| | Event type

100 metres Freestyle, Women

Date	8 – 10 August 1936
Status	Olympic
Location	Schwimmstadion, Reichssportfeld, Berlin
Participants	33 from 14 countries

Female American swimmers were not selected for the 1912 Games but since then had dominated the 100 metres freestyle. US women had won ten of a possible twelve medals and all the gold medallists had been American. Willy den Ouden was the silver medallist in Los Angeles whilst still only fourteen and the intervening years had seen her lower the world record on four occasions and by a total of two seconds. The time of 1:04.6 she set early in 1936 would stand until broken at the Melbourne Olympics twenty years later. Although den Ouden did not swim her very best in qualifying, she easily reached the final as Jeannette Campbell of Argentina and another young Dutchwoman, Rie Mastenbroek, were winners of the semi-finals. Den Ouden faltered at the start and lost ground as Campbell and Gisela Arendt forged ahead. Rie Mastenbroek swam a patient race and although only fifth at the turn, she swam past tiring rivals and produced a sprint finish that propelled her past her opponents to touch the wall first. Campbell became the first South American woman to win an Olympic medal whilst Arendt, by then the mother of a six year old son, reappeared in Olympic competition in the 1952 Helsinki Games.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	173	Rie Mastenbroek	NED	1:06.4 (1 h1)	1:06.4 (1 h1)	1:05.9 (1)	Gold
2	16	Jeanette Campbell	ARG	1:06.8 (1 h3)	1:06.6 (1 h2)	1:06.4 (2)	Silver
3	502	Gisela Arendt	GER	1:07.3 (2 h1)	1:07.2 (2 h1)	1:06.6 (3)	Bronze
4	170	Willy den Ouden	NED	1:08.1 (1 h2)	1:06.7 (2 h2)	1:07.6 (4)
5	171	Tini Wagner	NED	1:08.9 (2 h3)	1:08.6 (4 h1)	1:08.1 (5)
6	455	Olive McKean	USA	1:09.3 (3 h2)	1:08.9 (3 h2)	1:08.4 (6)
7	456	Katherine Rawls	USA	1:08.5 (3 h1)	1:08.5 (3 h1)	1:08.7 (7)
=8	454	Bernice Lapp	USA	1:09.0 (1 h5)	1:09.6 (4 h2)	–
=8	–	Piedade Coutinho	BRA	1:09.4 (3 h3)	1:09.6 (5 h1)	–
=8	65	Phyllis Dewar	CAN	1:09.2 (4 h1)	1:09.6 (6 h1)	–
11	21	Evelyn de Lacy	AUS	1:08.5 (2 h2)	1:10.0 (5 h2)	–
12	–	Kazue Kojima	JPN	1:11.0 (2 h4)	1:11.1 (7 h1)	–
13	138	Olive Wadham	GBR	1:11.5 (3 h4)	1:12.0 (6 h2)	–
14	408	Magda Lenkei	HUN	1:09.9 (2 h5)	1:12.1 (8 h1)	–
15	–	Margaret Stone	CAN	1:10.0 (3 h5)	1:12.8 (7 h2)	–
16	89	Ragnhild Hveger	DEN	1:09.6 (1 h4)	1:14.0 (8 h2)	–
17	88	Eva Arndt	DEN	1:10.1 (5 h1)	–	–
=18	90	Elvi Svendsen	DEN	1:10.3 (4 h3)	–	–
=18	503	Leni Lohmar	GER	1:10.3 (4 h5)	–	–
=20	504	Inge Schmitz	GER	1:10.9 (5 h3)	–	–
=20	–	Renée Blondeau	FRA	1:10.9 (5 h5)	–	–
22	411	Vera Harsányi	HUN	1:11.5 (6 h3)	–	–
23	382	Irma Schramková	TCH	1:11.8 (4 h4)	–	–
24	136	Zilpha Grant	GBR	1:12.1 (7 h3)	–	–
25	406	Ilona Ács	HUN	1:12.7 (4 h2)	–	–
26	66	Irene Pirie-Milton	CAN	1:12.8 (5 h2)	–	–
27	137	Margery Hinton	GBR	1:13.0 (6 h1)	–	–
28	20	Kitty Mackay	AUS	1:13.8 (5 h4)	–	–
=29	–	Tsuneko Furuta	JPN	1:14.6 (6 h2)	–	–
=29	222	Rei Takemura	JPN	1:14.6 (7 h1)	–	–
31	54	Scylla Venâncio	BRA	1:15.1 (8 h1)	–	–
32	52	Helena Salles	BRA	1:16.2 (6 h4)	–	–
33	79	Yang Xiuqiong	CHN	1:22.2 (7 h4)	–	–
DNS	24	Jeanne de Rademaecker-Eyckmans	BEL	– (DNS h5)	–	–
DNS	53	Sieglinde Lenk	BRA	–	–	–
DNS	363	Annie Villiger	SUI	– (DNS h5)	–	–
DNS	381	Věra Klatovska	TCH	– (DNS h2)	–	–

