| | Event type

200 metres Backstroke, Women

Date	19 – 20 August 2004
Status	Olympic
Location	Olympiako Kentro Ugrou Stivou, Olympiako Athletiko Kentro Athinon Spiros Loues, Athina (Main Pool)
Participants	34 from 27 countries

The longer of the two backstroke events did not have a clear favourite in Athens. Russia’s Stanislava Komarova was generally accepted to be the most talented in the race for gold but could be frustratingly inconsistent at the highest level. The 2003 World Champion and world leader for 2004 was Katy Sexton but the British team of which she was a part had endured a poor time at the Games.

Few would have considered Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry a medal favourite before the Games began but the American-based swimmer had already won a silver and a bronze and this event was potentially a stronger one for her. Coventry took the lead from the first few strokes and left Komarova trailing in her wake to claim Zimbabwe’s first individual Olympic gold and the first by any African swimmer from outside South Africa. Komarova held on for silver with Reiko Nakamura of Japan and Germany’s Antje Buschschulte finishing in a dead heat for third.

Coventry’s win came at the time when racial tensions in Zimbabwe were at a peak and, for a short time at least, brought the troubled country some measure of joy.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	Kirsty Coventry	ZIM	2:12.49 (2 h3)	2:10.04 (2 h2)	2:09.19 (1)	Gold
2	Stanislava Komarova	RUS	2:10.71 (1 h4)	2:09.62 (1 h2)	2:09.72 (2)	Silver
=3	Reiko Nakamura	JPN	2:11.14 (1 h3)	2:10.14 (1 h1)	2:09.88 (=3)	Bronze
=3	Antje Buschschulte	GER	2:12.96 (2 h4)	2:10.66 (3 h2)	2:09.88 (=3)	Bronze
5	Margaret Hoelzer	USA	2:12.55 (1 h5)	2:11.68 (2 h1)	2:10.70 (5)
6	Louise Ørnstedt	DEN	2:13.05 (3 h5)	2:11.77 (4 h2)	2:11.15 (6)
7	Katy Sexton	GBR	2:13.25 (3 h3)	2:12.62 (4 h1)	2:12.11 (7)
8	Aya Terakawa	JPN	2:13.55 (4 h4)	2:12.21 (3 h1)	2:12.90 (8)
9	Jennifer Fratesi	CAN	2:13.00 (2 h5)	2:12.64 (5 h1)	–
10	Hannah McLean	NZL	2:13.33 (3 h4)	2:12.87 (5 h2)	–
11	Nicole Hetzer	GER	2:14.42 (4 h5)	2:13.01 (6 h2)	–
12	Melissa Morgan	AUS	2:14.06 (4 h3)	2:13.34 (7 h2)	–
13	Sanja Jovanović	CRO	2:15.01 (5 h4)	2:13.76 (6 h1)	–
14	Evelyn Verrasztó	HUN	2:14.07 (1 h2)	2:13.98 (7 h1)	–
15	Iryna Amshennikova	UKR	2:14.49 (5 h5)	2:14.83 (8 h1)	–
16	Fran Adcock	AUS	2:14.85 (6 h5)	2:15.69 (8 h2)	–
17	Kristen Caverly	USA	2:15.34 (6 h4)	–	–
18	Elizabeth Warden	CAN	2:15.77 (5 h3)	–	–
19	Kateřina Pivoňková	CZE	2:16.08 (2 h2)	–	–
20	Karen Lee	GBR	2:16.10 (7 h4)	–	–
=21	Alessia Filippi	ITA	2:17.29 (6 h3)	–	–
=21	Şadan Derya Erke	TUR	2:17.29 (3 h2)	–	–
23	Anja Čarman	SLO	2:17.62 (7 h5)	–	–
24	Lin Man-Hsu	TPE	2:17.68 (4 h2)	–	–
25	Lee Da-Hye	KOR	2:17.73 (5 h2)	–	–
26	Gisela Morales	GUA	2:18.23 (6 h2)	–	–
27	Alexandra Putra	FRA	2:19.75 (8 h5)	–	–
28	Sherry Tsai	HKG	2:19.83 (1 h1)	–	–
29	Chonlathorn Vorathamrong	THA	2:21.11 (7 h2)	–	–
30	Eirini Karastergiou	GRE	2:21.93 (8 h2)	–	–
31	Gretchen Gotay	PUR	2:23.39 (2 h1)	–	–
32	Saida Iskandarova	UZB	2:26.17 (3 h1)	–	–
33	Zhan Shu	CHN	2:31.56 (7 h3)	–	–
DQ	Chen Xiujun	CHN	– (DQ h3)	–	–
DNS	Alenka Kejžar	SLO	– (DNS h4)	–	–

