# Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre individual medley

The women's 400 metre individual medley event at the 1992 Summer Olympics took place on 26 July 1992 at the Piscines Bernat Picornell in Barcelona, Spain.

## 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 | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Krisztina Egerszegi | Hungary | 4:43.83 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | Summer Sanders | United States | 4:43.95 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | Lin Li | China | 4:45.74 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | 6 | Ewa Synowska | Poland | 4:46.00 | Q, NR |
| 5 | 3 | 6 | Eri Kimura | Japan | 4:46.17 | Q, NR |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | Hayley Lewis | Australia | 4:46.57 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | 5 | Daniela Hunger | Germany | 4:47.39 | Q |
| 8 | 3 | 3 | Hideko Hiranaka | Japan | 4:47.92 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | 5 | Beatrice Câșlaru | Romania | 4:48.12 | q |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | Erika Hansen | United States | 4:48.13 | q |
| 11 | 4 | 2 | Jana Haas | Germany | 4:49.93 | q |
| 12 | 4 | 1 | Silvia Parera | Spain | 4:50.16 | q |
| 13 | 4 | 6 | Jacqueline McKenzie | Australia | 4:51.80 | q |
| 14 | 2 | 2 | Hana Černá | Czechoslovakia | 4:52.21 | q |
| 15 | 4 | 3 | Nancy Sweetnam | Canada | 4:52.41 | q |
| 16 | 3 | 2 | Joanne Malar | Canada | 4:52.85 | q |
| 17 | 1 | 3 | Phillippa Langrell | New Zealand | 4:53.62 | NR |
| 18 | 3 | 8 | Noemi Lung | Romania | 4:53.91 | |
| 19 | 2 | 7 | Céline Bonnet | France | 4:54.70 | |
| 20 | 4 | 7 | Yan Ming | China | 4:54.93 | |
| 21 | 2 | 1 | Sharron Davies | Great Britain | 4:56.44 | |
| 22 | 3 | 1 | Elisenda Pérez | Spain | 4:56.78 | |
| 23 | 3 | 7 | Helen Slatter | Great Britain | 4:58.24 | |
| 24 | 4 | 8 | Marta Włodkowska | Poland | 4:58.30 | |
| 25 | 1 | 4 | Jeanine Steenkamp | South Africa | 4:58.48 | |
| 26 | 1 | 5 | Michelle Smith | Ireland | 4:58.94 | |
| 27 | 1 | 2 | Jill Brukman | South Africa | 5:03.34 | |
| 28 | 1 | 6 | Praphalsai Minpraphal | Thailand | 5:04.95 | |
| 29 | 1 | 7 | Keren Regal | Israel | 5:07.97 | |
| 30 | 1 | 8 | May Ooi | Singapore | 5:08.19 | |
| 31 | 1 | 1 | Claudia Fortin | Honduras | 5:09.84 | |
| | 2 | 8 | Britta Vestergaard | Denmark | DSQ | |

### Finals
#### Final B

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time |
| 9 | 3 | Jana Haas | Germany | 4:47.74 |
| 10 | 5 | Erika Hansen | United States | 4:48.37 |
| 11 | 8 | Joanne Malar | Canada | 4:48.52 |
| 12 | 6 | Silvia Parera | Spain | 4:48.77 |
| 13 | 1 | Nancy Sweetnam | Canada | 4:50.17 |
| 14 | 7 | Hana Černá | Czechoslovakia | 4:50.30 |
| 15 | 4 | Beatrice Câșlaru | Romania | 4:50.60 |
| 16 | 2 | Jacqueline McKenzie | Australia | 4:52.04 |

#### Final A

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Krisztina Egerszegi | Hungary | 4:36.54 | NR |
| | 3 | Lin Li | China | 4:36.73 | AS |
| | 5 | Summer Sanders | United States | 4:37.58 | |
| 4 | 7 | Hayley Lewis | Australia | 4:43.75 | |
| 5 | 8 | Hideko Hiranaka | Japan | 4:46.24 | |
| 6 | 1 | Daniela Hunger | Germany | 4:47.57 | |
| 7 | 2 | Eri Kimura | Japan | 4:47.78 | |
| 8 | 6 | Ewa Synowska | Poland | 4:53.32 | |