# Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres

The Women's 200 metres competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico was held at the University Olympic Stadium on October 17–18. The winning margin was 0.2 seconds.

## Competition format

The Women's 200m competition consisted of heats (Round 1), semifinals and a Final. The three fastest competitors from each race in the heats qualified for the semifinals along with the fastest overall competitor not already qualified. The four fastest competitors from each of the semifinal races qualified for the final.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | Irena Szewińska (POL) | 22.7 | Warsaw, Poland | August 8, 1965 |
| Olympic record | Edith McGuire (USA) | 23.0 | Tokyo, Japan | October 19, 1964 |

## Results
### Round 1

Qual. rule: first 3 of each heat (Q) plus the fastest time (q) qualified.

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Lyudmila Samotyosova | Soviet Union | 23.1 | Q |
| 2 | Margaret Bailes | United States | 23.1 | Q |
| 3 | Nicole Montandon | France | 23.3 | Q |
| 4 | Marijana Lubej | Yugoslavia | 23.9 | |
| 5 | Eva Glesková | Czechoslovakia | 24.0 | |
| 6 | Györgyi Balogh | Hungary | 24.1 | |
| 7 | Tien Ah-mei | Taiwan | 25.5 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Raelene Boyle | Australia | 23.0 | Q |
| 2 | Vera Popkova | Soviet Union | 23.3 | Q |
| 3 | Truus Hennipman | Netherlands | 23.4 | Q |
| 4 | Lillian Board | Great Britain | 23.4 | q |
| 5 | Irene Piotrowski | Canada | 23.7 | |
| 6 | Vilma Charlton | Jamaica | 24.3 | |
| 7 | Josefa Vicent | Uruguay | 24.8 | |
| 8 | Yeh Chu-Mei | Taiwan | 25.5 | |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Barbara Ferrell | United States | 22.9 | Q |
| 2 | Jenny Lamy | Australia | 23.1 | Q |
| 3 | Jutta Stöck | West Germany | 23.3 | Q |
| 4 | Wilma van Gool-van den Berg | Netherlands | 23.5 | |
| 5 | Maureen Tranter | Great Britain | 23.5 | |
| 6 | Lyudmila Golomazova | Soviet Union | 23.7 | |
| 7 | Alice Anum | Ghana | 23.9 | |
| 8 | Karin Wallgren | Sweden | 24.2 | |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Wyomia Tyus | United States | 23.4 | Q |
| 2 | Dianne Bowering-Burge | Australia | 23.6 | Q |
| 3 | Fulgencia Romay | Cuba | 23.7 | Q |
| 4 | Oyeronke Akindele | Nigeria | 23.9 | |
| 5 | Alicia Kaufmanas | Argentina | 24.4 | |
| 6 | Halina Górecka | West Germany | 24.7 | |

#### Heat 5

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Irena Szewińska | Poland | 23.2 | Q |
| 2 | Miguelina Cobián | Cuba | 23.4 | Q |
| 3 | Una Morris | Jamaica | 23.7 | Q |
| 4 | Sylviane Telliez | France | 23.8 | |
| 5 | Mieke Sterk | Netherlands | 24.0 | |
| 6 | Rita Wilden | West Germany | 24.0 | |
| 7 | Esperanza Girón | Mexico | 25.3 | |

### Semi-final
#### Heat 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Raelene Boyle | Australia | 22.9 | Q |
| 2 | Wyomia Tyus | United States | 23.1 | Q |
| 3 | Irena Szewińska | Poland | 23.2 | Q |
| 4 | Jutta Stöck | West Germany | 23.4 | Q |
| 5 | Lyudmila Samotyosova | Soviet Union | 23.4 | |
| 6 | Lillian Board | Great Britain | 23.4 | |
| 7 | Dianne Bowering-Burge | Australia | 23.6 | |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Barbara Ferrell | United States | 22.8 | Q OR |
| 2 | Jenny Lamy | Australia | 22.8 | Q |
| 3 | Margaret Bailes | United States | 22.9 | Q |
| 4 | Nicole Montandon | France | 23.0 | Q |
| 5 | Vera Popkova | Soviet Union | 23.2 | |
| 6 | Miguelina Cobián | Cuba | 23.3 | |
| 7 | Una Morris | Jamaica | 23.5 | |
| 8 | Truus Hennipman | Netherlands | 23.5 | |

### Final

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| | Irena Szewińska | Poland | 22.5 | WR |
| | Raelene Boyle | Australia | 22.7 | WJR |
| | Jenny Lamy | Australia | 22.8 | |
| 4 | Barbara Ferrell | United States | 22.9 | |
| 5 | Nicole Montandon | France | 23.0 | |
| 6 | Wyomia Tyus | United States | 23.0 | |
| 7 | Margaret Bailes | United States | 23.1 | |
| 8 | Jutta Stöck | West Germany | 23.2 | |