Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres
The women's 100 metres sprint event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place July 31 and August 2. The final was won by Dutch Fanny Blankers-Koen.
Records
Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.| World record Olympic record | 11.5 s | Berlin, Germany | 4 August 1936 |
Schedule
All times are British Summer Time.| Date | Time | |
| Saturday, 31 July 1948 | 14:45 | Round 1 |
| Monday, 2 August 1948 | 15:30 16:45 | Semifinals Finals |
Results
Round 1
The fastest two runners in each heat advanced to the semifinals.Heat 1
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Fanny Blankers-Koen | 12.0 | ||
| 2 | Viola Myers | 12.5 | ||
| 3 | Betty McKinnon | 12.7 | ||
| 4 | Maria Oberbreyer |
Heat 2
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Shirley Strickland | 12.4 | ||
| 2 | Birthe Nielsen | 12.9 | ||
| 3 | Noemí Simonetto de Portela | 13.1 | ||
| 4 | Benedicta de Oliveira | 13.2 | ||
| 5 | Tilly Decker |
Heat 3
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Grethe Lovsø Nielsen | 12.6 | ||
| 2 | Winifred Jordan | 12.7 | ||
| 3 | Audrey Patterson | 12.8 | ||
| 4 | Joyce King | 13.1 | ||
| 5 | Betty Kretschmer |
Heat 4
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Cynthia Thompson | 12.4 | ||
| 2 | Daphne Robb-Hasenjager | 12.4 | ||
| 3 | Mabel Walker | 12.2 | ||
| 4 | Millie Cheater | 12.3 |
Heat 5
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Doris Batter | 12.6 | ||
| 2 | Kathleen Russell | 12.9 | ||
| 3 | Lillian Young | 13.0 | ||
| 4 | Elizabeth Müller | 13.2 |
Heat 6
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Dorothy Manley | 12.1 | ||
| 2 | Phyllis Lightbourn-Jones | 13.0 | ||
| 3 | Marie-Thérèse Renard | 13.6 |
Heat 7
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Olga Šicnerová | 12.4 | ||
| 2 | Bente Bergendorff | 12.6 | ||
| 3 | Helena de Menezes | 13.2 | ||
| 4 | Üner Teoman | 13.6 |
Heat 8
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Liliana Tagliaferri | 12.8 | ||
| 2 | Xenia Stad-de Jong | 12.9 | ||
| 3 | Phyllis Edness | 13.6 | ||
| 4 | Grete Pavlousek | 13.6 | ||
| 5 | Alma Butia | 13.6 |
Heat 9
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Patricia Jones | 12.7 | ||
| 2 | Grietje de Jongh | 12.9 | ||
| 3 | Jeanine Moussier | 12.9 | ||
| 4 | Liv Paulsen | 12.9 |
Semifinals
The fastest two runners in each heat advanced to the final.Semifinal 1
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Fanny Blankers-Koen | 12.0 | ||
| 2 | Shirley Strickland | 12.4 | ||
| 3 | Grete Lovso Nielsen | 12.7 | ||
| 4 | Doris Batter | |||
| 5 | Liliana Tagliaferri | |||
| 6 | Phyllis Lightbourn-Jones |
Semifinal 2
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Dorothy Manley | 12.4 | ||
| 2 | Patricia Jones | 12.6 | ||
| 3 | Daphne Robb-Hasenjager | 12.7 | ||
| 4 | Bente Bergendorff | |||
| 5 | Xenia Stad-de Jong | |||
| 6 | Kathleen Russell |
Semifinal 3
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Viola Myers | 12.4 | ||
| 2 | Cynthia Thompson | 12.5 | ||
| 3 | Olga Sicnerova | 12.5 | ||
| 3 | Birthe Nielsen | 12.5 | ||
| 5 | Winifred Jordan | |||
| 6 | Grietje de Jongh |
Final
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| Fanny Blankers-Koen | 11.9 | |||
| Dorothy Manley | 12.2 | |||
| Shirley Strickland | 12.2 | |||
| 4 | Viola Myers | 12.3 | ||
| 5 | Patricia Jones | 12.4 | ||
| 6 | Cynthia Thompson | 12.6 |