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| Event type

800 metres Freestyle, Women

Date14 – 16 August 2008
StatusOlympic
LocationBeijing Guojia Youyong Zhongxin, Beijing Aolinpike Gongyuan, Beijing
Participants35 from 29 countries

American Kate Ziegler had won the world titles at both the 800 freestyle and non-Olympic 1500 freestyle at the two world championships held between the Athens and Beijing Olympics. At Beijing however she was eliminated in the heats after recording only the tenth fastest time.

Becky Adlington of Great Britain had set the world’s leading time and had won the World Short Course Championship earlier in the year but there still doubts about her ability to perform at the highest championship level following her disappointing results at the 2007 World Championships. These doubts were dispelled when she won the Olympic 400 freestyle title a few days earlier and she was installed as overwhelming favourite to win the 800 as well. Adlington did not disappoint and the race gradually turned into one between the Briton and Janet Evans’ world record which had stood since 1989. The clock stopped at 8:14.10 which was two seconds under the 20 year old record. Adlington was not yet born when Evans had set the record.

Behind her Alessia Filippi was a distant second with Denmark’s Lotte Friis winning a close battle for bronze. Friis turned the tables on Adlington to become world champion in 2009 but the Briton regained supremacy in 2011.

PosCompetitorNOCR1Final
1Becky AdlingtonGBR8:18.06 (1 h4)8:14.10 (1)Gold
2Alessia FilippiITA8:21.95 (1 h5)8:20.23 (2)Silver
3Lotte FriisDEN8:21.74 (2 h4)8:23.03 (3)Bronze
4Camelia PotecROU8:19.70 (1 h3)8:23.11 (4)
5Li XuanxuCHN8:24.37 (2 h3)8:26.34 (5)
6Kylie PalmerAUS8:22.81 (3 h4)8:26.39 (6)
7Yelena SokolovaRUS8:23.07 (2 h5)8:29.79 (7)
8Cassie PattenGBR8:25.91 (3 h5)8:32.35 (8)
9Wendy TrottRSA8:26.21 (4 h4)
10Kate ZieglerUSA8:26.98 (4 h5)
11Katie HoffUSA8:27.78 (3 h3)
12Coralie BalmyFRA8:28.34 (5 h5)
13Flavia RigamontiSUI8:28.67 (4 h3)
14Andreína PintoVEN8:30.30 (5 h3)
15You MeihongCHN8:31.11 (5 h4)
16Erika VillaécijaESP8:32.27 (6 h5)
17Melissa GormanAUS8:32.34 (7 h5)
18Susana EscobarMEX8:33.51 (1 h2)
19Sophie HuberFRA8:33.76 (8 h5)
20Kristel KöbrichCHI8:34.25 (2 h2)
21Maiko FujinoJPN8:35.60 (6 h3)
22Jördis SteineggerAUT8:36.40 (3 h2)
23Tanya HunksCAN8:38.05 (7 h3)
24Gabriella FagundezSWE8:39.06 (4 h2)
25Jaana EhmckeGER8:39.51 (6 h4)
26Réka NagyHUN8:40.38 (5 h2)
27Ai ShibataJPN8:41.63 (7 h4)
28Elvira EfstathiouGRE8:41.65 (8 h4)
29Stephanie AuHKG8:41.66 (1 h1)
30Lynette LimSGP8:45.56 (6 h2)
31Cecilia BiagioliARG8:50.18 (7 h2)
32Golda MarcusESA8:51.21 (2 h1)
33Eva LehtonenFIN8:53.50 (3 h1)
34Khoo Cai LinMAS9:04.86 (8 h2)
35Karolina SzczepaniakPOL9:08.87 (4 h1)
DNSFederica PellegriniITA– (DNS h3)

