|
| Event type

100 metres Breaststroke, Women

Date18 – 19 October 1968
StatusOlympic
LocationAlberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez, Ciudad de México
Participants33 from 20 countries

The 100 metre breaststroke was new to the Olympic Program in 1968. American Catie Ball had set the last five world records and had won the Pan American Games in 1967 and came to Mexico City favored. In the semi-finals she qualified as the equal second fastest, with her teammate Sharon Wichman, behind the surprising Ana María Norbis of Uruguay. Also expected to challenge was the 1964 200 breaststroke gold medalist Halyna Prozumenshchykova of the Soviet Union. The early lead in the final was taken by Germany’s Uta Frommater but Ball led at the turn. However, she flagged badly on the last lap and would place fifth. Prozumenshchykova took the lead at 75 metres only to see Yugoslavia’s Ðurđica Bjedov come from nowhere to touch out Prozumenshchykova for the gold medal, Wichman getting bronze. Bjedov’s only previous international experience came in 1966 when she won bronze at the European Championships. Catie Ball turned out to have been sick in Mexico City the entire time and she was withdrawn from further competition, after she was found to have a fever and swollen glands, and had lost 10 lbs (4.5 kg).

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Đurđica BjedovYUG1:17.7 (1 h2)1:17.1 (2 h1)1:15.8 (1)Gold
2Galina ProzumenshchikovaURS1:18.6 (2 h4)1:17.5 (3 h1)1:15.9 (2)Silver
3Sharon WichmanUSA1:18.3 (1 h3)1:16.8 (1 h1)1:16.1 (3)Bronze
4Uta FrommaterFRG1:18.5 (1 h4)1:16.9 (3 h2)1:16.2 (4)
5Catie BallUSA1:18.8 (1 h1)1:16.8 (2 h2)1:16.7 (5)
6Kiyoe NakagawaJPN1:18.2 (2 h5)1:17.7 (4 h2)1:17.0 (6)
7Svetlana BabaninaURS1:20.2 (3 h4)1:18.3 (5 h2)1:17.2 (7)
8Ana María NorbisURU1:17.4 (1 h5)1:16.7 (1 h2)1:17.3 (8)
9Jo-Anne BarnesAUS1:19.1 (2 h1)1:18.4 (4 h1)
=10Alla GrebennikovaURS1:19.3 (2 h2)1:18.6 (5 h1)
=10Suzy JonesUSA1:19.3 (3 h1)1:18.6 (6 h2)
12Christl FilippovitsAUT1:19.9 (5 h1)1:18.9 (6 h1)
=13Judy PlayfairAUS1:19.2 (2 h3)1:19.3 (7 h2)
=13Diana HarrisGBR1:19.8 (3 h5)1:19.3 (8 h2)
15Dorothy HarrisonGBR1:19.6 (4 h1)1:19.6 (7 h1)
16Jill SlatteryGBR1:20.7 (4 h4)1:19.8 (8 h1)
17Yukari TakemotoJPN1:20.7 (4 h5)
18Yvonne BrageSWE1:20.8 (3 h3)
=19Sue McKenzieAUS1:20.9 (5 h4)
=19Shlomit NirISR1:20.9 (3 h2)
21Ann O'ConnorIRL1:21.1 (4 h2)
22Marjan JanusNED1:21.9 (5 h2)
=23Vreni EberleFRG1:22.6 (4 h3)
=23Márta EgerváryHUN1:22.6 (5 h5)
=23Ellen IngvadóttirISL1:22.6 (6 h4)
26Tamara OynickMEX1:22.7 (6 h1)
27Arlette WilmesLUX1:24.4 (6 h5)
28Víctoria CasasMEX1:24.7 (5 h3)
29Liana VicensPUR1:25.2 (7 h1)
30Tamara OrejuelaECU1:26.8 (6 h2)
31María MorenoESA1:27.2 (6 h3)
32María CastroESA1:36.9 (7 h5)
33Celia JokischESA1:46.6 (7 h2)
DNSAna Elena de la PortillaMEX– (DNS h1)
DNSHedy GarcíaPHI– (DNS h4)
DNSMaria Ballago SzaboHUN– (DNS h3)

Round One (18 October 1968 — 10:00)

Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
11Catie BallUSA1:18.8QOR
23Jo-Anne BarnesAUS1:19.1Q
35Suzy JonesUSA1:19.3Q
42Dorothy HarrisonGBR1:19.6Q
57Christl FilippovitsAUT1:19.9Q
66Tamara OynickMEX1:22.7
74Liana VicensPUR1:25.2
DNSAna Elena de la PortillaMEX

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
16Đurđica BjedovYUG1:17.7QOR
21Alla GrebennikovaURS1:19.3Q
32Shlomit NirISR1:20.9
44Ann O'ConnorIRL1:21.1
55Marjan JanusNED1:21.9
67Tamara OrejuelaECU1:26.8
73Celia JokischESA1:46.6

Heat Three

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
16Sharon WichmanUSA1:18.3Q
23Judy PlayfairAUS1:19.2Q
34Yvonne BrageSWE1:20.8
45Vreni EberleFRG1:22.6
57Víctoria CasasMEX1:24.7
62María MorenoESA1:27.2
DNSMaria Ballago SzaboHUN

Heat Four

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
12Uta FrommaterFRG1:18.5Q
25Galina ProzumenshchikovaURS1:18.6Q
33Svetlana BabaninaURS1:20.2Q
44Jill SlatteryGBR1:20.7Q
57Sue McKenzieAUS1:20.9
66Ellen IngvadóttirISL1:22.6
DNSHedy GarcíaPHI

Heat Five

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
17Ana María NorbisURU1:17.4QOR
22Kiyoe NakagawaJPN1:18.2Q
34Diana HarrisGBR1:19.8Q
45Yukari TakemotoJPN1:20.7
56Márta EgerváryHUN1:22.6
61Arlette WilmesLUX1:24.4
73María CastroESA1:36.9

Semi-Finals (18 October 1968 — 17:00)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
15Sharon WichmanUSA1:16.8Q
24Đurđica BjedovYUG1:17.1Q
33Galina ProzumenshchikovaURS1:17.5Q
46Jo-Anne BarnesAUS1:18.4
52Alla GrebennikovaURS1:18.6
61Christl FilippovitsAUT1:18.9
77Dorothy HarrisonGBR1:19.6
88Jill SlatteryGBR1:19.8

Heat Two

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
14Ana María NorbisURU1:16.7QOR
26Catie BallUSA1:16.8Q
33Uta FrommaterFRG1:16.9Q
45Kiyoe NakagawaJPN1:17.7Q
58Svetlana BabaninaURS1:18.3Q
67Suzy JonesUSA1:18.6
72Judy PlayfairAUS1:19.3
81Diana HarrisGBR1:19.3

Final (19 October 1968 — 17:00)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTime
12Đurđica BjedovYUG1:15.8OR
27Galina ProzumenshchikovaURS1:15.9
35Sharon WichmanUSA1:16.1
46Uta FrommaterFRG1:16.2
53Catie BallUSA1:16.7
61Kiyoe NakagawaJPN1:17.0
78Svetlana BabaninaURS1:17.2
84Ana María NorbisURU1:17.3