Round One (19 August 2004)

Fastest 16 advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One (11:33)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Sherry Tsai	HKG	32.64 (1) 35.28 (1)	1:07.92 (1) 36.04 (1)	1:43.96 (1) 35.87 (1)	2:19.83	0.64
2	5	Gretchen Gotay	PUR	34.18 (3) 35.47 (2)	1:09.65 (3) 36.70 (2)	1:46.35 (2) 37.04 (2)	2:23.39	0.68
3	3	Saida Iskandarova	UZB	33.20 (2) 36.09 (3)	1:09.29 (2) 38.60 (3)	1:47.89 (3) 38.28 (3)	2:26.17	0.72

Heat Two (11:37)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	2	Evelyn Verrasztó	HUN	32.72 (6) 33.55 (1)	1:06.27 (4) 34.39 (1)	1:40.66 (1) 33.41 (1)	2:14.07	0.85	Q
2	6	Kateřina Pivoňková	CZE	32.23 (3) 33.88 (2)	1:06.11 (3) 35.08 (3)	1:41.19 (2) 34.89 (4)	2:16.08	0.81
3	7	Şadan Derya Erke	TUR	32.52 (5) 34.74 (5)	1:07.26 (5) 35.40 (4)	1:42.66 (5) 34.63 (2)	2:17.29	0.63
4	1	Lin Man-Hsu	TPE	32.88 (7) 35.14 (8)	1:08.02 (7) 34.84 (2)	1:42.86 (6) 34.82 (3)	2:17.68	0.69
5	5	Lee Da-Hye	KOR	31.73 (2) 34.10 (4)	1:05.83 (2) 36.02 (6)	1:41.85 (4) 35.88 (5)	2:17.73	0.65
6	3	Gisela Morales	GUA	31.63 (1) 34.02 (3)	1:05.65 (1) 35.76 (5)	1:41.41 (3) 36.82 (=6)	2:18.23	0.71
7	8	Chonlathorn Vorathamrong	THA	33.05 (8) 35.11 (7)	1:08.16 (8) 36.13 (7)	1:44.29 (7) 36.82 (=6)	2:21.11	0.66
8	4	Eirini Karastergiou	GRE	32.42 (4) 35.06 (6)	1:07.48 (6) 37.10 (8)	1:44.58 (8) 37.35 (8)	2:21.93	0.61

Heat Three (11:41)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Reiko Nakamura	JPN	31.40 (2) 32.78 (2)	1:04.18 (2) 33.60 (1)	1:37.78 (1) 33.36 (2)	2:11.14	0.67	Q
2	1	Kirsty Coventry	ZIM	32.07 (4) 33.86 (6)	1:05.93 (6) 33.63 (2)	1:39.56 (2) 32.93 (1)	2:12.49	0.69	Q
3	5	Katy Sexton	GBR	31.57 (3) 33.83 (5)	1:05.40 (4) 34.32 (3)	1:39.72 (3) 33.53 (3)	2:13.25	0.75	Q
4	2	Melissa Morgan	AUS	32.18 (6) 32.96 (3)	1:05.14 (3) 34.61 (5)	1:39.75 (4) 34.31 (4)	2:14.06	0.70	Q
5	7	Elizabeth Warden	CAN	32.10 (5) 33.69 (4)	1:05.79 (5) 34.47 (4)	1:40.26 (5) 35.51 (5)	2:15.77	0.64
6	8	Alessia Filippi	ITA	32.49 (7) 34.19 (7)	1:06.68 (7) 34.99 (6)	1:41.67 (6) 35.62 (6)	2:17.29	0.73
7	3	Zhan Shu	CHN	29.99 (1) 31.60 (1)	1:01.59 (1) 46.83 (7)	1:48.42 (7) 43.14 (7)	2:31.56	0.66
DQ	6	Chen Xiujun	CHN	– (–) –	– (–) –	– (–) –	–	[0.60]

