# Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres

The women's 200 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 19–21 August (final) at the Beijing National Stadium. The winning margin was 0.19 seconds. The winner had the second fastest reaction time in the final.
Allyson Felix, the young American athlete and already a double World champion, entered the 200m race in Beijing as a favorite for the gold. Defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica also appeared to be in great form, setting a new personal best of 21.94 seconds at the Olympic trials.
In the final, Campbell-Brown had the quickest start and made up the stagger very quickly on Allyson Felix, who had been drawn in the lane outside of her. Running a stellar curve and accelerating out of the bend, the Jamaican athlete held her form to cross the line in 21.74 seconds, the fastest time of the decade and a new personal best.
Veronica Campbell-Brown, who suffered from injuries that led to disappointment in the 200m in the 2007 World Championships, returned to form to become only the second woman in history to win back-to-back Olympic 200m titles. Allyson Felix was once again relegated to the silver medal in a seasonal best of 21.93, the second-fastest time of her career. Jamaican Kerron Stewart won the bronze medal by just a hundredth of a second.
The qualifying standards were 23.00 s (A standard) and 23.20 s (B standard).

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows:
| World record | Florence Griffith-Joyner (United States) | 21.34 s | Seoul, South Korea | 29 September 1988 |
| Olympic record | Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA) | 21.34 s | Seoul, South Korea | 29 September 1988 |
| World Leading | Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM) | 21.94 s | Kingston, Jamaica | 29 June 2008 |
No new world or Olympic records were set for this event.

## Results
### Round 1

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) and the next 8 fastest (q) advance to the Round 2.
| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Muna Lee | United States | 22.71 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi | France | 22.72 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 22.76 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 4 | Roqaya Al-Gassra | Bahrain | 22.81 | Q |
| 5 | 6 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 22.91 | Q, =PB |
| 6 | 6 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 22.94 | Q |
| 7 | 4 | Emily Freeman | Great Britain | 22.95 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Yuliya Chermoshanskaya | Russia | 22.98 | DSQ |
| 9 | 1 | Allyson Felix | United States | 23.02 | Q |
| 10 | 4 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 23.03 | Q |
| 11 | 5 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 23.04 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Susanthika Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 23.04 | Q |
| 13 | 5 | Kadiatou Camara | Mali | 23.06 | Q |
| 14 | 3 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 23.07 | Q |
| 15 | 6 | Roxana Díaz | Cuba | 23.09 | Q |
| 16 | 6 | LaVerne Jones-Ferrette | Virgin Islands | 23.12 | Q |
| 17 | 2 | Ivet Lalova | Bulgaria | 23.13 | q, SB |
| 18 | 1 | Virgil Hodge | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 23.14 | Q |
| 19 | 5 | Natalia Rusakova | Russia | 23.21 | Q |
| 20 | 3 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 23.22 | Q |
| 21 | 4 | Ionela Târlea | Romania | 23.24 | Q |
| 22 | 1 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 23.29 | Q |
| 23 | 3 | Oludamola Osayomi | Nigeria | 23.31 | Q |
| 24 | 5 | Sheniqua Ferguson | Bahamas | 23.33 | Q |
| 24 | 4 | Darlenis Obregón | Colombia | 23.33 | q |
| 26 | 5 | Adrienne Power | Canada | 23.40 | q |
| 27 | 6 | Evelyn dos Santos | Brazil | 23.43 | q |
| 28 | 5 | Vincenza Calì | Italy | 23.44 | q |
| 28 | 4 | Guzel Khubbieva | Uzbekistan | 23.44 | q |
| 30 | 6 | Allison George | Grenada | 23.45 | q |
| 31 | 1 | Inna Eftimova | Bulgaria | 23.50 | q |
| 32 | 3 | Eleni Artymata | Cyprus | 23.58 | Q, SB |
| 33 | 6 | Marta Jeschke | Poland | 23.59 | |
| 34 | 4 | Jade Bailey | Barbados | 23.62 | |
| 34 | 3 | Sabina Veit | Slovenia | 23.62 | |
| 36 | 5 | Isabel Le Roux | South Africa | 23.67 | |
| 37 | 3 | Gloria Kemasuode | Nigeria | 23.72 | |
| 38 | 3 | Meritzer Williams | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 23.83 | |
| 39 | 2 | Mariely Sánchez | Dominican Republic | 24.05 | |
| 40 | 3 | Fabienne Feraez | Benin | 24.07 | |
| 40 | 2 | Carol Rodríguez | Puerto Rico | 24.07 | |
| 42 | 1 | Kia Davis | Liberia | 24.31 | |
| 43 | 4 | Lai Lai Win | Myanmar | 24.37 | |
| 44 | 1 | Kirsten Nieuwendam | Suriname | 24.46 | NR |
| 45 | 6 | Gretta Taslakian | Lebanon | 25.32 | SB |
| 46 | 5 | Samia Yusuf Omar | Somalia | 32.16 | |
| | 1 | Vida Anim | Ghana | DNS | |
| | 2 | Kim Gevaert | Belgium | DNS | |