Round One

Date	8 August 1936 — 15:00
Format	Top three in each heat and the fastest fourth-place advanced to the semi-finals.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Rie Mastenbroek	NED	1:06.4	QOR
2	–	Jeanette Campbell	ARG	1:06.8	Q
3	–	Gisela Arendt	GER	1:07.3	Q
4	–	Willy den Ouden	NED	1:08.1	Q
=5	–	Katherine Rawls	USA	1:08.5	Q
=5	–	Evelyn de Lacy	AUS	1:08.5	Q
7	–	Tini Wagner	NED	1:08.9	Q
8	–	Bernice Lapp	USA	1:09.0	Q
9	–	Phyllis Dewar	CAN	1:09.2	q
10	–	Olive McKean	USA	1:09.3	Q
11	–	Piedade Coutinho	BRA	1:09.4	Q
12	–	Ragnhild Hveger	DEN	1:09.6	Q
13	–	Magda Lenkei	HUN	1:09.9	Q
14	–	Margaret Stone	CAN	1:10.0	Q
15	–	Eva Arndt	DEN	1:10.1
=16	–	Elvi Svendsen	DEN	1:10.3
=16	–	Leni Lohmar	GER	1:10.3
=18	–	Inge Schmitz	GER	1:10.9
=18	–	Renée Blondeau	FRA	1:10.9
20	–	Kazue Kojima	JPN	1:11.0	Q
=21	–	Vera Harsányi	HUN	1:11.5
=21	–	Olive Wadham	GBR	1:11.5	Q
23	–	Irma Schramková	TCH	1:11.8
24	–	Zilpha Grant	GBR	1:12.1
25	–	Ilona Ács	HUN	1:12.7
26	–	Irene Pirie-Milton	CAN	1:12.8
27	–	Margery Hinton	GBR	1:13.0
28	–	Kitty Mackay	AUS	1:13.8
=29	–	Rei Takemura	JPN	1:14.6
=29	–	Tsuneko Furuta	JPN	1:14.6
31	–	Scylla Venâncio	BRA	1:15.1
32	–	Helena Salles	BRA	1:16.2
33	–	Yang Xiuqiong	CHN	1:22.2
DNS	–	Věra Klatovska	TCH	–
DNS	–	Jeanne de Rademaecker-Eyckmans	BEL	–
DNS	–	Annie Villiger	SUI	–

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Rie Mastenbroek	NED	1:06.4	QOR
2	–	Gisela Arendt	GER	1:07.3	Q
3	–	Katherine Rawls	USA	1:08.5	Q
4	–	Phyllis Dewar	CAN	1:09.2	q
5	–	Eva Arndt	DEN	1:10.1
6	–	Margery Hinton	GBR	1:13.0
7	–	Rei Takemura	JPN	1:14.6
8	–	Scylla Venâncio	BRA	1:15.1

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Willy den Ouden	NED	1:08.1	Q
2	–	Evelyn de Lacy	AUS	1:08.5	Q
3	–	Olive McKean	USA	1:09.3	Q
4	–	Ilona Ács	HUN	1:12.7
5	–	Irene Pirie-Milton	CAN	1:12.8
6	–	Tsuneko Furuta	JPN	1:14.6
DNS	–	Věra Klatovska	TCH	–

