The women's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2004 Olympic Games was contested at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece on August 15 and 16.
U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin won the gold medal in this event, outside the record time of 1:00.37. The silver medal was awarded to Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, who finished behind Coughlin by 0.13 of a second, breaking an African record of 1:00.50. France's Laure Manaudou, who won the gold in the 400 m freestyle on the previous day, took home the bronze medal, with a time of 1:00.88. In the semifinals, Coughlin lowered an Olympic record time of 1:00.21, set by Romania's Diana Mocanu in Sydney (2000), to 1:00.17.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|-
! Date !! Event !! Name !! Nationality !! Time !! Record
|-
| August 15 || Semifinal 2 || Natalie Coughlin || align=left | || 1:00.17 ||
|}
Results
Heats
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Rank !! Heat !! Lane !! Name !! Nationality !! Time !! Notes
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 1 || 4 || 4 ||align=left| Laure Manaudou ||align=left| || 1:01.27 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 2 || 4 || 5 ||align=left| Reiko Nakamura ||align=left| || 1:01.39 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 3 || 6 || 4 ||align=left| Natalie Coughlin ||align=left| || 1:01.45 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 4 || 3 || 5 ||align=left| Kirsty Coventry ||align=left| || 1:01.60 || Q, AF
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 5 || 4 || 6 ||align=left| Noriko Inada ||align=left| || 1:01.67 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 6 || 5 || 4 ||align=left| Antje Buschschulte ||align=left| || 1:01.68 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 7 || 6 || 5 ||align=left| Nina Zhivanevskaya ||align=left| || 1:01.75 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 8 || 4 || 3 ||align=left| Stanislava Komarova ||align=left| || 1:01.84 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 9 || 4 || 7 ||align=left| Ilona Hlaváčková ||align=left| || 1:01.95 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 10 || 5 || 7 ||align=left| Giaan Rooney ||align=left| || 1:01.96 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 11 || 5 || 3 ||align=left| Haley Cope ||align=left| || 1:01.99 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 12 || 6 || 3 ||align=left| Katy Sexton ||align=left| || 1:02.01 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| rowspan=2|13 || 5 || 5 ||align=left| Louise Ørnstedt ||align=left| || rowspan=2|1:02.17 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 6 || 7 ||align=left| Sarah Price ||align=left| || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 15 || 6 || 2 ||align=left| Gao Chang ||align=left| || 1:02.19 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 16 || 4 || 2 ||align=left| Zhan Shu ||align=left| || 1:02.39 || Q
|-
| rowspan=2|17 || 4 || 1 ||align=left| Erin Gammel ||align=left| || rowspan=2|1:02.47 ||
|-
| 3 || 4 ||align=left| Sanja Jovanović ||align=left| ||
|-
| 19 || 5 || 6 ||align=left| Iryna Amshennikova ||align=left| || 1:02.57 ||
|-
| 20 || 5 || 8 ||align=left| Marieke Guehrer ||align=left| || 1:02.76 ||
|-
| 21 || 6 || 8 ||align=left| Nikolett Szepesi ||align=left| || 1:02.78 ||
|-
| 22 || 5 || 2 ||align=left| Hannah McLean ||align=left| || 1:03.09 ||
|-
| 23 || 6 || 6 ||align=left| Janine Pietsch ||align=left| || 1:03.13 ||
|-
| 24 || 4 || 8 ||align=left| Shim Min-ji ||align=left| || 1:03.14 ||
|-
| 25 || 3 || 3 ||align=left| Sviatlana Khakhlova ||align=left| || 1:03.25 ||
|-
| 26 || 6 || 1 ||align=left| Alessandra Cappa ||align=left| || 1:03.50 ||