Round One

Date14 August 2008
FormatFastest eight swimmers advanced to final
PosLaneCompetitorNOCTime
1Becky AdlingtonGBR8:18.06QOR
2Camelia PotecROU8:19.70Q
3Lotte FriisDEN8:21.74Q
4Alessia FilippiITA8:21.95Q
5Kylie PalmerAUS8:22.81Q
6Yelena SokolovaRUS8:23.07Q
7Li XuanxuCHN8:24.37Q
8Cassie PattenGBR8:25.91Q
9Wendy TrottRSA8:26.21
10Kate ZieglerUSA8:26.98
11Katie HoffUSA8:27.78
12Coralie BalmyFRA8:28.34
13Flavia RigamontiSUI8:28.67
14Andreína PintoVEN8:30.30
15You MeihongCHN8:31.11
16Erika VillaécijaESP8:32.27
17Melissa GormanAUS8:32.34
18Susana EscobarMEX8:33.51
19Sophie HuberFRA8:33.76
20Kristel KöbrichCHI8:34.25
21Maiko FujinoJPN8:35.60
22Jördis SteineggerAUT8:36.40
23Tanya HunksCAN8:38.05
24Gabriella FagundezSWE8:39.06
25Jaana EhmckeGER8:39.51
26Réka NagyHUN8:40.38
27Ai ShibataJPN8:41.63
28Elvira EfstathiouGRE8:41.65
29Stephanie AuHKG8:41.66
30Lynette LimSGP8:45.56
31Cecilia BiagioliARG8:50.18
32Golda MarcusESA8:51.21
33Eva LehtonenFIN8:53.50
34Khoo Cai LinMAS9:04.86
35Karolina SzczepaniakPOL9:08.87
DNSFederica PellegriniITA

Heat #1

Time19:02
PosLaneCompetitorNOCTime
1Stephanie AuHKG8:41.66
2Golda MarcusESA8:51.21
3Eva LehtonenFIN8:53.50
4Karolina SzczepaniakPOL9:08.87

Heat #2

Time19:13
PosLaneCompetitorNOCTime
1Susana EscobarMEX8:33.51
2Kristel KöbrichCHI8:34.25
3Jördis SteineggerAUT8:36.40
4Gabriella FagundezSWE8:39.06
5Réka NagyHUN8:40.38
6Lynette LimSGP8:45.56
7Cecilia BiagioliARG8:50.18
8Khoo Cai LinMAS9:04.86

Heat #3

Time19:24
PosLaneCompetitorNOCTime
1Camelia PotecROU8:19.70Q
2Li XuanxuCHN8:24.37Q
3Katie HoffUSA8:27.78
4Flavia RigamontiSUI8:28.67
5Andreína PintoVEN8:30.30
6Maiko FujinoJPN8:35.60
7Tanya HunksCAN8:38.05
DNSFederica PellegriniITA

Heat #4

Time19:35
PosLaneCompetitorNOCTime
1Becky AdlingtonGBR8:18.06QOR
2Lotte FriisDEN8:21.74Q
3Kylie PalmerAUS8:22.81Q
4Wendy TrottRSA8:26.21
5You MeihongCHN8:31.11
6Jaana EhmckeGER8:39.51
7Ai ShibataJPN8:41.63
8Elvira EfstathiouGRE8:41.65

Heat #5

Time19:46
PosLaneCompetitorNOCTime
1Alessia FilippiITA8:21.95Q
2Yelena SokolovaRUS8:23.07Q
3Cassie PattenGBR8:25.91Q
4Kate ZieglerUSA8:26.98
5Coralie BalmyFRA8:28.34
6Erika VillaécijaESP8:32.27
7Melissa GormanAUS8:32.34
8Sophie HuberFRA8:33.76

Final Round

Date16 August 2008 — 10:16
PosLaneCompetitorNOCTime
1Becky AdlingtonGBR8:14.10WR
2Alessia FilippiITA8:20.23
3Lotte FriisDEN8:23.03
4Camelia PotecROU8:23.11
5Li XuanxuCHN8:26.34
6Kylie PalmerAUS8:26.39
7Yelena SokolovaRUS8:29.79
8Cassie PattenGBR8:32.35