| Date | 30 July – 2 August 1948 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Wembley Arena, Wembley, London |
| Participants | 34 from 14 countries |
Denmark had emerged as a force in women’s swimming over the previous decade and, although Ragnhild Hveger had retired, they had three strong contenders for gold, including European champion Fritze Carstensen.
The preliminaries saw the youngest of the Danes, Greta Andersen, and Ann Curtis of the USA provide the most impressive performances, and they would battle for gold in the final. Although Curtis, who was better over longer distances, kept close to Andersen throughout, the Danish swimmer maintained a slender lead and became her nation’s first ever gold medalist in swimming. Andersen later turned professional and became a specialist English Channel swimmer. She set a record for the England to France swim in 1964.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 421 | Greta Andersen |  DEN | 1:07.0 (2 h4) | 1:05.9 (1 h1) | 1:06.3 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | – | Ann Curtis |  USA | 1:06.9 (1 h4) | 1:07.6 (1 h2) | 1:06.5 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 432 | Marie-Louise Vaessen |  NED | 1:07.5 (2 h2) | 1:08.4 (2 h2) | 1:07.6 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 423 | Karen Margrethe Harup | DEN | 1:08.4 (2 h3) | 1:08.7 (5 h2) | 1:08.1 (4) | |||
| 5 | 438 | Ingegärd Fredin |  SWE | 1:08.1 (1 h5) | 1:08.4 (3 h2) | 1:08.4 (5) | |||
| 6 | – | Irma Schuhmacher | NED | 1:07.9 (1 h1) | 1:07.7 (3 h1) | 1:08.4 (6) | |||
| 7 | 437 | Elisabeth Ahlgren | SWE | 1:08.7 (1 h3) | 1:08.6 (4 h2) | 1:08.8 (7) | |||
| 8 | 422 | Fritze Carstensen | DEN | 1:06.5 (1 h2) | 1:07.5 (2 h1) | 1:09.1 (8) | |||
| 9 | 443 | Marie Corridon | USA | 1:08.4 (2 h5) | 1:08.9 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 10 | 428 | Lillian Preece |  GBR | 1:09.0 (3 h5) | 1:09.3 (6 h2) | – | |||
| =11 | 439 | Marianne Lundquist | SWE | 1:09.0 (3 h4) | 1:09.5 (5 h1) | – | |||
| =11 | 417 | Piedade Coutinho-Tavares |  BRA | 1:08.6 (4 h3) | 1:09.5 (7 h2) | – | |||
| =13 | 412 | Marjory McQuade |  AUS | 1:08.5 (3 h3) | 1:09.6 (6 h1) | – | |||
| =13 | 427 | Pat Nielsen | GBR | 1:09.4 (5 h3) | 1:09.6 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 15 | 435 | Judit Temes |  HUN | 1:08.3 (2 h1) | 1:09.7 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 16 | 441 | Brenda Helser | USA | 1:09.0 (3 h1) | 1:10.0 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 17 | 424 | Josette Arène |  FRA | 1:09.7 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| =18 | 429 | Margaret Wellington | GBR | 1:09.8 (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| =18 | 431 | Hannie Termeulen | NED | 1:09.8 (4 h5) | – | – | |||
| 20 | 413 | Denise Spencer | AUS | 1:10.0 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 21 | – | Eleonora Schmitt | BRA | 1:10.8 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 22 | 411 | Eileen Holt |  ARG | 1:12.0 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| =23 | 414 | Fernande Caroen |  BEL | 1:12.1 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| =23 | 425 | Ginette Jany | FRA | 1:12.1 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 25 | 436 | Magda Brüggemann |  MEX | 1:12.5 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 26 | 434 | Mária Littomeritzky | HUN | 1:13.0 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 27 | – | Kay McNamee |  CAN | 1:13.3 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 28 | 419 | Irene Strong | CAN | 1:13.5 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 29 | 426 | Gisèle Vallerey | FRA | 1:14.0 (7 h5) | – | – | |||
