Women 400m Freestyle Swimming XIV Olympic Games 1948 London, Great Britain - Saturday, 7th August - Gold Medal: Ann Curtis, United States
Final time gapLY
1. Ann CurtisUSA United States5:17.8OR 622
2. Karen Margrethe HarupDEN Denmark5:21.2 +3.4s523
3. Catherine GibsonGBR Great Britain5:22.5 +4.7s217
4. Fernande CaroenBEL Belgium5:25.3 +7.5s428
5. Brenda HelserUSA United States5:26.0 +8.2s324
6. Piedade Coutinho da SilvaBRA Brazil5:29.4 +11.6s828
7. Fritze CarstensenDEN Denmark5:29.4 +11.6s723
8. Nancy Merki LeesUSA United States5:32.9 +15.1s122
19 Competitors from 11 Nations. Empire Pool.
World Record: Ragnhild Hveger, Denmark 5:00.1 Kopenhagen, Denmark 15th September 1940
Olympic Record: Hendrika Mastenbroek, Netherlands 5:26.4 Berlin, Germany 15th August 1936
Todor 66index Swimming OG
index London 1948index Swimming London 1948
Men 100m FreestyleWomen 100m Freestyle
Men 400m FreestyleWomen 400m Freestyle
Men 1500m Freestyle
Men 100m BackstrokeWomen 100m Backstroke
Men 200m BreaststrokeWomen 200m Breaststroke
Men 4x200m Freestyle RelayWomen 4x100m Freestyle Relay
1936 Women 400m FreestyleWomen 400m Freestyle History1952 Women 400m Freestyle
The same protagonists from the 100m were favoured in the 400m freestyle although American Ann Curtis was considered stronger at this event than at the shorter distances. The shock of the heats was the collapse of the 100m gold medallist and hot favourite, Greta Andersen, who blacked out in the water just beyond the 200m mark and had to be rescued from the pool. Karen Harup, also of Denmark, broke the Olympic record in the semi-finals and emerged as the greatest threat to an American victory. In the final Curtis held her effort until the final 100m then breezed past the opposition to record a clear victory. Harup narrowly held on to silver with a fast finishing Cathie Gibson gaining the host nation's only aquatic medal of the 1948 games with the bronze

Semi-Finals (1/2) - Friday, 6th August

Best 8 times advanced to Final.
Semi 1 time gapLYRk
1. Karen Margrethe HarupDEN Denmark5:25.7OR 3231.
2. Fernande CaroenBEL Belgium5:26.1 +0.4s5282.
3. Piedade Coutinho da SilvaBRA Brazil5:31.1 +5.4s6287.
4. Nancy Merki LeesUSA United States5:31.9 +6.2s4228.
5. Patricia Eleanor NielsenGBR Great Britain5:39.5 +13.8s21812.
6. Magda Bruggemann SchmidtMEX Mexico5:42.4 +16.7s81813.
7. Vivien KingCAN Canada5:52.7 +27.0s11815.
-. Gisela ThidholmSWE SwedenDNS 718-.
Semi 2 time gapLYRk
1. Ann CurtisUSA United States5:26.4 +0.7s3223.
2. Brenda HelserUSA United States5:28.1 +2.4s6244.
3. Fritze CarstensenDEN Denmark5:29.5 +3.8s4235.
4. Catherine GibsonGBR Great Britain5:31.0 +5.3s5176.
5. Colette ThomasFRA France5:35.3 +9.6s7199.
6. Denise SpencerAUS Australia5:35.6 +9.9s81810.
7. Margaret WellingtonGBR Great Britain5:38.2 +12.5s22111.
8. Eileen HoltARG Argentina5:52.4 +26.7s1_14.

