Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre freestyle
| Women's 400 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad | ||||||||||
| Venue | Sydney International Aquatic Centre | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | September 17, 2000 (heats & final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 39 from 32 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 4:05.80 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Swimming events at the 2000 Summer Olympics  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | ||||
| 50 m | men | women | ||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| 800 m | women | |||
| 1500 m | men | |||
| Backstroke | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Breaststroke | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Butterfly | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Individual medley | ||||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| Freestyle relay | ||||
| 4×100 m | men | women | ||
| 4×200 m | men | women | ||
| Medley relay | ||||
| 4×100 m | men | women | ||
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.[1]
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.[2][3] 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.[4] Meanwhile, Poll settled only for the bronze in 4:07.83.[5][6]
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.[7] Russia's Nadezhda Chemezova finished fifth in 4:10.37, holding off a fast-pacing Hannah Stockbauer of Germany (4:10.38) by a hundredth of a second (0.01). Netherlands' Carla Geurts (4:12.36), and China's Chen Hua (4:13.11), the second fastest all-time swimmer, rounded out the finale.[6]
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Janet Evans (USA) | 4:03.85 | Seoul, South Korea | 22 September 1988 | [8] |
| Olympic record | Janet Evans (USA) | 4:03.85 | Seoul, South Korea | 22 September 1988 | [8] |
No new records were set during this competition.
Results
Heats
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Final
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4 | Brooke Bennett | United States | 4:05.80 | |
 | 6 | Diana Munz | United States | 4:07.07 | |
 | 5 | Claudia Poll | .svg.png){kind=small} Costa Rica | 4:07.83 | |
| 4 | 3 | Janelle Atkinson |  Jamaica | 4:08.79 | NR |
| 5 | 7 | Nadezhda Chemezova |  Russia | 4:10.37 | |
| 6 | 1 | Hannah Stockbauer |  Germany | 4:10.38 | |
| 7 | 8 | Carla Geurts |  Netherlands | 4:12.36 | |
| 8 | 2 | Chen Hua |  China | 4:13.11 |
References
- ↑ "Swimming schedule". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 September 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ↑ "De Bruijn soars to butterfly gold". BBC Sport. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ↑ "Dolan, Bennett bring home gold for U.S. swimming". Sports Illustrated (CNN). 16 September 2000. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ↑ "Dolan, Munz overcome ailments to win". ESPN. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ↑ "Americans Bennett, Munz go 1-2 in 400 free". Canoe.ca. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- 1 2 Whitten, Phillip (17 September 2000). "Olympic Day 2 Finals". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "Atkinson superb; just misses medal in 400m freestyle". Jamaica Gleaner. 18 September 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 400m Freestyle Heats" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. pp. 192–193. Retrieved 16 June 2013.