1:11.4
5	6	Corrie Winkel	NED	– (–) –	1:11.6
6	4	Nanette Duncan	AUS	– (–) –	1:12.4
7	8	Susana Peper	ARG	– (–) –	1:13.2
8	5	Jeon Ok-Ja	KOR	– (–) –	1:21.7

Final (14 October 1964 — 20:20)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	Time
1	5	Cathy Ferguson	USA	– (–) –	1:07.7	WR
2	4	Kiki Caron	FRA	– (–) –	1:07.9
3	3	Ginny Duenkel	USA	– (–) –	1:08.0
4	7	Satoko Tanaka	JPN	– (–) –	1:08.6
5	2	Nina Harmar	USA	– (–) –	1:09.4
6	1	Linda Ludgrove	GBR	– (–) –	1:09.5
7	6	Eileen Weir	CAN	– (–) –	1:09.8
8	8	Jill Norfolk	GBR	– (–) –	1:11.2