| | Event type
100 metres Backstroke, Women
| Date | 1 – 2 September 1972 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Schwimmhalle, Olympiapark, München |
| Participants | 37 from 21 countries |
This event was very wide open, with no clear favorite. The world record holder was South African Karen Muir, who could not compete because her country was banned from the Olympics, because of their apartheid policies. The 1970 European Championship had been won by Soviet Tinatin Lekveishvili, who was not in Munich, with Hungary’s Andrea Gyarmati placing second. Gyarmati had won the 200 back at the 1970 Europeans, and was highly considered for Munich. The early leader in the final was American Melissa Belote who reached the wall first. Off the turn, she continued to apply pressure and won the gold medal over Gyarmati by about half-a-second. Two days later Belote came back to win the 200 backstroke and added a third gold medal in Munich in the medley relay.
| Pos | Swimmer | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melissa Belote |  USA | 1:06.60 (1 h1) | 1:06.08 (1 h1) | 1:05.78 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | Andrea Gyarmati |  HUN | 1:06.56 (1 h4) | 1:06.39 (1 h2) | 1:06.26 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Susie Atwood | USA | 1:08.30 (2 h3) | 1:06.26 (2 h1) | 1:06.34 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | Karen Moe | USA | 1:07.69 (2 h5) | 1:06.27 (3 h1) | 1:06.69 (4) | |||
| 5 | Wendy Cook |  CAN | 1:07.00 (1 h2) | 1:06.89 (4 h1) | 1:06.70 (5) | |||
| 6 | Enith Brigitha |  NED | 1:06.71 (2 h4) | 1:06.49 (2 h2) | 1:06.82 (6) | |||
| 7 | Christine Herbst |  GDR | 1:07.96 (1 h3) | 1:07.34 (4 h2) | 1:07.27 (7) | |||
| 8 | Silke Pielen |  FRG | 1:07.70 (3 h5) | 1:06.98 (3 h2) | 1:07.36 (8) | |||
| 9 | Donna-Marie Gurr | CAN | 1:07.45 (1 h5) | 1:07.37 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 10 | Tina Lek'veishvili |  URS | 1:07.84 (2 h1) | 1:07.61 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 11 | Sue Lewis |  AUS | 1:08.06 (2 h2) | 1:07.81 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 12 | Annegret Kober | FRG | 1:08.24 (3 h4) | 1:08.01 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 13 | Debbie Palmer | AUS | 1:08.68 (3 h2) | 1:08.29 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 14 | Debra Cain | AUS | 1:08.81 (3 h3) | 1:08.51 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 15 | Angelika Kraus | FRG | 1:08.92 (4 h4) | 1:09.10 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 16 | Marianne Vermaat | NED | 1:09.14 (3 h1) | 1:09.11 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 17 | Susanne Niesner |  SUI | 1:09.16 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| =18 | Sylvie Le Noach |  FRA | 1:09.25 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| =18 | Susanne Hilger | GDR | 1:09.25 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 20 | Nataliya Yershova | URS | 1:09.26 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 21 | Annemarie Groen | NED | 1:09.55 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| =22 | Cathy Raftery | CAN | 1:09.72 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| =22 | Zdenka Gašparac |  YUG | 1:09.72 (4 h5) | – | – | |||
| 24 | Kazu Fujimura |  JPN | 1:09.81 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 25 | Diana Olsson |  SWE | 1:09.86 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 26 | Susan Hunter |  NZL | 1:10.06 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 27 | Jackie Brown |  GBR | 1:10.43 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 28 | Kikuyo Ishii | JPN | 1:10.44 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 29 | Christine Fulcher |  IRL | 1:10.63 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 30 | Diana Ashton | GBR | 1:10.90 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 31 | Ildikó Szekeres | HUN | 1:11.20 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 32 | Diana Sutherland | GBR | 1:12.12 (8 h3) | – | – | |||