|-
| 27 || 3 || 2 ||align=left| Gisela Morales ||align=left| || 1:03.72 ||
|-
| 28 || 3 || 6 ||align=left| Anna Gostomelsky ||align=left| || 1:04.06 ||
|-
| 29 || 5 || 1 ||align=left| Alexandra Putra ||align=left| || 1:04.13 ||
|-
| 30 || 3 || 8 ||align=left| Hiu Wai Sherry Tsai ||align=left| || 1:04.25 ||
|-
| 31 || 2 || 5 ||align=left| Kiera Aitken ||align=left| || 1:04.37 ||
|-
| 32 || 2 || 1 ||align=left| Chonlathorn Vorathamrong ||align=left| || 1:05.15 ||
|-
| 33 || 3 || 1 ||align=left| Eirini Karastergiou ||align=left| || 1:05.30 ||
|-
| 34 || 2 || 4 ||align=left| Şadan Derya Erke ||align=left| || 1:05.38 ||
|-
| 35 || 2 || 3 ||align=left| Serrana Fernández ||align=left| || 1:05.51 ||
|-
| 36 || 3 || 7 ||align=left| Hanna-Maria Seppälä ||align=left| || 1:05.55 ||
|-
| 37 || 2 || 2 ||align=left| Fu Hsiao-han ||align=left| || 1:06.62 ||
|-
| 38 || 2 || 7 ||align=left| Anastassiya Prilepa ||align=left| || 1:07.55 ||
|-
| 39 || 1 || 4 ||align=left| Lenient Obia ||align=left| || 1:09.95 ||
|-
| 40 || 1 || 5 ||align=left| Ana Galindo ||align=left| || 1:11.80 ||
|-
| 41 || 2 || 6 ||align=left| Olga Gnedovskaya ||align=left| || 1:15.33 ||
|-
| 42 || 1 || 3 ||align=left| Yelena Rojkova ||align=left| || 1:15.48 ||
|}
Semifinals
Semifinal 1
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Rank !! Lane !! Name !! Nationality !! Time !! Notes
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 1 || 3 ||align=left| Antje Buschschulte ||align=left| || 1:00.94 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 2 || 5 ||align=left| Kirsty Coventry ||align=left| || 1:01.21 || Q, AF
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 3 || 4 ||align=left| Reiko Nakamura ||align=left| || 1:01.24 || Q
|-
| 4 || 2 ||align=left| Giaan Rooney ||align=left| || 1:01.41 || OC
|-
| 5 || 6 ||align=left| Stanislava Komarova ||align=left| || 1:01.63 ||
|-
| 6 || 7 ||align=left| Katy Sexton ||align=left| || 1:01.96 ||
|-
| 7 || 8 ||align=left| Zhan Shu ||align=left| || 1:02.10 ||
|-
| 8 || 1 ||align=left| Sarah Price ||align=left| || 1:02.48 ||
|}
Semifinal 2
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Rank !! Lane !! Name !! Nationality !! Time !! Notes
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 1 || 5 ||align=left| Natalie Coughlin ||align=left| || 1:00.17 || Q,
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 2 || 4 ||align=left| Laure Manaudou ||align=left| || 1:00.88 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 3 || 1 ||align=left| Louise Ørnstedt ||align=left| || 1:01.12 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 4 || 7 ||align=left| Haley Cope ||align=left| || 1:01.13 || Q
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 5 || 6 ||align=left| Nina Zhivanevskaya ||align=left| || 1:01.19 || Q
|-
| 6 || 3 ||align=left| Noriko Inada ||align=left| || 1:01.74 ||
|-
| 7 || 2 ||align=left| Ilona Hlaváčková ||align=left| || 1:01.81 ||
|-
| 8 || 8 ||align=left| Gao Chang ||align=left| || 1:02.17 ||
|}
Final
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Rank !! Lane !! Swimmer !! Nation !! Time !! Notes
|-
| || 4 ||align=left| Natalie Coughlin ||align=left| || 1:00.37 ||
|-
| || 1 ||align=left| Kirsty Coventry ||align=left| || 1:00.50 || AF
|-
| || 5 ||align=left| Laure Manaudou ||align=left| || 1:00.88 ||
|-
| 4 || 8 ||align=left| Reiko Nakamura ||align=left| || 1:01.05 ||
|-
| 5 || 7 ||align=left| Nina Zhivanevskaya ||align=left| || 1:01.12 ||
|-
| 6 || 3 ||align=left| Antje Buschschulte ||align=left| || 1:01.39 ||
|-
| 7 || 6 ||align=left| Louise Ørnstedt ||align=left| || 1:01.51 ||
|-
| 8 || 2 ||align=left| Haley Cope ||align=left| || 1:01.76 ||
|}
References
External links
- Official Olympic Report