| Date | 27 July 1992 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Piscinas Bernat Picornell, Barcelona |
| Participants | 37 from 26 countries |
The 1991 World Champion was Hayley Lewis but she did not make the Australian team for this event. The 1991 Pan Pacs had been won by American Nicole Haislett, who was favored in Lewis’s absence, but the best qualifying time was posted by 14-year-old German Franziska van Almsick, who recorded 1:57.90, the fifth fastest performance of all-time. Van Almsick had first been noticed at the German Nationals in April when she won this race in 2:00.05 before she had turned 14.
In the final, van Almsick went out quickly, leading at 50 metres. Haislett was next to her and was surprised to see the youthful van Almsick swimming next to her lane rope. Haislett moved over and drafted off her, as they swam-for-stroke for most of the race. Haislett did not take the lead until 10 metres from the wall, and outtouched van Almsick, 1:57.90 to 1:58.00.
Van Almsick would win 10 Olympic medals in her career, but never a gold, and this race was as close as she ever came to the top step of the podium. Haislett competed only at one Olympics, 1992, winning three gold medals, with two in relays. At the 1990 Goodwill Games she had become the first American to defeat an East German sprint freestyler, Manuela Stellmach, since 1972.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | R1 | B Final | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 610 | Nicole Haislett |  USA | 1:59.33 (1 h5) | – | 1:57.90 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 292 | Franziska van Almsick |  GER | 1:57.90 (1 h3) | – | 1:58.00 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 279 | Kerstin Kielgaß | GER | 2:00.55 (2 h3) | – | 1:59.67 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 231 | Catherine Plewinski |  FRA | 2:00.67 (3 h4) | – | 1:59.88 (4) | |||
| 5 | 510 | Luminița Dobrescu |  ROU | 2:00.51 (1 h4) | – | 2:00.48 (5) | |||
| 6 | 379 | Suzu Chiba |  JPN | 2:00.96 (3 h5) | – | 2:00.64 (6) | |||
| 7 | 177 | Olga Kirichenko |  EUN | 2:00.67 (2 h5) | – | 2:00.90 (7) | |||
| 8 | 114 | Lu Bin |  CHN | 2:00.56 (2 h4) | – | 2:02.10 (8) | |||
| 9 | 171 | Yelena Dendeberova | EUN | 2:01.28 (4 h4) | 2:00.09 (1) | – | |||
| 10 | 257 | Karen Pickering |  GBR | 2:01.09 (4 h3) | 2:00.33 (2) | – | |||
| 11 | 30 | Susie O'Neill |  AUS | 2:01.05 (3 h3) | 2:00.89 (3) | – | |||
| 12 | 569 | Malin Nilsson |  SWE | 2:03.44 (7 h5) | 2:02.02 (4) | – | |||
| 13 | 130 | Mette Jacobsen |  DEN | 2:01.84 (4 h5) | 2:02.14 (5) | – | |||
| 14 | 131 | Gitta Jensen | DEN | 2:02.27 (5 h3) | 2:02.32 (6) | – | |||
| 15 | 513 | Carla-Creola Negrea | ROU | 2:03.16 (5 h5) | 2:02.96 (7) | – | |||
| 16 | 39 | Nicole Stevenson | AUS | 2:02.50 (6 h4) | 2:04.21 (8) | – | |||
| 17 | 635 | Jenny Thompson | USA | 2:01.71 (5 h4) | – | – | 1 | ||
| 18 | 393 | Yoko Koikawa | JPN | 2:03.32 (6 h5) | – | – | |||
| 19 | 86 | Nikki Dryden |  CAN | 2:03.59 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 20 | 47 | Isabelle Arnould |  BEL | 2:04.06 (7 h3) | – | – | |||
| 21 | 123 | Zhuang Yong | CHN | 2:04.12 (8 h5) | – | – | |||
| 22 | 91 | Allison Higson | CAN | 2:04.25 (1 h2) | – | – | |||
| 23 | 453 | Irene Dalby |  NOR | 2:04.28 (7 h4) | – | – | |||
| 24 | 158 | Natalia Pulido |  ESP | 2:04.39 (2 h2) | – | – | |||
| 25 | 49 | Sandra Cam | BEL | 2:04.72 (8 h3) | – | – | |||
| 26 | 449 | Diane van der Plaats |  NED | 2:05.42 (8 h4) | – | – | |||
| 27 | 504 | Rita Garay |  PUR | 2:07.08 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 28 | 538 | Joscelin Yeo |  SGP | 2:07.09 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 29 | 479 | Akiko Thomson |  PHI | 2:07.95 (1 h1) | – | – | |||
| 30 | 315 | Robyn Lamsam |  HKG | 2:08.60 (2 h1) | – | – | |||
| 31 | 140 | Rania El-Wani |  EGY | 2:08.93 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 32 | 141 | María José Marenco |  ESA | 2:09.36 (3 h1) | – | – | |||