### Round 2

Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) advance to the Semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 22.60 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Yuliya Chermoshanskaya | Russia | 22.63 | DSQ |
| 3 | 1 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 22.64 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Allyson Felix | United States | 22.74 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 22.74 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Roqaya Al-Gassra | Bahrain | 22.76 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 22.76 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 22.77 | Q |
| 9 | 4 | Muna Lee | United States | 22.83 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 22.83 | q |
| 11 | 2 | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi | France | 22.89 | Q |
| 12 | 2 | Susanthika Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 22.94 | Q |
| 13 | 4 | Emily Freeman | Great Britain | 22.95 | Q |
| 14 | 2 | Roxana Díaz | Cuba | 22.98 | q |
| 15 | 3 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 23.03 | q |
| 16 | 2 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 23.04 | q |
| 17 | 3 | Kadiatou Camara | Mali | 23.06 | |
| 18 | 4 | Ivet Lalova | Bulgaria | 23.15 | |
| 19 | 4 | Virgil Hodge | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 23.17 | |
| 20 | 1 | Ionela Târlea | Romania | 23.22 | |
| 21 | 2 | Oludamola Osayomi | Nigeria | 23.27 | |
| 22 | 4 | Natalia Rusakova | Russia | 23.28 | |
| 23 | 1 | Evelyn dos Santos | Brazil | 23.35 | |
| 24 | 1 | LaVerne Jones-Ferrette | Virgin Islands | 23.37 | |
| 25 | 2 | Darlenis Obregón | Colombia | 23.40 | |
| 26 | 2 | Inna Eftimova | Bulgaria | 23.48 | |
| 27 | 3 | Adrienne Power | Canada | 23.51 | |
| 28 | 3 | Vincenza Calì | Italy | 23.56 | |
| 29 | 3 | Sheniqua Ferguson | Bahamas | 23.61 | |
| 30 | 4 | Eleni Artymata | Cyprus | 23.77 | |
| 31 | 4 | Allison George | Grenada | 23.77 | |
| | 1 | Guzel Khubbieva | Uzbekistan | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) advance to the Final.

#### Semifinal 1

20 August 2008 - 21:55 Wind: 0.0 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes | React |
| 1 | 5 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 22.19 | Q | 0.187 |
| 2 | 7 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 22.29 | Q | 0.217 |
| 3 | 4 | Muna Lee | United States | 22.29 | Q, PB | 0.186 |
| 4 | 9 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 22.51 | Q | 0.165 |
| 5 | 6 | Yuliya Chermoshanskaya | Russia | 22.57 | DSQ | 0.204 |
| 6 | 3 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 22.95 | | 0.160 |
| 7 | 8 | Susanthika Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 22.98 | | 0.245 |
| 8 | 2 | Roxana Díaz | Cuba | 23.12 | | 0.177 |

#### Semifinal 2

20 August 2008 - 22:04 Wind: -0.2 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes | React |
| 1 | 7 | Allyson Felix | United States | 22.33 | Q | 0.181 |
| 2 | 9 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 22.50 | Q | 0.196 |
| 3 | 5 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 22.50 | Q | 0.175 |
| 4 | 3 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 22.61 | Q, SB | 0.212 |
| 5 | 4 | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi | France | 22.71 | | 0.188 |
| 6 | 6 | Roqaya Al-Gassra | Bahrain | 22.72 | | 0.259 |
| 7 | 8 | Emily Freeman | Great Britain | 22.83 | | 0.201 |
| 8 | 2 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 23.22 | | 0.202 |

### Final

21 August 2008 - Wind: 0.6 m/s
| Rank | Lane | Name | Country | Reaction Time | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 0.172 | 21.74 | PB |
| | 5 | Allyson Felix | United States | 0.193 | 21.93 | SB |
| | 6 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 0.199 | 22.00 | |
| 4 | 9 | Muna Lee | United States | 0.176 | 22.01 | PB |
| 5 | 7 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 0.200 | 22.34 | PB |
| 6 | 8 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 0.167 | 22.36 | |
| 7 | 2 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 0.175 | 22.61 | |
| 8 | 3 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 0.206 | 22.68 | |