Heat Four (11:45)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Stanislava Komarova	RUS	31.68 (3) 32.66 (1)	1:04.34 (1) 33.26 (1)	1:37.60 (1) 33.11 (1)	2:10.71	0.75	Q
2	6	Antje Buschschulte	GER	31.74 (5) 33.71 (3)	1:05.45 (5) 33.74 (2)	1:39.19 (3) 33.77 (3)	2:12.96	0.68	Q
3	1	Hannah McLean	NZL	31.52 (1) 33.44 (2)	1:04.96 (2) 33.90 (3)	1:38.86 (2) 34.47 (5)	2:13.33	0.65	Q
4	5	Aya Terakawa	JPN	31.56 (2) 33.75 (5)	1:05.31 (3) 34.37 (4)	1:39.68 (4) 33.87 (4)	2:13.55	0.62	Q
5	8	Sanja Jovanović	CRO	31.89 (7) 34.18 (7)	1:06.07 (7) 35.24 (7)	1:41.31 (7) 33.70 (2)	2:15.01	0.70	Q
6	2	Kristen Caverly	USA	31.71 (4) 33.72 (4)	1:05.43 (4) 34.95 (5)	1:40.38 (5) 34.96 (6)	2:15.34	0.70
7	3	Karen Lee	GBR	31.86 (6) 33.85 (6)	1:05.71 (6) 35.18 (6)	1:40.89 (6) 35.21 (7)	2:16.10	0.67
DNS	7	Alenka Kejžar	SLO	– (–) –	– (–) –	– (–) –	–	–

Heat Five (11:49)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Margaret Hoelzer	USA	31.67 (2) 33.93 (5)	1:05.60 (2) 33.52 (2)	1:39.12 (2) 33.43 (1)	2:12.55	0.65	Q
2	2	Jennifer Fratesi	CAN	32.32 (6) 33.62 (3)	1:05.94 (4) 33.40 (1)	1:39.34 (3) 33.66 (2)	2:13.00	0.79	Q
3	3	Louise Ørnstedt	DEN	31.36 (1) 33.09 (1)	1:04.45 (1) 34.10 (4)	1:38.55 (1) 34.50 (4)	2:13.05	0.72	Q
4	6	Nicole Hetzer	GER	32.30 (5) 34.01 (6)	1:06.31 (6) 34.27 (6)	1:40.58 (6) 33.84 (3)	2:14.42	0.73	Q
5	5	Iryna Amshennikova	UKR	31.81 (3) 33.87 (4)	1:05.68 (3) 34.08 (3)	1:39.76 (4) 34.73 (6)	2:14.49	0.68	Q
6	1	Fran Adcock	AUS	32.44 (7) 33.56 (2)	1:06.00 (5) 34.14 (5)	1:40.14 (5) 34.71 (5)	2:14.85	0.57	Q
7	7	Anja Čarman	SLO	32.58 (8) 34.12 (7)	1:06.70 (7) 35.26 (7)	1:41.96 (7) 35.66 (7)	2:17.62	0.76
8	8	Alexandra Putra	FRA	32.16 (4) 34.92 (8)	1:07.08 (8) 36.05 (8)	1:43.13 (8) 36.62 (8)	2:19.75	0.65

