| | Event type
100 metres Freestyle, Women
| Date | 18 – 19 July 1976 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Piscine olympique, Montréal, Québec |
| Participants | 45 from 25 countries |
Kornelia Ender had won this event at the 1973 and 1975 World Championships, and had set nine world records in the 100 freestyle since the Munich Olympics. She came into Montréal as the prohibitive favorite and would not disappoint. Her winning time was her 10th consecutive world record in the event, finishing in 55.65, and was the fifth time she had bettered 56 seconds, the only woman to do so at this time. Behind her for silver was her teammates Petra Priemer followed by the Netherlands’ Enith Brigitha, making Brigitha the first black swimmer to win an Olympic medal. Three American women made the final, placing 4-5-7.
| Pos | Swimmer | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kornelia Ender |  GDR | 55.81 (1 h7) | 55.82 (1 h2) | 55.65 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | Petra Priemer | GDR | 56.95 (1 h1) | 57.21 (4 h2) | 56.49 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Enith Brigitha |  NED | 56.61 (1 h6) | 57.08 (2 h1) | 56.65 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | Kim Peyton |  USA | 57.26 (2 h6) | 56.89 (1 h1) | 56.81 (4) | |||
| 5 | Shirley Babashoff | USA | 58.06 (1 h4) | 56.95 (2 h2) | 56.95 (5) | |||
| 6 | Claudia Hempel | GDR | 57.35 (1 h5) | 57.05 (3 h2) | 56.99 (6) | |||
| 7 | Jill Sterkel | USA | 57.41 (1 h3) | 57.19 (3 h1) | 57.06 (7) | |||
| 8 | Jutta Weber |  FRG | 57.71 (2 h2) | 57.35 (5 h2) | 57.26 (8) | |||
| 9 | Barbara Clark |  CAN | 58.29 (2 h4) | 57.72 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 10 | Anne Jardin | CAN | 57.61 (1 h2) | 57.78 (6 h2) | – | |||
| =11 | Gail Amundrud | CAN | 58.01 (2 h7) | 58.10 (5 h1) | – | |||
| =11 | Lene Jenssen |  NOR | 58.10 (2 h5) | 58.10 (7 h2) | – | |||
| 13 | Rebecca Perrott |  NZL | 57.66 (2 h1) | 58.13 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 14 | Ineke Ran | NED | 58.08 (3 h6) | 58.50 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 15 | Guylaine Berger |  FRA | 58.79 (2 h3) | 58.62 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 16 | Jenny Tate |  AUS | 58.78 (3 h5) | 58.88 (8 h2) | – | |||
| 17 | Lyubov Kobzova |  URS | 58.93 (3 h7) | – | – | |||
| 18 | Irina Vlasova | URS | 58.99 (3 h3) | – | – | |||
| 19 | Anne Richard |  BEL | 59.11 (4 h7) | – | – | |||
| 20 | Pia Mårtensson |  SWE | 59.15 (3 h1) | – | – | |||
| 21 | Marina Klyuchnikova | URS | 59.30 (4 h5) | – | – | |||
| 22 | Drue Le Guier | AUS | 59.40 (4 h6) | – | – | |||
| 23 | Ida Hanson | SWE | 1:00.22 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 24 | Elaine Gray |  GBR | 1:00.31 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| 25 | Sachiko Yamazaki |  JPN | 1:00.43 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 26 | Diana Olsson | SWE | 1:00.46 (5 h7) | – | – | |||
| 27 | Regina Nissen | FRG | 1:00.60 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 28 | Susan Edmondson | GBR | 1:00.64 (3 h4) | – | – | |||
| 29 | Shelley Cramer |  ISV | 1:00.67 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 30 | Berber Kamstra | NED | 1:00.68 (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| 31 | Geert Boekhout | BEL | 1:00.76 (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 32 | Beate Jasch | FRG | 1:00.80 (5 h6) | – | – | |||
| 33 | Rachaniwan Bulakul |  THA | 1:01.33 (5 h5) | – | – | |||
| 34 | María París |  CRC | 1:01.53 (6 h6) | – | – | |||
| 35 | Lesleigh Harvey | AUS | 1:01.59 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 36 | Rossana Juncos |  ARG | 1:01.89 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 37 | Deirdre Sheehan |  IRL | 1:02.11 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 38 | Myriam Mizouni |  TUN | 1:02.42 (6 h1) | – | – | |||
| 39 | Susana Coppo | ARG | 1:02.46 (6 h7) | – | – | |||
| 40 | Marianela Huen |  VEN | 1:02.51 (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 41 | Jane Fayer |  PUR | 1:02.89 (7 h7) | – | – | |||
| 42 | Ivis Poleo | VEN | 1:03.07 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 43 | Vilborg Sverrisdóttir |  ISL | 1:03.26 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 44 | Georgina Osorio |  PAN | 1:03.88 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 45 | Karen Robertson |  HKG | 1:04.29 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| Elisabetta Dessy |  ITA | – (DNS h1) | – | – | ||||
| Lee Yue-Hwan |  TPE | – (DNS h5) | – | – | ||||
| María Ramón |  CUB | – (DNS h6) | – | – | ||||
| Judit Pelle |  HUN | – (DNS h3) | – | – |
Round One (18 July 1976 — 10:15)
Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Petra Priemer | GDR | 56.95 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Rebecca Perrott | NZL | 57.66 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Pia Mårtensson | SWE | 59.15 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Ida Hanson | SWE | 1:00.22 | |||
