# Swimming at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle

The women's 400 metre freestyle competition of the swimming events at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships took place July 24. The heats and the final took place on July 24.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing world and championship records were as follows.
| | Name | Nation | Time | Location | Date |
| World record Championship record | Federica Pellegrini | Italy | 3:59.15 | Rome | July 26, 2009 |

## Results
### Heats

38 swimmers participated in 5 heats, qualified swimmers are listed:
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Federica Pellegrini | Italy | 4:04.76 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | Camille Muffat | France | 4:05.62 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | 2 | Lauren Boyle | New Zealand | 4:05.86 | Q, NR |
| 4 | 3 | 6 | Lotte Friis | Denmark | 4:06.31 | Q |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | Kylie Palmer | Australia | 4:06.38 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | 6 | Melania Costa Schmid | Spain | 4:07.02 | Q, NR |
| 7 | 5 | 4 | Rebecca Adlington | Great Britain | 4:07.38 | Q |
| 8 | 5 | 3 | Katie Hoff | United States | 4:07.93 | Q |
| 9 | 3 | 5 | Chloe Sutton | United States | 4:08.22 | |
| 10 | 3 | 3 | Shao Yiwen | China | 4:08.42 | |
| 11 | 4 | 5 | Bronte Barratt | Australia | 4:08.62 | |
| 12 | 5 | 1 | Andreina Pinto | Venezuela | 4:08.80 | NR |
| 13 | 4 | 7 | Barbara Jardin | Canada | 4:08.81 | |
| 14 | 3 | 2 | Boglárka Kapás | Hungary | 4:09.15 | |
| 15 | 4 | 3 | Jazmin Carlin | Great Britain | 4:09.64 | |
| 16 | 5 | 7 | Samantha Cheverton | Canada | 4:09.81 | |
| 17 | 4 | 2 | Camelia Potec | Romania | 4:10.36 | |
| 18 | 3 | 7 | Wendy Trott | South Africa | 4:10.57 | |
| 19 | 2 | 4 | Nina Rangelova | Bulgaria | 4:12.38 | NR |
| 20 | 4 | 1 | Charetzeni Escobar | Mexico | 4:13.38 | |
| 21 | 4 | 8 | Anna Stylianou | Cyprus | 4:15.46 | NR |
| 22 | 2 | 5 | Daryna Zevina | Ukraine | 4:15.65 | |
| 23 | 5 | 6 | Song Wenyan | China | 4:16.26 | |
| 24 | 2 | 2 | Sycerika McMahon | Ireland | 4:16.44 | |
| 25 | 2 | 6 | Julia Hassler | Liechtenstein | 4:17.61 | NR |
| 26 | 2 | 3 | Virginia Bardach | Argentina | 4:18.57 | |
| 27 | 3 | 1 | Cecilie Johannessen | Norway | 4:18.84 | |
| 28 | 2 | 8 | Katarina Filova | Slovakia | 4:21.14 | |
| 29 | 1 | 7 | Samantha Arevalo | Ecuador | 4:21.84 | NR |
| 30 | 3 | 8 | Alexia Benitez | El Salvador | 4:22.59 | |
| 31 | 1 | 5 | Daniela Miyahara | Peru | 4:23.33 | |
| 32 | 5 | 8 | Kim Ga-Eul | South Korea | 4:23.94 | |
| 33 | 1 | 4 | Andrea Cedrón | Peru | 4:25.06 | |
| 34 | 2 | 1 | Shahd Osman | Egypt | 4:26.35 | |
| 35 | 2 | 7 | Benjaporn Sriphanomthorn | Thailand | 4:29.65 | |
| 36 | 1 | 6 | Victoria Chentsova | Northern Mariana Islands | 5:18.67 | |
| 37 | 1 | 2 | Jennet Saryyeva | Turkmenistan | 5:41.09 | |
| | 1 | 3 | Victoria Ho | Jamaica | DNS | |

### Final

The final was held at 18:50.
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Federica Pellegrini | Italy | 4:01.97 | |
| | 1 | Rebecca Adlington | Great Britain | 4:04.01 | |
| | 5 | Camille Muffat | France | 4:04.06 | |
| 4 | 2 | Kylie Palmer | Australia | 4:04.62 | |
| 5 | 6 | Lotte Friis | Denmark | 4:04.68 | NR |
| 6 | 3 | Lauren Boyle | New Zealand | 4:06.11 | |
| 7 | 8 | Katie Hoff | United States | 4:08.22 | |
| 8 | 7 | Melania Costa Schmid | Spain | 4:09.66 | |