| Women's 800 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Sydney International Aquatic Centre | ||||||||||||
| Date | September 21, 2000 (heats) September 22, 2000 (final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 28 from 22 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 8:19.67 OR | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| ← 19962004 → | |||||||||||||
| Swimming 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 800 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 21–22 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.
United States' teenager Brooke Bennett became the second swimmer in Olympic history to defend her title in the event, and the fifth to strike a long-distance freestyle double, since Debbie Meyer did so in 1968, Petra Thümer in 1976, Tiffany Cohen in 1984, and the legendary Janet Evans in 1988. She maintained a powerful lead from start to finish before hitting the wall first in 8:19.67, the second-fastest of all time, cutting off Evans' 12-year Olympic record by 0.53 seconds. After effortlessly striking a medley double over the past six days, Yana Klochkova added a silver to her medal tally at these Games, in a scintillating Ukrainian record of 8:22.66. Bennett's teammate Kaitlin Sandeno gave the Americans a further reason to celebrate, as she powered home with a bronze in 8:24.29.
Switzerland's Flavia Rigamonti lost a spirited challenge to Sandeno for the bronze by more than a full body length, but earned a fourth spot in a national record of 8:25.91. She was followed in fifth by Germany's Hannah Stockbauer (8:30.11), and in sixth by China's Chen Hua (8:30.58). Stockbauer's teammate Jana Henke (8:31.97), bronze medalist in Barcelona eight years earlier, and Japan's Sachiko Yamada (8:37.39) rounded out the finale.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Janet Evans (USA) |
8:16.22 | Tokyo, Japan | 20 August 1989 | |
| Olympic record |  Janet Evans (USA) |
8:20.20 | Seoul, South Korea | 24 September 1988 |
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.
| Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September | Final | Brooke Bennett | United States |
8:19.67 | OR |
Results
Heats
Final
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4 | Brooke Bennett | United States |
8:19.67 | OR |
 |
5 | Yana Klochkova |  Ukraine |
8:22.66 | NR |
 |
3 | Kaitlin Sandeno | United States |
8:24.29 | |
| 4 | 6 | Flavia Rigamonti |  Switzerland |
8:25.91 | NR |
| 5 | 2 | Hannah Stockbauer |  Germany |
8:30.11 | |
| 6 | 8 | Chen Hua |  China |
8:30.58 | |
| 7 | 7 | Jana Henke | Germany |
8:31.97 | |
| 8 | 1 | Sachiko Yamada |  Japan |
8:37.39 |
References
- "Swimming schedule". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 September 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- Harris, Beth (22 September 2000). "Bennett Wins Gold in 800m Freestyle". ABC News. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- "Bennett Doubles in the Distances". Los Angeles Times. 23 September 2000. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- "Bennett wins 800 meters, second gold". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 22 September 2000. Archived from the original on August 21, 2001. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- "Bennett sweeps distance races". ESPN. 22 September 2000. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ Whitten, Phillip (22 September 2000). "Olympic Day 7 Finals (50 Free, 800 Free, 200 Back, 100 Fly)". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 800m Freestyle Heats" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. pp. 199–202. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- Dimond, Jeff (October 1989). "Swim and Deliver" (PDF). Swimming World and Junior Swimmer. 30 (10): 41–44. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
External links
| Olympic champions in women's 800 m freestyle | |
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