| Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Freestyle | ||
| 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 | |
| Medley relay | ||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women |
The women's 400 metre freestyle event at the 1972 Olympic Games took place August 30. This swimming event used freestyle swimming, which means that the method of the stroke is not regulated (unlike backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly events). Nearly all swimmers use the front crawl or a variant of that stroke. Because an Olympic-size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of eight lengths of the pool.
Medalists
| Gold | Shane Gould Australia
|
| Silver | Novella Calligaris Italy
|
| Bronze | Gudrun Wegner East Germany
|
Results
Heats
Heat 1
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jenny Wylie |  United States |
4:27.53 | OR, Q |
| 2 | Anke Rijnders |  Netherlands |
4:29.94 | Q |
| 3 | Karin Tülling |  East Germany |
4:32.56 | |
| 4 | Federica Stabilini |  Italy |
4:36.32 | |
| 5 | Maria Teresa Ramírez |  Mexico |
4:39.14 | |
| 6 | Helga Wagner |  West Germany |
4:47.61 | |
| 7 | Kirsten Knudsen |  Denmark |
4:53.76 |
Heat 2
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shirley Babashoff | United States |
4:31.98 | Q |
| 2 | Karen Moras |  Australia |
4:36.14 | |
| 3 | Mary Beth Rondeau |  Canada |
4:36.71 | |
| 4 | Anne Marie McCaffrey | Canada |
4:39.92 | |
| 5 | Roselina Angee |  Colombia |
4:45.97 | |
| 6 | Belinda Phillips |  Jamaica |
4:47.54 | |
| 7 | Hsu Yue-yun |  Chinese Taipei |
4:57.58 |
Heat 3
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane Gould | Australia |
4:28.46 | Q |
| 2 | Hansje Bunschoten | Netherlands |
4:28.76 | Q |
| 3 | Uta Schütz | West Germany |
4:34.67 | |
| 4 | Narelle Moras | Australia |
4:37.57 | |
| 5 | Susan Edmondson |  Great Britain |
4:39.10 | |
| 6 | Ileana Morales |  Venezuela |
4:44.73 | |
| 7 | Diana Sutherland | Great Britain |
4:47.66 |
Heat 4
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novella Calligaris | Italy |
4:24.14 | OR, Q |
| 2 | Keena Rothhammer | United States |
4:24.82 | Q |
| 3 | Gudrun Wegner | East Germany |
4:25.13 | Q |
| 4 | Olga de Angulo | Colombia |
4:40.09 | |
| 5 | Jaynie Parkhouse |  New Zealand |
4:40.24 | |
| 6 | June Green | Great Britain |
4:45.81 | |
| 7 | Eleni Avlonitou |  Greece |
4:52.10 | |
| 8 | Patricia López |  Argentina |
4:59.68 |
Final
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Shane Gould | Australia |
4:19.04 | WR |
 |
Novella Calligaris | Italy |
4:22.44 | |
 |
Gudrun Wegner | East Germany |
4:23.11 | |
| 4 | Shirley Babashoff | United States |
4:23.59 | |
| 5 | Jenny Wylie | United States |
4:24.07 | |
| 6 | Keena Rothhammer | United States |
4:24.22 | |
| 7 | Hansje Bunschoten | Netherlands |
4:29.70 | |
| 8 | Anke Rijnders | Netherlands |
4:31.51 |
Key: WR = World record
References
- "Swimming at the 1972 Munich Summer Games: Women's 400 metres Freestyle". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
| Olympic champions in women's 400 m freestyle | |
|---|---|
| 300 m | |
| 400 m |
|