Heat #3

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Jeanette Campbell	ARG	1:06.8	Q
2	–	Tini Wagner	NED	1:08.9	Q
3	–	Piedade Coutinho	BRA	1:09.4	Q
4	–	Elvi Svendsen	DEN	1:10.3
5	–	Inge Schmitz	GER	1:10.9
6	–	Vera Harsányi	HUN	1:11.5
7	–	Zilpha Grant	GBR	1:12.1

Heat #4

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Ragnhild Hveger	DEN	1:09.6	Q
2	–	Kazue Kojima	JPN	1:11.0	Q
3	–	Olive Wadham	GBR	1:11.5	Q
4	–	Irma Schramková	TCH	1:11.8
5	–	Kitty Mackay	AUS	1:13.8
6	–	Helena Salles	BRA	1:16.2
7	–	Yang Xiuqiong	CHN	1:22.2

Heat #5

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Bernice Lapp	USA	1:09.0	Q
2	–	Magda Lenkei	HUN	1:09.9	Q
3	–	Margaret Stone	CAN	1:10.0	Q
4	–	Leni Lohmar	GER	1:10.3
5	–	Renée Blondeau	FRA	1:10.9
DNS	–	Jeanne de Rademaecker-Eyckmans	BEL	–
DNS	–	Annie Villiger	SUI	–

Semi-Finals

Date	9 August 1936 — 15:00
Format	Top three in each heat and the fastest fourth-place advanced to the final.

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Rie Mastenbroek	NED	1:06.4	Q=OR
2	–	Jeanette Campbell	ARG	1:06.6	Q
3	–	Willy den Ouden	NED	1:06.7	Q
4	–	Gisela Arendt	GER	1:07.2	Q
5	–	Katherine Rawls	USA	1:08.5	Q
6	–	Tini Wagner	NED	1:08.6	q
7	–	Olive McKean	USA	1:08.9	Q
=8	–	Piedade Coutinho	BRA	1:09.6
=8	–	Phyllis Dewar	CAN	1:09.6
=8	–	Bernice Lapp	USA	1:09.6
11	–	Evelyn de Lacy	AUS	1:10.0
12	–	Kazue Kojima	JPN	1:11.1
13	–	Olive Wadham	GBR	1:12.0
14	–	Magda Lenkei	HUN	1:12.1
15	–	Margaret Stone	CAN	1:12.8
16	–	Ragnhild Hveger	DEN	1:14.0

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Rie Mastenbroek	NED	1:06.4	Q=OR
2	–	Gisela Arendt	GER	1:07.2	Q
3	–	Katherine Rawls	USA	1:08.5	Q
4	–	Tini Wagner	NED	1:08.6	q
5	–	Piedade Coutinho	BRA	1:09.6
6	–	Phyllis Dewar	CAN	1:09.6
7	–	Kazue Kojima	JPN	1:11.1
8	–	Magda Lenkei	HUN	1:12.1

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Jeanette Campbell	ARG	1:06.6	Q
2	–	Willy den Ouden	NED	1:06.7	Q
3	–	Olive McKean	USA	1:08.9	Q
4	–	Bernice Lapp	USA	1:09.6
5	–	Evelyn de Lacy	AUS	1:10.0
6	–	Olive Wadham	GBR	1:12.0
7	–	Margaret Stone	CAN	1:12.8
8	–	Ragnhild Hveger	DEN	1:14.0

Final Round

Date	10 August 1936 — 15:00

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	–	Rie Mastenbroek	NED	1:05.9	OR
2	–	Jeanette Campbell	ARG	1:06.4
3	–	Gisela Arendt	GER	1:06.6
4	–	Willy den Ouden	NED	1:07.6
5	–	Tini Wagner	NED	1:08.1
6	–	Olive McKean	USA	1:08.4
7	–	Katherine Rawls	USA	1:08.7