| 33 | 324 | Claudia Fortín |  HON | 2:12.24 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 34 | 197 | Sharon Pickering |  FIJ | 2:12.43 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 35 | 436 | Corinne Leclair |  MRI | 2:12.55 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 36 | 536 | May Ooi | SGP | 2:13.20 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| 37 | 61 | Paola Peñarrieta |  BOL | 2:15.74 (6 h1) | – | – |
| Date | 27 July 1992 — 10:30 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. Places 9-16 advanced to the B Final. |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Akiko Thomson | PHI | 2:07.95 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Robyn Lamsam | HKG | 2:08.60 | ||
| 3 | 4 | María José Marenco | ESA | 2:09.36 | ||
| 4 | 6 | Claudia Fortín | HON | 2:12.24 | ||
| 5 | 7 | Sharon Pickering | FIJ | 2:12.43 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Paola Peñarrieta | BOL | 2:15.74 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Allison Higson | CAN | 2:04.25 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Natalia Pulido | ESP | 2:04.39 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Rita Garay | PUR | 2:07.08 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Joscelin Yeo | SGP | 2:07.09 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Rania El-Wani | EGY | 2:08.93 | ||
| 6 | 1 | Corinne Leclair | MRI | 2:12.55 | ||
| 7 | 7 | May Ooi | SGP | 2:13.20 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Franziska van Almsick | GER | 1:57.90 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Kerstin Kielgaß | GER | 2:00.55 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Susie O'Neill | AUS | 2:01.05 | ||
| 4 | 2 | Karen Pickering | GBR | 2:01.09 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Gitta Jensen | DEN | 2:02.27 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Nikki Dryden | CAN | 2:03.59 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Isabelle Arnould | BEL | 2:04.06 | ||
| 8 | 1 | Sandra Cam | BEL | 2:04.72 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Luminița Dobrescu | ROU | 2:00.51 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Lu Bin | CHN | 2:00.56 | ||
| 3 | 5 | Catherine Plewinski | FRA | 2:00.67 | ||
| 4 | 7 | Yelena Dendeberova | EUN | 2:01.28 | ||
| 5 | 4 | Jenny Thompson | USA | 2:01.71 | ||
| 6 | 6 | Nicole Stevenson | AUS | 2:02.50 | ||
| 7 | 8 | Irene Dalby | NOR | 2:04.28 | ||
| 8 | 1 | Diane van der Plaats | NED | 2:05.42 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Nicole Haislett | USA | 1:59.33 | ||
| 2 | 7 | Olga Kirichenko | EUN | 2:00.67 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Suzu Chiba | JPN | 2:00.96 | ||
| 4 | 5 | Mette Jacobsen | DEN | 2:01.84 | ||
| 5 | 8 | Carla-Creola Negrea | ROU | 2:03.16 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Yoko Koikawa | JPN | 2:03.32 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Malin Nilsson | SWE | 2:03.44 | ||
| 8 | 6 | Zhuang Yong | CHN | 2:04.12 |
| Date | 27 July 1992 — 18:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Yelena Dendeberova | EUN | 2:00.09 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Karen Pickering | GBR | 2:00.33 | ||
| 3 | 4 | Susie O'Neill | AUS | 2:00.89 | ||
| 4 | 8 | Malin Nilsson | SWE | 2:02.02 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Mette Jacobsen | DEN | 2:02.14 | ||
| 6 | 2 | Gitta Jensen | DEN | 2:02.32 | ||
| 7 | 1 | Carla-Creola Negrea | ROU | 2:02.96 | ||
| 8 | 7 | Nicole Stevenson | AUS | 2:04.21 |
| Date | 27 July 1992 — 18:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitor | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nicole Haislett | USA | 1:57.90 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Franziska van Almsick | GER | 1:58.00 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Kerstin Kielgaß | GER | 1:59.67 | ||
| 4 | 1 | Catherine Plewinski | FRA | 1:59.88 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Luminița Dobrescu | ROU | 2:00.48 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Suzu Chiba | JPN | 2:00.64 | ||
| 7 | 7 | Olga Kirichenko | EUN | 2:00.90 | ||
| 8 | 2 | Lu Bin | CHN | 2:02.10 |
