Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre freestyle


The women's 400 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 17 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.
Brooke Bennett emerged as a major force in long-distance swimming, after effortlessly winning a first gold for the United States in the event since Janet Evans did so in 1988. She maintained a powerful lead from start to finish, and posted a lifetime best of 4:05.80, making her the third fastest all-time swimmer in history behind Evans and China's Chen Hua. At only 18 years of age, Diana Munz fought off a sprint challenge from Costa Rica's Claudia Poll and Jamaica's Janelle Atkinson on the final lap to take home the silver in 4:07.07, extending a distance swimming legacy for the Americans with a one–two finish. Meanwhile, Poll settled only for the bronze in 4:07.83.
Atkinson made an Olympic milestone as the first Jamaican to reach a swimming final, but missed out the podium by almost a full second in a national record of 4:08.79. Russia's Nadezhda Chemezova finished fifth in 4:10.37, holding off a fast-pacing Hannah Stockbauer of Germany by a hundredth of a second. Netherlands' Carla Geurts, and China's Chen Hua, the second fastest all-time swimmer, rounded out the finale.

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

Results

Heats

RankHeatLaneNameNationalityTimeNotes
134Brooke Bennett4:07.57Q
235Claudia Poll4:09.33Q
333Janelle Atkinson4:09.61Q, NR
445Diana Munz4:10.39Q
551Chen Hua4:10.56Q
646Nadezhda Chemezova4:10.76Q
654Hannah Stockbauer4:10.76Q
837Carla Geurts4:10.86Q
957Flavia Rigamonti4:11.77
1056Kirsten Vlieghuis4:11.87
1144Camelia Potec4:11.92
1253Sachiko Yamada4:12.45
1336Natalya Baranovskaya4:12.67
1424Laetitia Choux4:13.09
1555Kerstin Kielgaß4:13.10
1641Simona Păduraru4:13.89
1742Irina Ufimtseva4:15.41
1847Kasey Giteau4:15.54
1958Karine Legault4:15.55
2048Sofie Goffin4:15.93
2131Chantal Strasser4:16.17
2222Artemis Dafni4:16.94
2343Yasuko Tajima4:17.23
2425Angels Bardina4:17.55
2528Lin Chi-chan4:17.76
2626Hana Černá4:17.96
2752Sarah-Jane D'Arcy4:18.05
2823Sara Goffi4:18.16
2932Éva Risztov4:18.48
3014Ivanka Moralieva4:19.10
3112Vesna Stojanovska4:19.69
3238Olena Lapunova4:19.96
3313Patricia Villarreal4:21.03
3417Chantal Gibney4:23.73
3511Nataliya Korabelnikova4:24.29
3615Christel Bouvron4:25.16
3721Roh Joo-hee4:25.66
3816Adi Bichman4:27.33
3927Pilin Tachakittiranan4:29.28

Final