Heats - Friday 5th August

Best 16 times advanced to Semi-Finals (1/2).
Heat 3 time gapLYRk
1. Brenda HelserUSA United States5:30.0 +3.1s1245.
2. Piedade Coutinho da SiilvaBRA Brazil5:30.2 +3.3s2286.
3. Patricia Eleanor NielsenGBR Great Britain5:40.4 +13.5s71812.
4. Denise SpencerAUS Australia5:40.9 +14.0s81813.
5. Magda Bruggemann SchmidtMEX Mexico5:43.8 +16.9s61814.
6. Eileen HoltARG Argentina5:44.9 +18.0s4_15.
-. Greta AndersenDEN DenmarkDNF 321-.
-. Josette AreneFRA FranceDNS 523-.
Heat 2 time gapLYRk
1. Catherine GibsonGBR Great Britain5:26.9 3171.
2. Fernande CaroenBEL Belgium5:29.2 +2.3s2282.
3. Fritze CarstensenDEN Denmark5:29.4 +2.5s1233.
4. Nancy Merki LeesUSA United States5:29.6 +2.7s6224.
5. Vivien KingCAN Canada5:54.8 +27.9s51816.
-. Talita De Alencar RodriguesBRA BrazilDNS 413-.
-. Eva SzekelyHUN HungaryDNS 721-.
Heat 1 time gapLYRk
1. Karen Margrethe HarupDEN Denmark5:31.7 +4.8s3237.
2. Ann CurtisUSA United States5:32.0 +5.1s7228.
3. Colette ThomasFRA France5:32.9 +6.0s5199.
4. Gisela ThidholmSWE Sweden5:34.5 +7.6s81810.
5. Margaret WellingtonGBR Great Britain5:40.0 +13.1s12111.
6. Kathleen McNamee-FergusonCAN Canada5:58.7 +31.8s41717.
7. Enriqueta DuarteARG Argentina6:14.4 +47.5s61918.
-. Hannie TermeulenNED NetherlandsDNS 219-.
Final time gapLYRk
1. Ann CurtisUSA United States5:17.8OR 6221.
2. Karen Margrethe HarupDEN Denmark5:21.2 +3.4s5232.
3. Catherine GibsonGBR Great Britain5:22.5 +4.7s2173.
4. Fernande CaroenBEL Belgium5:25.3 +7.5s4284.
5. Brenda HelserUSA United States5:26.0 +8.2s3245.
6. Piedade Coutinho da SilvaBRA Brazil5:29.4 +11.6s8286.
7. Fritze CarstensenDEN Denmark5:29.4 +11.6s7237.
8. Nancy Merki LeesUSA United States5:32.9 +15.1s1228.
Semis time gapLYRk
1. Karen Margrethe HarupDEN Denmark5:25.7OR 3231.
2. Fernande CaroenBEL Belgium5:26.1 +0.4s5282.
1. Ann CurtisUSA United States5:26.4 +0.7s3223.
2. Brenda HelserUSA United States5:28.1 +2.4s6244.
3. Fritze CarstensenDEN Denmark5:29.5 +3.8s4235.
4. Catherine GibsonGBR Great Britain5:31.0 +5.3s5176.
3. Piedade Coutinho da SilvaBRA Brazil5:31.1 +5.4s6287.
4. Nancy Merki LeesUSA United States5:31.9 +6.2s4228.
5. Colette ThomasFRA France5:35.3 +9.6s7199.
6. Denise SpencerAUS Australia5:35.6 +9.9s81810.
7. Margaret WellingtonGBR Great Britain5:38.2 +12.5s22111.
5. Patricia Eleanor NielsenGBR Great Britain5:39.5 +13.8s21812.
6. Magda Bruggemann SchmidtMEX Mexico5:42.4 +16.7s81813.
8. Eileen HoltARG Argentina5:52.4 +26.7s1_14.
7. Vivien KingCAN Canada5:52.7 +27.0s11815.
-. Gisela ThidholmSWE SwedenDNS 718-.
Heats time gapLYRk
1. Catherine GibsonGBR Great Britain5:26.9 3171.
2. Fernande CaroenBEL Belgium5:29.2 +2.3s2282.
3. Fritze CarstensenDEN Denmark5:29.4 +2.5s1233.
4. Nancy Merki LeesUSA United States5:29.6 +2.7s6224.
1. Brenda HelserUSA United States5:30.0 +3.1s1245.
2. Piedade Coutinho da SiilvaBRA Brazil5:30.2 +3.3s2286.
1. Karen Margrethe HarupDEN Denmark5:31.7 +4.8s3237.
2. Ann CurtisUSA United States5:32.0 +5.1s7228.
3. Colette ThomasFRA France5:32.9 +6.0s5199.
4. Gisela ThidholmSWE Sweden5:34.5 +7.6s81810.
5. Margaret WellingtonGBR Great Britain5:40.0 +13.1s12111.
3. Patricia Eleanor NielsenGBR Great Britain5:40.4 +13.5s71812.
4. Denise SpencerAUS Australia5:40.9 +14.0s81813.
5. Magda Bruggemann SchmidtMEX Mexico5:43.8 +16.9s61814.
6. Eileen HoltARG Argentina5:44.9 +18.0s4_15.
5. Vivien KingCAN Canada5:54.8 +27.9s51816.
6. Kathleen McNamee-FergusonCAN Canada5:58.7 +31.8s41717.
7. Enriqueta DuarteARG Argentina6:14.4 +47.5s61918.
-. Greta AndersenDEN DenmarkDNF 321-.
-. Josette AreneFRA FranceDNS 523-.
-. Talita De Alencar RodriguesBRA BrazilDNS 413-.
-. Eva SzekelyHUN HungaryDNS 721-.
-. Hannie TermeulenNED NetherlandsDNS 219-.
.

Prepared and maintained by Todor Krastev

todor1966@yahoo.com
Last updated: 17 Apr 2023
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