| 30 | 410 | Enriqueta Duarte | ARG | 1:14.9 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 31 | 433 | Zsuzsa Nádor | HUN | 1:15.8 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 32 | 415 | Maria da Costa | BRA | 1:16.0 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 33 | 409 | Adriana Camelli | ARG | 1:16.5 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 34 | 440 | Marianne Erismann |  SUI | 1:19.9 (7 h1) | – | – | |||
| 420 | Vivian King | CAN | – (DNS h2) | – | – |
| Date | 30 July 1948 — 19:00 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top two in each heat and the next six fastest advanced to the semi-finals. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Fritze Carstensen | DEN | 1:06.5 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Ann Curtis | USA | 1:06.9 | ||
| 3 | 4 | Greta Andersen | DEN | 1:07.0 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Marie-Louise Vaessen | NED | 1:07.5 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Irma Schuhmacher | NED | 1:07.9 | ||
| 6 | 4 | Ingegärd Fredin | SWE | 1:08.1 | ||
| 7 | 6 | Judit Temes | HUN | 1:08.3 | ||
| =8 | 5 | Karen Margrethe Harup | DEN | 1:08.4 | ||
| =8 | 7 | Marie Corridon | USA | 1:08.4 | ||
| 10 | 2 | Marjory McQuade | AUS | 1:08.5 | ||
| 11 | 3 | Piedade Coutinho-Tavares | BRA | 1:08.6 | ||
| 12 | 4 | Elisabeth Ahlgren | SWE | 1:08.7 | 1 | |
| =13 | 1 | Brenda Helser | USA | 1:09.0 | ||
| =13 | 7 | Marianne Lundquist | SWE | 1:09.0 | ||
| =13 | 2 | Lillian Preece | GBR | 1:09.0 | ||
| 16 | 6 | Pat Nielsen | GBR | 1:09.4 | ||
| 17 | 3 | Josette Arène | FRA | 1:09.7 | ||
| =18 | 2 | Margaret Wellington | GBR | 1:09.8 | ||
| =18 | 3 | Hannie Termeulen | NED | 1:09.8 | ||
| 20 | 5 | Denise Spencer | AUS | 1:10.0 | ||
| 21 | 7 | Eleonora Schmitt | BRA | 1:10.8 | ||
| 22 | 4 | Eileen Holt | ARG | 1:12.0 | ||
| =23 | 7 | Ginette Jany | FRA | 1:12.1 | ||
| =23 | 1 | Fernande Caroen | BEL | 1:12.1 | ||
| 25 | 7 | Magda Brüggemann | MEX | 1:12.5 | ||
| 26 | 1 | Mária Littomeritzky | HUN | 1:13.0 | ||
| 27 | 6 | Kay McNamee | CAN | 1:13.3 | ||
| 28 | 6 | Irene Strong | CAN | 1:13.5 | ||
| 29 | 5 | Gisèle Vallerey | FRA | 1:14.0 | ||
| 30 | 1 | Enriqueta Duarte | ARG | 1:14.9 | ||
| 31 | 3 | Zsuzsa Nádor | HUN | 1:15.8 | ||
| 32 | 1 | Maria da Costa | BRA | 1:16.0 | ||
| 33 | 2 | Adriana Camelli | ARG | 1:16.5 | ||
| 34 | 2 | Marianne Erismann | SUI | 1:19.9 | ||
| 4 | Vivian King | CAN | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Irma Schuhmacher | NED | 1:07.9 | ||
| 2 | 6 | Judit Temes | HUN | 1:08.3 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Brenda Helser | USA | 1:09.0 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Josette Arène | FRA | 1:09.7 | ||
| 5 | 4 | Eileen Holt | ARG | 1:12.0 | ||
| 6 | 7 | Magda Brüggemann | MEX | 1:12.5 | ||
| 7 | 2 | Marianne Erismann | SUI | 1:19.9 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Fritze Carstensen | DEN | 1:06.5 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Marie-Louise Vaessen | NED | 1:07.5 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Denise Spencer | AUS | 1:10.0 | ||
| 4 | 7 | Eleonora Schmitt | BRA | 1:10.8 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Mária Littomeritzky | HUN | 1:13.0 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Adriana Camelli | ARG | 1:16.5 | ||
| 4 | Vivian King | CAN | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Elisabeth Ahlgren | SWE | 1:08.7 | 2 | |
| 2 | 5 | Karen Margrethe Harup | DEN | 1:08.4 | ||
| 3 | 2 | Marjory McQuade | AUS | 1:08.5 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Piedade Coutinho-Tavares | BRA | 1:08.6 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Pat Nielsen | GBR | 1:09.4 | ||
