Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle
Women's 100 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad | |||||||||||||
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Venue | Beijing National Aquatics Center | ||||||||||||
Date | August 13, 2008 (heats) August 14, 2008(semifinals) August 15, 2008 (final) | ||||||||||||
Competitors | 49 from 41 nations | ||||||||||||
Winning time | 53.12 OR | ||||||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics | ||
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Qualification | ||
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 |
Marathon | ||
10 km | men | women |
The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 13–15 August at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China.[1]
Germany's Britta Steffen blasted a new Olympic record to claim a gold medal in the event. Coming from eighth place in the turn, she posted a time of 53.12 to edge out Australia's world record holder and top favorite Lisbeth Trickett by 0.04 of a second. Swimming in lane eight, Trickett earned a silver with an outside record time of 53.16.[2][3][4] She narrowly reached the final as the eighth seed, when China's Pang Jiaying was disqualified for a false start in the semifinals.[5] Meanwhile, U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin powered home with a bronze in a matching American record of 53.39 for the second consecutive Olympics. It was Coughlin's fifth medal of these Games, matching her total from Athens four years earlier.[6]
Competing at her third straight Olympics with Steffen, Finland's Hanna-Maria Seppälä finished outside the medals in fourth place at 53.97. Earlier, she posted a top-seeded time of 53.60 from the sixth heat to lead the prelims.[7] She was followed in fifth place by Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen (54.06), and host nation China's Zhu Yingwen, who shared a sixth-place tie with the Netherlands' Marleen Veldhuis in 54.21. Great Britain's Francesca Halsall (54.29) closed out the field.[2]
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
World record | ![]() |
52.88 | Sydney, Australia | 27 March 2008 | [8] |
Olympic record | ![]() |
53.38 | Beijing, China | 10 August 2008 | - |
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.
Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Time | Record |
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August 15 | Final | Britta Steffen | ![]() |
53.12 | OR |
Results
Heats
Semifinals
Semifinal 1
Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Natalie Coughlin | ![]() |
53.70 | Q |
2 | 6 | Zhu Yingwen | ![]() |
53.84 | Q, AS |
3 | 4 | Britta Steffen | ![]() |
53.96 | Q |
4 | 3 | Lisbeth Trickett | ![]() |
54.10 | Q |
5 | 2 | Josefin Lillhage | ![]() |
54.59 | |
6 | 1 | Lacey Nymeyer | ![]() |
54.74 | |
7 | 8 | Petra Dallmann | ![]() |
55.05 | |
8 | 7 | Aliaksandra Herasimenia | ![]() |
55.31 |
Semifinal 2
Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Marleen Veldhuis | ![]() |
53.81 | Q |
2 | 4 | Hanna-Maria Seppälä | ![]() |
53.84 | Q |
3 | 3 | Francesca Halsall | ![]() |
53.94 | Q |
4 | 2 | Jeanette Ottesen | ![]() |
54.05 | Q |
5 | 7 | Malia Metella | ![]() |
54.20 | |
6 | 1 | Cate Campbell | ![]() |
54.54 | |
7 | 8 | Erica Morningstar | ![]() |
55.36 | |
6 | Pang Jiaying | ![]() |
DSQ |
Note: Lisbeth Trickett advanced to the final only when Chinese swimmer Pang Jiaying, who had finished first in the semifinals, was disqualified for a false start.
Final
Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
7 | Britta Steffen | ![]() |
53.12 | OR |
![]() |
8 | Lisbeth Trickett | ![]() |
53.16 | |
![]() |
4 | Natalie Coughlin | ![]() |
53.39 | =AM |
4 | 6 | Hanna-Maria Seppälä | ![]() |
53.97 | |
5 | 1 | Jeanette Ottesen | ![]() |
54.06 | |
6 | 3 | Zhu Yingwen | ![]() |
54.21 | |
5 | Marleen Veldhuis | ![]() |
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8 | 2 | Francesca Halsall | ![]() |
54.29 |
References
- ^ "Olympic Swimming Schedule". USA Today. 9 August 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ a b Lohn, John (14 August 2008). "Olympics, Swimming: Worst to First, Britta Steffen Wins 100 Free in Olympic Record". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Steffen wins first swimming gold for Germany". NBC Olympics. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Steffen edges Trickett for gold". BBC Sport. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ Lohn, John (13 August 2008). "Olympics, Swimming: Natalie Coughlin Tops 100 Free Semis". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Coughlin claims bronze in 100 free". NBC News. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ Lohn, John (13 August 2008). "Olympics, Swimming: Finland's Hanna-Maria Seppala Leads Qualifying in Women's 100 Free". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Trickett, Sullivan set pool alight". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 28 March 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.