# Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres

The Women's 200 metres at the 1952 Summer Olympics took place on July 25 (heats) and July 26 (final) at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Australian athlete Marjorie Jackson, who had already won the final in the 100 metres event, earned a second gold medal while setting two world records along the way.

## Summary

Stanisława Walasiewicz (Stella Walsh)'s world record had stood through the war for almost 17 years. The 41 year old Walsh had won the US Championship the year before but did not compete in the Olympics. The defending champion Fanny Blankers-Koen was in Helsinki, but was suffering from skin boils. She did not finish in the 80 metres hurdles the day before after crashing a hurdle. That turned out to be her last competitive race.
In the second heat, Nadezhda Khnykina took down Blankers-Koen's Olympic record. In the next race on the track, Marjorie Jackson equalled the world record of 23.6, with experimental fully automatic timing giving her a 23.73.
The following day, in the first semi-final, Jackson took the world record outright with 23.4 (23.59 automatic). Later that day, in the final, Jackson was given lane 2, the inside lane. Five steps after the gun, she had already made up the stagger on Bertha "Puck" Brouwer in lane 3. From there Jackson continued to pull away, ultimately to a 4-metre victory. On the home stretch, Brouwer found herself in second place, with Khnykina closing ground down the final straight to make it close for the remaining medals. Brouwer, Khnykina and Jackson's Australian teammate Winsome Cripps all getting credited with the same finishing time but Brouwer getting silver and Khnykina bronze.

## Results
### Heats

The first round was held on July 25. The first two runners from each heat qualified for the semifinal.
Heat 1
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result |
| 1 | Sylvia Cheeseman | Great Britain | 24.9 |
| 2 | Ursula Knab | Germany | 25.0 |
| 3 | Tzvetana Berkovska | Bulgaria | 25.2 |
| 4 | Gladys Erbetta | Argentina | 25.6 |
| 5 | Flora Kazantseva | Soviet Union | 25.7 |
| 6 | Maria Arndt | Poland | 25.9 |
Heat 2
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result | Notes |
| 1 | Nadezhda Khnykina | Soviet Union | 24.3 | OR |
| 2 | Helga Klein | Germany | 24.6 | |
| 3 | Deyse de Castro | Brazil | 25.0 | |
| 4 | Frances O'Halloran | Canada | 25.2 | |
| 5 | Grietje de Jongh | Netherlands | 25.2 | |
| 6 | Ema Konrad | Romania | 25.8 | |
Heat 3
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result | Notes |
| 1 | Marjorie Jackson | Australia | 23.6 | WR |
| 2 | Catherine Hardy | United States | 24.8 | |
| 3 | Patricia Devine | Great Britain | 25.1 | |
| 4 | Anne-Marie Lousteau | France | 25.5 | |
| 5 | Olga Gyarmati | Hungary | 25.5 | |
| 6 | Vera Martelli | Italy | 26.1 | |
| 7 | Mary D'Souza | India | 26.3 | |
Heat 4
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result |
| 1 | Bertha Brouwer | Netherlands | 24.6 |
| 2 | Marcelle Gabarrus | France | 25.3 |
| 3 | Ann Johnson | Great Britain | 25.3 |
| 4 | Adriana Millard | Chile | 25.4 |
| 5 | Graviola Ewing | Guatemala | 26.9 |
Heat 5
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result |
| 1 | Eulalia Szwajkowska | Poland | 25.5 |
| 2 | Eleanor McKenzie | Canada | 25.5 |
| 3 | Alexandria Sicoe | Romania | 25.6 |
| 4 | Lilian Heinz | Argentina | 25.8 |
| 5 | Pirkko Länsivuori | Finland | 27.5 |
| | Dolores Dwyer | United States | DNF |
Heat 6
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result |
| 1 | Daphne Hasenjager | South Africa | 24.4 |
| 2 | Winsome Cripps | Australia | 24.4 |
| 3 | Mae Faggs | United States | 24.5 |
| 4 | Hyacinth Walters | Jamaica | 25.4 |
Heat 7
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result |
| 1 | Yevgeniya Sechenova | Soviet Union | 25.4 |
| 2 | Luella Law | Canada | 25.7 |
| 3 | Klára Soós | Hungary | 25.8 |
| 4 | Genowefa Minicka | Poland | 25.9 |

### Semifinals

The semifinals were held on July 26. The first three runners from each heat qualified to the final.
Heat 1
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result | Notes |
| 1 | Marjorie Jackson | Australia | 23.4 | WR |
| 2 | Bertha Brouwer | Netherlands | 24.3 | |
| 3 | Daphne Hasenjager | South Africa | 24.4 | |
| 4 | Sylvia Cheeseman | Great Britain | 24.7 | |
| 5 | Yevgeniya Sechenova | Soviet Union | 25.2 | |
| 6 | Luella Law | Canada | 25.3 | |
| 7 | Ursula Knab | Germany | 25.5 | |
Heat 2
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result |
| 1 | Nadezhda Khnykina | Soviet Union | 24.1 |
| 2 | Winsome Cripps | Australia | 24.3 |
| 3 | Helga Klein | Germany | 24.4 |
| 4 | Catherine Hardy | United States | 24.7 |
| 5 | Eleanor McKenzie | Canada | 25.1 |
| 6 | Eulalia Szwajkowska | Poland | 25.2 |
| 7 | Marcelle Gabarrus | France | 25.3 |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Result |
| | Marjorie Jackson | Australia | 23.7 |
| | Bertha Brouwer | Netherlands | 24.2 |
| | Nadezhda Khnykina | Soviet Union | 24.2 |
| 4 | Winsome Cripps | Australia | 24.2 |
| 5 | Helga Klein | Germany | 24.6 |
| 6 | Daphne Hasenjager | South Africa | 24.6 |