| 6 | 7 | Ginette Jany | FRA | 1:12.1 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Enriqueta Duarte | ARG | 1:14.9 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Ann Curtis | USA | 1:06.9 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Greta Andersen | DEN | 1:07.0 | ||
| 3 | 7 | Marianne Lundquist | SWE | 1:09.0 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Margaret Wellington | GBR | 1:09.8 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Kay McNamee | CAN | 1:13.3 | ||
| 6 | 3 | Zsuzsa Nádor | HUN | 1:15.8 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Maria da Costa | BRA | 1:16.0 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Ingegärd Fredin | SWE | 1:08.1 | ||
| 2 | 7 | Marie Corridon | USA | 1:08.4 | ||
| 3 | 2 | Lillian Preece | GBR | 1:09.0 | ||
| 4 | 3 | Hannie Termeulen | NED | 1:09.8 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Fernande Caroen | BEL | 1:12.1 | ||
| 6 | 6 | Irene Strong | CAN | 1:13.5 | ||
| 7 | 5 | Gisèle Vallerey | FRA | 1:14.0 |
| Date | 31 July 1948 — 19:00 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top two in each heat and the next four fastest advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Greta Andersen | DEN | 1:05.9 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Fritze Carstensen | DEN | 1:07.5 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Ann Curtis | USA | 1:07.6 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Irma Schuhmacher | NED | 1:07.7 | ||
| =5 | 4 | Marie-Louise Vaessen | NED | 1:08.4 | ||
| =5 | 6 | Ingegärd Fredin | SWE | 1:08.4 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Elisabeth Ahlgren | SWE | 1:08.6 | ||
| 8 | 3 | Karen Margrethe Harup | DEN | 1:08.7 | ||
| 9 | 7 | Marie Corridon | USA | 1:08.9 | ||
| 10 | 1 | Lillian Preece | GBR | 1:09.3 | ||
| =11 | 8 | Marianne Lundquist | SWE | 1:09.5 | ||
| =11 | 2 | Piedade Coutinho-Tavares | BRA | 1:09.5 | ||
| =13 | 2 | Marjory McQuade | AUS | 1:09.6 | ||
| =13 | 1 | Pat Nielsen | GBR | 1:09.6 | 3 | |
| 15 | 3 | Judit Temes | HUN | 1:09.7 | ||
| 16 | 8 | Brenda Helser | USA | 1:10.0 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Greta Andersen | DEN | 1:05.9 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Fritze Carstensen | DEN | 1:07.5 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Irma Schuhmacher | NED | 1:07.7 | ||
| 4 | 7 | Marie Corridon | USA | 1:08.9 | ||
| 5 | 8 | Marianne Lundquist | SWE | 1:09.5 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Marjory McQuade | AUS | 1:09.6 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Pat Nielsen | GBR | 1:09.6 | 4 | |
| 8 | 3 | Judit Temes | HUN | 1:09.7 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Ann Curtis | USA | 1:07.6 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Marie-Louise Vaessen | NED | 1:08.4 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Ingegärd Fredin | SWE | 1:08.4 | ||
| 4 | 7 | Elisabeth Ahlgren | SWE | 1:08.6 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Karen Margrethe Harup | DEN | 1:08.7 | ||
| 6 | 1 | Lillian Preece | GBR | 1:09.3 | ||
| 7 | 2 | Piedade Coutinho-Tavares | BRA | 1:09.5 | ||
| 8 | 8 | Brenda Helser | USA | 1:10.0 |
| Date | 2 August 1948 — 19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Greta Andersen | DEN | 1:06.3 | ||
| 2 | 6 | Ann Curtis | USA | 1:06.5 | ||
| 3 | 7 | Marie-Louise Vaessen | NED | 1:07.6 | ||
| 4 | 1 | Karen Margrethe Harup | DEN | 1:08.1 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Ingegärd Fredin | SWE | 1:08.4 | ||
| 6 | 3 | Irma Schuhmacher | NED | 1:08.4 | ||
| 7 | 8 | Elisabeth Ahlgren | SWE | 1:08.8 | ||
| 8 | 4 | Fritze Carstensen | DEN | 1:09.1 |
