Kayak Singles, 500 metres, Women
| Date | 22 – 25 October 1968 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Pista Olímpico Virgilio Uribe, Canal de Cuemanco, Xochimilco |
| Participants | 13 from 13 countries |
Lyudmila Pinayeva of the Soviet Union was the reigning Olympic, World, and two-time European Champion and was a heavy favorite to win the gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. In Mexico City she went mostly unchallenged, winning her opening round heat, and then the final, with relative ease. The only other recent major international medalists were Renate Breuer of West Germany (bronze at the 1965 European Championships) and Marcia Jones Smoke (bronze at the 1964 Summer Olympics). Jones Smoke came in fourth in Pinayeva’s heat, although she won the repêchage, while Breuer was second to Romania’s Viorica Dumitru in the other one. The tables were turned in the final, however, with Breuer finishing nearly half a second ahead of Dumitru, who in turn took bronze a good distance ahead of fourth-placed Smoke Jones.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | Rep | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Lyudmila Pinayeva |  URS | 2:07.1 (1 h1) | – | 2:11.09 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | – | Renate Breuer |  FRG | 2:10.3 (2 h2) | – | 2:12.71 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | – | Viorica Dumitru |  ROU | 2:10.0 (1 h2) | – | 2:13.22 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | – | Marcia Jones Smoke |  USA | 2:09.6 (4 h1) | 2:12.67 (1) | 2:14.68 (4) | |||
| 5 | – | Iva Vávrová |  TCH | 2:09.1 (3 h1) | – | 2:14.78 (5) | |||
| 6 | – | Anita Nüßner |  GDR | 2:17.0 (5 h2) | 2:13.42 (2) | 2:16.02 (6) | |||
| 7 | – | Ing-Marie Svensson |  SWE | 2:12.2 (4 h2) | 2:14.55 (3) | 2:16.04 (7) | |||
| 8 | – | Mieke Jaapies |  NED | 2:10.9 (3 h2) | – | 2:18.38 (8) | |||
| AC r3/3 | – | Anna Pfeffer |  HUN | 2:08.6 (2 h1) | – | – ( | |||
| 4 h1 r2/3 | – | Stanisława Szydłowska |  POL | 2:12.1 (5 h1) | 2:15.32 (4) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | – | Sylvia Jackson |  GBR | 2:13.6 (6 h1) | 2:17.98 (5) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | – | Marjorie Homer-Dixon |  CAN | 2:18.5 (6 h2) | 2:20.84 (6) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | – | Ann Margarit Henningsen |  MEX | 2:18.2 (7 h1) | 2:21.39 (7) | – |
Round One
| Date | 22 October 1968 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top three in each heat advanced to the final. |
Heat #1
| Time | 10:15 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Lyudmila Pinayeva | URS | 2:07.1 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Anna Pfeffer | HUN | 2:08.6 | ||
| 3 | 7 | Iva Vávrová | TCH | 2:09.1 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Marcia Jones Smoke | USA | 2:09.6 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Stanisława Szydłowska | POL | 2:12.1 | ||
| 6 | 4 | Sylvia Jackson | GBR | 2:13.6 | ||
| 7 | 5 | Ann Margarit Henningsen | MEX | 2:18.2 |
Heat #2
| Time | 10:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Viorica Dumitru | ROU | 2:10.0 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Renate Breuer | FRG | 2:10.3 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Mieke Jaapies | NED | 2:10.9 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Ing-Marie Svensson | SWE | 2:12.2 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Anita Nüßner | GDR | 2:17.0 | ||
| 6 | 1 | Marjorie Homer-Dixon | CAN | 2:18.5 |
Repêchage
| Date | 24 October 1968 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top three in each heat advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Marcia Jones Smoke | USA | 2:12.67 | ||
| 2 | 9 | Anita Nüßner | GDR | 2:13.42 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Ing-Marie Svensson | SWE | 2:14.55 | ||
| 4 | 8 | Stanisława Szydłowska | POL | 2:15.32 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Sylvia Jackson | GBR | 2:17.98 | ||
| 6 | 4 | Marjorie Homer-Dixon | CAN | 2:20.84 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Ann Margarit Henningsen | MEX | 2:21.39 |
Final Round
| Date | 25 October 1968 — 11:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Lyudmila Pinayeva | URS | 2:11.09 | ||
| 2 | 7 | Renate Breuer | FRG | 2:12.71 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Viorica Dumitru | ROU | 2:13.22 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Marcia Jones Smoke | USA | 2:14.68 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Iva Vávrová | TCH | 2:14.78 | ||
| 6 | 3 | Anita Nüßner | GDR | 2:16.02 | ||
| 7 | 4 | Ing-Marie Svensson | SWE | 2:16.04 | ||
| 8 | 9 | Mieke Jaapies | NED | 2:18.38 | ||
| 8 | Anna Pfeffer | HUN | – |