Women's 400 metre individual medley at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad | |||||||||||||
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Venue | Beijing National Aquatics Center | ||||||||||||
Date | August 9, 2008 (heats) August 10, 2008 (final) | ||||||||||||
Competitors | 38 from 28 nations | ||||||||||||
Winning time | 4:29.45 WR | ||||||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics | ||
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Qualification | ||
Freestyle | ||
50 m | men | women |
100 m | men | women |
200 m | men | women |
400 m | men | women |
800 m | women | |
1500 m | men | |
Backstroke | ||
100 m | men | women |
200 m | men | women |
Breaststroke | ||
100 m | men | women |
200 m | men | women |
Butterfly | ||
100 m | men | women |
200 m | men | women |
Individual medley | ||
200 m | men | women |
400 m | men | women |
Freestyle relay | ||
4 × 100 m | men | women |
4 × 200 m | men | women |
Medley relay | ||
4 × 100 m | men | women |
Marathon | ||
10 km | men | women |
The women's 400 metre individual medley event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 9–10 August at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China. [1]
Australia's Stephanie Rice pulled away to a strong finish on the freestyle leg, as she claimed an Olympic gold medal in the event. She established a sterling time of 4:29.45 to slash 1.67 seconds off the world record, set by Katie Hoff from the U.S. Olympic Trials. [2] [3] Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry also went under a world record, but earned her first silver at these Games, in an African record of 4:29.89. Meanwhile, Hoff did not match her stellar performance from the trials, as she settled only for the bronze in 4:31.71. [4] [5]
Rising American teenager Elizabeth Beisel finished outside the medals in fourth place at 4:34.24, holding off Italy's Alessia Filippi (4:34.34) to fifth by exactly a tenth of a second (0.10). Great Britain's Hannah Miley (4:39.44), Russia's Yana Martynova (4:40.04), and China's Li Xuanxu (4:42.13) rounded out the finale. [4]
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
World record | Katie Hoff (USA) | 4:31.12 | Omaha, United States | 29 June 2008 | [6] |
Olympic record | Yana Klochkova (UKR) | 4:33.59 | Sydney, Australia | 16 September 2000 | - |
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.
Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Time | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 10 | Final | Stephanie Rice | Australia | 4:29.45 | WR |
Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | Stephanie Rice | Australia | 4:29.45 | WR | |
1 | Kirsty Coventry | Zimbabwe | 4:29.89 | AF | |
5 | Katie Hoff | United States | 4:31.71 | ||
4 | 4 | Elizabeth Beisel | United States | 4:34.24 | |
5 | 3 | Alessia Filippi | Italy | 4:34.34 | NR |
6 | 8 | Hannah Miley | Great Britain | 4:39.44 | |
7 | 2 | Yana Martynova | Russia | 4:40.04 | |
8 | 7 | Li Xuanxu | China | 4:42.13 | |
Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward is a Zimbabwean swimmer and politician currently serving as the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in the Cabinet of Zimbabwe since September 2018. A former Olympic swimmer and world record holder, she is the most decorated Olympian from Africa. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and was elected the Chairperson of the IOC Athletes' Commission, the body that represents all Olympic athletes worldwide in early 2018.
Kathryn Elise Hoff is a former American competitive swimmer, she is an Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Hoff was known for her success in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley. She represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics, in which she was awarded a silver medal and two bronze medals.
Stephanie Louise Rice, OAM is an Australian former competitive swimmer. She won three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia on 26 January 2009.
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The men's 400 metre individual medley event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 9–10 August at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China.
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