# Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre individual medley

The women's 400 metre individual medley event at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place between 18–19 September at the Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool in Seoul, South Korea.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | Petra Schneider (GDR) | 4:36.10 | Guayaquil, Ecuador | 1 August 1982 |
| Olympic record | Petra Schneider (GDR) | 4:36.29 | Moscow, Soviet Union | 26 July 1980 |

## Results
### Heats

Rule: The eight fastest swimmers advance to final A (Q), while the next eight to final B (q).
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Noemi Lung | Romania | 4:41.96 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Kathleen Nord | East Germany | 4:42.92 | Q |
| 3 | 4 | Janet Evans | United States | 4:43.04 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Jodie Clatworthy | Australia | 4:44.26 | Q, OC |
| 5 | 4 | Daniela Hunger | East Germany | 4:44.85 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Yelena Dendeberova | Soviet Union | 4:46.63 | Q |
| 7 | 2 | Donna Procter | Australia | 4:47.57 | Q |
| 8 | 3 | Lin Li | China | 4:48.89 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | Yan Ming | China | 4:49.04 | q |
| 10 | 4 | Roberta Felotti | Italy | 4:49.20 | q |
| 11 | 2 | Erika Hansen | United States | 4:50.03 | q |
| 12 | 2 | Antoaneta Strumenlieva | Bulgaria | 4:51.58 | q |
| 13 | 2 | Christine Magnier | France | 4:51.91 | q |
| 14 | 3 | Birgit Lohberg-Schulz | West Germany | 4:52.05 | q |
| 15 | 2 | Anette Philipsson | Sweden | 4:53.58 | q |
| 16 | 2 | Annette Poulsen | Denmark | 4:54.01 | q |
| 17 | 4 | Anamarija Petričević | Yugoslavia | 4:54.17 | |
| 18 | 4 | Suki Brownsdon | Great Britain | 4:54.66 | |
| 19 | 4 | Yoshie Nishioka | Japan | 4:55.31 | |
| 20 | 3 | Marianne Muis | Netherlands | 4:56.31 | |
| 21 | 3 | Mildred Muis | Netherlands | 4:56.89 | |
| 22 | 4 | Irene Dalby | Norway | 4:58.14 | |
| 23 | 1 | Hiroyo Harada | Japan | 5:00.92 | |
| 24 | 2 | Tracey Atkin | Great Britain | 5:01.34 | |
| 25 | 1 | Michelle Smith | Ireland | 5:01.84 | |
| 26 | 1 | Marlene Bruten | Mexico | 5:03.69 | |
| 27 | 1 | Chang Hui-chien | Chinese Taipei | 5:13.20 | |
| 28 | 1 | Valentina Aracil | Argentina | 5:19.17 | |
| 29 | 1 | Annemarie Munk | Hong Kong | 5:24.11 | |
| 30 | 1 | Kimberly Chen | Chinese Taipei | 5:28.15 | |
| | 4 | Yuliya Bogacheva | Soviet Union | DNS | |

### Finals
#### Final B

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time |
| 9 | 5 | Roberta Felotti | Italy | 4:49.53 |
| 10 | 7 | Birgit Lohberg-Schulz | West Germany | 4:50.54 |
| 11 | 3 | Erika Hansen | United States | 4:51.93 |
| 12 | 6 | Antoaneta Strumenlieva | Bulgaria | 4:52.33 |
| 13 | 1 | Anette Philipsson | Sweden | 4:52.77 |
| 14 | 2 | Christine Magnier | France | 4:53.29 |
| 15 | 8 | Annette Poulsen | Denmark | 4:54.40 |
| 16 | 4 | Yan Ming | China | 4:55.92 |

#### Final A

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | 3 | Janet Evans | United States | 4:37.76 |
| | 4 | Noemi Lung | Romania | 4:39.46 |
| | 2 | Daniela Hunger | East Germany | 4:39.76 |
| 4 | 7 | Yelena Dendeberova | Soviet Union | 4:40.44 |
| 5 | 5 | Kathleen Nord | East Germany | 4:41.64 |
| 6 | 6 | Jodie Clatworthy | Australia | 4:45.86 |
| 7 | 8 | Lin Li | China | 4:47.05 |
| 8 | 1 | Donna Procter | Australia | 4:47.51 |