| 33 | Patricia López |  ARG | 1:12.13 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 34 | María Cecilia Vargas |  MEX | 1:12.91 (7 h5) | – | – | |||
| 35 | Felicia Ospitaletche |  URU | 1:13.99 (8 h2) | – | – | |||
| 36 | Pat Chan |  SGP | 1:14.24 (8 h5) | – | – | |||
| 37 | Ong Mei Lin |  MAS | 1:19.39 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| Svetlozara Ignatova |  BUL | – (DNS h1) | – | – | ||||
| Mireille Bassoul |  LBN | – (DNS h4) | – | – |
Round One (1 September 1972 — 10:00)
Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Melissa Belote | USA | 1:06.60 | |||
| 2 | – | Tina Lek'veishvili | URS | 1:07.84 | |||
| 3 | – | Marianne Vermaat | NED | 1:09.14 | |||
| 4 | – | Susanne Niesner | SUI | 1:09.16 | |||
| 5 | – | Kazu Fujimura | JPN | 1:09.81 | |||
| 6 | – | Diana Ashton | GBR | 1:10.90 | |||
| – | Svetlozara Ignatova | BUL | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Wendy Cook | CAN | 1:07.00 | |||
| 2 | – | Sue Lewis | AUS | 1:08.06 | |||
| 3 | – | Debbie Palmer | AUS | 1:08.68 | |||
| 4 | – | Annemarie Groen | NED | 1:09.55 | |||
| 5 | – | Susan Hunter | NZL | 1:10.06 | |||
| 6 | – | Kikuyo Ishii | JPN | 1:10.44 | |||
| 7 | – | Ildikó Szekeres | HUN | 1:11.20 | |||
| 8 | – | Felicia Ospitaletche | URU | 1:13.99 |
Heat Three
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Christine Herbst | GDR | 1:07.96 | |||
| 2 | – | Susie Atwood | USA | 1:08.30 | |||
| 3 | – | Debra Cain | AUS | 1:08.81 | |||
| 4 | – | Sylvie Le Noach | FRA | 1:09.25 | |||
| 5 | – | Nataliya Yershova | URS | 1:09.26 | |||
| 6 | – | Diana Olsson | SWE | 1:09.86 | |||
| 7 | – | Christine Fulcher | IRL | 1:10.63 | |||
| 8 | – | Diana Sutherland | GBR | 1:12.12 |
Heat Four
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Andrea Gyarmati | HUN | 1:06.56 | |||
| 2 | – | Enith Brigitha | NED | 1:06.71 | |||
| 3 | – | Annegret Kober | FRG | 1:08.24 | |||
| 4 | – | Angelika Kraus | FRG | 1:08.92 | |||
| 5 | – | Susanne Hilger | GDR | 1:09.25 | |||
| 6 | – | Jackie Brown | GBR | 1:10.43 | |||
| 7 | – | Ong Mei Lin | MAS | 1:19.39 | |||
| – | Mireille Bassoul | LBN | – |
Heat Five
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Donna-Marie Gurr | CAN | 1:07.45 | |||
| 2 | – | Karen Moe | USA | 1:07.69 | |||
| 3 | – | Silke Pielen | FRG | 1:07.70 | |||
| 4 | – | Zdenka Gašparac | YUG | 1:09.72 | |||
| 5 | – | Cathy Raftery | CAN | 1:09.72 | |||
| 6 | – | Patricia López | ARG | 1:12.13 | |||
| 7 | – | María Cecilia Vargas | MEX | 1:12.91 | |||
| 8 | – | Pat Chan | SGP | 1:14.24 |
Semi-Finals (1 September 1972 — 18:00)
Top three in each heat and next two fastest advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Melissa Belote | USA | 1:06.08 | |||
| 2 | – | Susie Atwood | USA | 1:06.26 | |||
| 3 | – | Karen Moe | USA | 1:06.27 | |||
| 4 | – | Wendy Cook | CAN | 1:06.89 | |||
| 5 | – | Tina Lek'veishvili | URS | 1:07.61 | |||
| 6 | – | Sue Lewis | AUS | 1:07.81 | |||
| 7 | – | Debra Cain | AUS | 1:08.51 | |||
| 8 | – | Marianne Vermaat | NED | 1:09.11 |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Andrea Gyarmati | HUN | 1:06.39 | |||
| 2 | – | Enith Brigitha | NED | 1:06.49 | |||
| 3 | – | Silke Pielen | FRG | 1:06.98 | |||
| 4 | – | Christine Herbst | GDR | 1:07.34 | |||
| 5 | – | Donna-Marie Gurr | CAN | 1:07.37 | |||
| 6 | – | Annegret Kober | FRG | 1:08.01 | |||
| 7 | – | Debbie Palmer | AUS | 1:08.29 | |||
| 8 | – | Angelika Kraus | FRG | 1:09.10 |
Final (2 September 1972 — 18:50)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Melissa Belote | USA | 1:05.78 | |||
| 2 | 6 | Andrea Gyarmati | HUN | 1:06.26 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Susie Atwood | USA | 1:06.34 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Karen Moe | USA | 1:06.69 | |||
| 5 | 7 | Wendy Cook | CAN | 1:06.70 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Enith Brigitha | NED | 1:06.82 | |||
| 7 | 8 | Christine Herbst | GDR | 1:07.27 | |||
| 8 | 1 | Silke Pielen | FRG | 1:07.36 |