| 5 | 7 | Shelley Cramer | ISV | 1:00.67 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Myriam Mizouni | TUN | 1:02.42 | |||
| 2 | Elisabetta Dessy | ITA | – |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Anne Jardin | CAN | 57.61 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Jutta Weber | FRG | 57.71 | |||
| 3 | 7 | Sachiko Yamazaki | JPN | 1:00.43 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Regina Nissen | FRG | 1:00.60 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Lesleigh Harvey | AUS | 1:01.59 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Deirdre Sheehan | IRL | 1:02.11 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Vilborg Sverrisdóttir | ISL | 1:03.26 |
Heat Three
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Jill Sterkel | USA | 57.41 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Guylaine Berger | FRA | 58.79 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Irina Vlasova | URS | 58.99 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Elaine Gray | GBR | 1:00.31 | |||
| 5 | 7 | Ivis Poleo | VEN | 1:03.07 | |||
| 6 | 1 | Karen Robertson | HKG | 1:04.29 | |||
| 6 | Judit Pelle | HUN | – |
Heat Four
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Shirley Babashoff | USA | 58.06 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Barbara Clark | CAN | 58.29 | |||
| 3 | 2 | Susan Edmondson | GBR | 1:00.64 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Berber Kamstra | NED | 1:00.68 | |||
| 5 | 6 | Geert Boekhout | BEL | 1:00.76 | |||
| 6 | 7 | Marianela Huen | VEN | 1:02.51 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Georgina Osorio | PAN | 1:03.88 |
Heat Five
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Claudia Hempel | GDR | 57.35 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Lene Jenssen | NOR | 58.10 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Jenny Tate | AUS | 58.78 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Marina Klyuchnikova | URS | 59.30 | |||
| 5 | 1 | Rachaniwan Bulakul | THA | 1:01.33 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Rossana Juncos | ARG | 1:01.89 | |||
| 7 | Lee Yue-Hwan | TPE | – |
Heat Six
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Enith Brigitha | NED | 56.61 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Kim Peyton | USA | 57.26 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Ineke Ran | NED | 58.08 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Drue Le Guier | AUS | 59.40 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Beate Jasch | FRG | 1:00.80 | |||
| 6 | 7 | María París | CRC | 1:01.53 | |||
| 1 | María Ramón | CUB | – |
Heat Seven
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kornelia Ender | GDR | 55.81 | |||
| 2 | 5 | Gail Amundrud | CAN | 58.01 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Lyubov Kobzova | URS | 58.93 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Anne Richard | BEL | 59.11 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Diana Olsson | SWE | 1:00.46 | |||
| 6 | 7 | Susana Coppo | ARG | 1:02.46 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Jane Fayer | PUR | 1:02.89 |
Semi-Finals (18 July 1976 — 19:00)
Fastest eight advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kim Peyton | USA | 56.89 | |||
| 2 | 4 | Enith Brigitha | NED | 57.08 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Jill Sterkel | USA | 57.19 | |||
| 4 | 1 | Barbara Clark | CAN | 57.72 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Gail Amundrud | CAN | 58.10 | |||
| 6 | 6 | Rebecca Perrott | NZL | 58.13 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Ineke Ran | NED | 58.50 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Guylaine Berger | FRA | 58.62 |
Heat Two
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kornelia Ender | GDR | 55.82 | |||
| 2 | 7 | Shirley Babashoff | USA | 56.95 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Claudia Hempel | GDR | 57.05 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Petra Priemer | GDR | 57.21 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Jutta Weber | FRG | 57.35 | |||
| 6 | 6 | Anne Jardin | CAN | 57.78 | |||
| 7 | 1 | Lene Jenssen | NOR | 58.10 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Jenny Tate | AUS | 58.88 |
Final (19 July 1976 — 19:15)
| Pos | Lane | Swimmer | NOC | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kornelia Ender | GDR | 55.65 | |||
| 2 | 1 | Petra Priemer | GDR | 56.49 | |||
| 3 | 2 | Enith Brigitha | NED | 56.65 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Kim Peyton | USA | 56.81 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Shirley Babashoff | USA | 56.95 | |||
| 6 | 6 | Claudia Hempel | GDR | 56.99 | |||
| 7 | 7 | Jill Sterkel | USA | 57.06 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Jutta Weber | FRG | 57.26 |