Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metre freestyle

Women's 800 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad
Venue	Olympic Aquatics Centre, Paris La Défense Arena
Dates	2 August 2024 (Heats) 3 August 2024 (Final)
Competitors	16 from 13 nations
Winning time	8:11.04
Medalists
Katie Ledecky   United States Ariarne Titmus   Australia Paige Madden   United States
←  2020 2028  →

The women's 800 metre freestyle event at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held from 2 to 3 August 2024 at the Paris Aquatics Centre. ^[1]

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:

World record	Katie Ledecky  (USA)	8:04.79	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	12 August 2016	[2]
Olympic record	Katie Ledecky  (USA)	8:04.79	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	12 August 2016	[2]

Qualification

Main article: Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Qualification

A National Olympic Committee (NOC) may enter a maximum of two qualified athletes in each individual event, but only if both of them have attained the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT). One athlete per event can potentially enter if they meet the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT), or if the total quota of 852 athletes has not been targeted. NOCs may also permit swimmers regardless of time (one per gender) under a Universality place since they have no swimmers attaining either of the standard entry times (OQT/OCT). ^{[3] [4]}

Following the end of the qualification window, World Aquatics will assess the number of swimmers who have achieved the OQT, the number of relay-only swimmers, and the number of Universality places, before inviting those with OCT to fulfill the total quota of 852. Additionally, OCT places will be distributed by event according to the position of the World Aquatics Rankings during the qualifying deadline. ^[3]

Time standards

The qualifying time standards must be obtained at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships, continental championships, continental swimming meets, national championships and selection trials, and various international meets approved by World Aquatics in the period between 1 March 2023 and 23 June 2024. ^[5]

The following table outlines the qualifying time standards for Paris 2024 for this event:

Women's events
Event	OQT*	OCT^
800 m freestyle	8:26.71	8:29.24

* OQTs correspond to the time achieved by a fourteenth-place swimmer in his or her respective preliminary heat of each event at the previous Games.

ª Because the fourteenth-place swimmer achieved a standard slower than the OQT in Tokyo 2020, the OQT used at the previous Games will remain constant.

^ OCTs are derived by adding 0.5% of the OQT standard.

Competition format

The competition consists of two rounds: heats and a final. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the heats advance to the final. Swim-offs are used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.

Schedule

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Date	Time	Round
2 August 2024	11:40	Heats
3 August 2024	21:28	Final

Results

Heats

Rank	Heat	Lane	Swimmer	Nation	Time	Notes
1	2	4	Katie Ledecky	United States	8:16.62	Q
2	2	6	Paige Madden	United States	8:18.48	Q
3	2	5	Ariarne Titmus	Australia	8:19.87	Q
4	1	5	Lani Pallister	Australia	8:20.21	Q
5	1	3	Isabel Marie Gose	Germany	8:20.63	Q
6	2	3	Simona Quadarella	Italy	8:20.89	Q
7	1	6	Erika Fairweather	New Zealand	8:22.22	Q
8	1	2	Anastasiya Kirpichnikova	France	8:22.99	Q
9	1	4	Li Bingjie	China	8:27.92
10	1	7	Maria Fernanda Costa	Brazil	8:32.20
11	1	1	Gan Ching Hwee	Singapore	8:32.37	NR
12	2	2	Eve Thomas	New Zealand	8:33.25
13	2	7	Ajna Késely	Hungary	8:36.13
14	2	1	Agostina Hein	Argentina	8:37.43
15	2	8	Kristel Köbrich	Chile	8:46.46
16	1	8	Jamila Boulakbech	Tunisia	9:21.38

Final

Rank	Lane	Swimmer	Nation	Time	Notes
	4	Katie Ledecky	United States	8:11.04
	3	Ariarne Titmus	Australia	8:12.29	OC
	5	Paige Madden	United States	8:13.00
4	7	Simona Quadarella	Italy	8:14.55
5	2	Isabel Marie Gose	Germany	8:17.82
6	6	Lani Pallister	Australia	8:21.09
7	8	Anastasiya Kirpichnikova	France	8:22.80
8	1	Erika Fairweather	New Zealand	8:23.27

References

1. "Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Schedule". Paris 2024.
2. Crouse, Karen (12 August 2016). "Katie Ledecky Smashes World Record in the 800-Meter Freestyle". The New York Times . Retrieved 4 September 2016.
3. "Paris 2024 – Swimming Info". World Aquatics. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
4. Rieder, David (3 April 2022). "Event Changes Likely as Paris 2024 Moves to Nine-Day Schedule of Finals". Swimming World Magazine . Retrieved 12 November 2022.
5. "Paris 2024 - Swimming Info". World Aquatics. 3 October 2022.