Semi-Finals (19 August 2004)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One (19:55)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Reiko Nakamura	JPN	31.25 (2) 32.93 (1)	1:04.18 (1) 33.05 (1)	1:37.23 (1) 32.91 (1)	2:10.14	0.68	Q
2	5	Margaret Hoelzer	USA	31.53 (4) 33.26 (4)	1:04.79 (3) 33.39 (2)	1:38.18 (2) 33.50 (4)	2:11.68	0.72	Q
3	2	Aya Terakawa	JPN	31.28 (3) 33.61 (5)	1:04.89 (4) 33.80 (3)	1:38.69 (3) 33.52 (5)	2:12.21	0.61	Q
4	6	Katy Sexton	GBR	31.80 (6) 33.83 (=7)	1:05.63 (7) 33.91 (5)	1:39.54 (6) 33.08 (2)	2:12.62	0.75	Q
5	3	Jennifer Fratesi	CAN	32.03 (7) 33.15 (2)	1:05.18 (5) 33.81 (4)	1:38.99 (5) 33.65 (6)	2:12.64	0.72
6	8	Sanja Jovanović	CRO	31.71 (5) 33.77 (6)	1:05.48 (6) 34.43 (7)	1:39.91 (7) 33.85 (7)	2:13.76	0.70
7	7	Evelyn Verrasztó	HUN	32.52 (8) 33.83 (=7)	1:06.35 (8) 34.26 (6)	1:40.61 (8) 33.37 (3)	2:13.98	0.77
8	1	Iryna Amshennikova	UKR	31.07 (1) 33.21 (3)	1:04.28 (2) 34.67 (8)	1:38.95 (4) 35.88 (8)	2:14.83	0.68

Heat Two (20:01)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	4	Stanislava Komarova	RUS	31.23 (2) 32.64 (2)	1:03.87 (1) 32.95 (1)	1:36.82 (1) 32.80 (1)	2:09.62	0.78	Q
2	5	Kirsty Coventry	ZIM	31.28 (3) 32.69 (3)	1:03.97 (2) 33.24 (2)	1:37.21 (2) 32.83 (2)	2:10.04	0.76	Q
3	3	Antje Buschschulte	GER	31.51 (5) 32.61 (1)	1:04.12 (3) 33.26 (3)	1:37.38 (3) 33.28 (3)	2:10.66	0.65	Q
4	6	Louise Ørnstedt	DEN	31.43 (4) 33.14 (4)	1:04.57 (5) 33.71 (4)	1:38.28 (4) 33.49 (4)	2:11.77	0.73	Q
5	2	Hannah McLean	NZL	31.18 (1) 33.35 (5)	1:04.53 (4) 34.18 (7)	1:38.71 (5) 34.16 (7)	2:12.87	0.67
6	1	Nicole Hetzer	GER	31.94 (6) 33.55 (7)	1:05.49 (6) 33.89 (5)	1:39.38 (6) 33.63 (5)	2:13.01	0.75
7	7	Melissa Morgan	AUS	32.12 (8) 33.47 (6)	1:05.59 (8) 34.11 (6)	1:39.70 (7) 33.64 (6)	2:13.34	0.70
8	8	Fran Adcock	AUS	31.96 (7) 33.57 (8)	1:05.53 (7) 34.65 (8)	1:40.18 (8) 35.51 (8)	2:15.69	0.66

Final (20 August 2004 — 19:30)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	100 m	150 m	Time	Reaction
1	5	Kirsty Coventry	ZIM	30.81 (1) 32.41 (1)	1:03.22 (1) 33.01 (4)	1:36.23 (1) 32.96 (3)	2:09.19	0.72
2	4	Stanislava Komarova	RUS	31.54 (8) 32.49 (3)	1:04.03 (5) 32.93 (1)	1:36.96 (5) 32.76 (1)	2:09.72	0.81
=3	3	Reiko Nakamura	JPN	30.94 (3) 32.76 (5)	1:03.70 (3) 33.19 (5)	1:36.89 (4) 32.99 (4)	2:09.88	0.62
=3	6	Antje Buschschulte	GER	30.82 (2) 32.48 (2)	1:03.30 (2) 32.98 (3)	1:36.28 (2) 33.60 (6)	2:09.88	0.62
5	2	Margaret Hoelzer	USA	31.20 (4) 32.73 (4)	1:03.93 (4) 32.95 (2)	1:36.88 (3) 33.82 (7)	2:10.70	0.69
6	7	Louise Ørnstedt	DEN	31.25 (5) 33.11 (6)	1:04.36 (6) 33.89 (8)	1:38.25 (6) 32.90 (2)	2:11.15	0.71
7	8	Katy Sexton	GBR	31.44 (7) 33.67 (7)	1:05.11 (7) 33.81 (7)	1:38.92 (8) 33.19 (5)	2:12.11	0.76
8	1	Aya Terakawa	JPN	31.40 (6) 33.80 (8)	1:05.20 (8) 33.49 (6)	1:38.69 (7) 34.21 (8)	2:12.90	0.61