# Canoeing at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's K-2 500 metres

The women's K-2 500 metres event was a pairs kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1996 Summer Olympics program.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Agneta Andersson and Susanne Gunnarsson (SWE) | Birgit Fischer and Ramona Portwich (GER) | Anna Wood and Katrin Borchert (AUS) |

## Results
### Heats

20 crews entered in three heats. The top three finishers in each heat advanced to the semifinals while the rest advanced to the repechages.
Heat 1 :
| 1. | Birgit Fischer and Ramona Portwich (GER) | 1:45.504 | QS |
| 2. | Ingrid Haralamow and Daniela Baumer (SUI) | 1:45.764 | QS |
| 3. | Sanda Toma and Viorica Iordache (ROU) | 1:47.200 | QS |
| 4. | Hanna Balabanova and Kateryna Yurchenko (UKR) | 1:48.436 | QR |
| 5. | Bonka Pindzheva and Neli Zafirova (BUL) | 1:48.652 | QR |
| 6. | Tatiana Levina and Inna Isakova (UZB) | 1:50.544 | QR |
| 7. | Renata Hernández and Sandra Rojas (MEX) | 1:51.252 | QR |
| Heat 2 ||||
| 1. | Agneta Andersson and Susanne Gunnarsson (SWE) | 1:43.022 | QS |
| 2. | Izaskun Aramburu and Beatriz Manchón (ESP) | 1:44.038 | QS |
| 3. | Izabela Dylewska-Światowiak and Elżbieta Urbańczyk (POL) | 1:44.906 | QS |
| 4. | Larisa Kosorukova and Nataliya Guly (RUS) | 1:47.186 | QR |
| 5. | DeAnne Hemmens and Lia Rousset (USA) | 1:47.914 | QR |
| 6. | Jitka Janáčková and Pavlína Jobánková (CZE) | 1:51.346 | QR |
| 7. | Helen Gilby and Alison Thorogood (GBR) | 1:51.386 | QR |
| Heat 3 ||||
| 1. | Rita Kőbán and Szilvia Mednyánszki (HUN) | 1:43.313 | QS |
| 2. | Anna Wood and Katrin Borchert (AUS) | 1:43.633 | QS |
| 3. | Marie-Josée Gibeau and Corrina Kennedy (CAN) | 1:44.685 | QS |
| 4. | Sabine Kleinhenz and Séverine Loyau (FRA) | 1:46.989 | QR |
| 5. | Ning Menghua and Hu Dongmei (CHN) | 1:50.721 | QR |
| 6. | Chieko Akagi and Asako Watanabe (JPN) | 1:52.109 | QR |

### Repechages

The top four finishers in each repechage and the fastest fifth-place finisher advanced to the semifinals.
Repechage 1 :
| 1. | Sabine Kleinhenz and Séverine Loyau (FRA) | 1:51.417 | QS |
| 2. | DeAnne Hemmens and Lia Rousset (USA) | 1:52.669 | QS |
| 3. | Hanna Balabanova and Kateryna Yurchenko (UKR) | 1:54.373 | QS |
| 4. | Jitka Janáčková and Pavlína Jobánková (CZE) | 1:55.377 | QS |
| 5. | Renata Hernández and Sandra Rojas (MEX) | 1:55.801 | QS |
| Repechage 2 ||||
| 1. | Larisa Kosorukova and Nataliya Guly (RUS) | 1:52.520 | QS |
| 2. | Ning Menghua and Hu Dongmei (CHN) | 1:53.544 | QS |
| 3. | Bonka Pindzheva and Neli Zafirova (BUL) | 1:53.644 | QS |
| 4. | Helen Gilby and Alison Thorogood (GBR) | 1:55.088 | QS |
| 5. | Tatiana Levina and Inna Isakova (UZB) | 1:56.896 | |
| 6. | Chieko Akagi and Asako Watanabe (JPN) | 1:57.944 | |

### Semifinals

The top four finishers in each semifinal and the fastest fifth-place finisher advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1 :
| 1. | Rita Kőbán and Szilvia Mednyánszki (HUN) | 1:42.789 | QF |
| 2. | Birgit Fischer and Ramona Portwich (GER) | 1:43.069 | QF |
| 3. | Izaskun Aramburu and Beatriz Manchón (ESP) | 1:44.433 | QF |
| 4. | Marie-Josée Gibeau and Corrina Kennedy (CAN) | 1:44.461 | QF |
| 5. | Sabine Kleinhenz and Séverine Loyau (FRA) | 1:46.589 | QF |
| 6. | Sanda Toma and Viorica Iordache (ROU) | 1:47.061 | |
| 7. | Hanna Balabanova and Kateryna Yurchenko (UKR) | 1:48.857 | |
| 8. | Ning Menghua and Hu Dongmei (CHN) | 1:49.189 | |
| 9. | Helen Gilby and Alison Thorogood (GBR) | 1:49.849 | |
| Semifinal 2 ||||
| 1. | Agneta Andersson and Susanne Gunnarsson (SWE) | 1:43.521 | QF |
| 2. | Anna Wood and Katrin Borchert (AUS) | 1:43.729 | QF |
| 3. | Izabela Dylewska-Światowiak and Elżbieta Urbańczyk (POL) | 1:45.190 | QF |
| 4. | Larisa Kosorukova and Nataliya Guly (RUS) | 1:45.505 | QF |
| 5. | Ingrid Haralamow and Daniela Baumer (SUI) | 1:46.629 | |
| 6. | Bonka Pindzheva and Neli Zafirova (BUL) | 1:48.313 | |
| 7. | Jitka Janáčková and Pavlína Jobánková (CZE) | 1:49.125 | |
| 8. | DeAnne Hemmens and Lia Rousset (USA) | 1:49.465 | |
| 9. | Renata Hernández and Sandra Rojas (MEX) | 1:52.053 | |

### Final

The final was held on August 4.
| | Agneta Andersson and Susanne Gunnarsson (SWE) | 1:39.329 |
| | Birgit Fischer and Ramona Portwich (GER) | 1:39.689 |
| | Anna Wood and Katrin Borchert (AUS) | 1:40.641 |
| 4. | Rita Kőbán and Szilvia Mednyánszki (HUN) | 1:40.893 |
| 5. | Marie-Josée Gibeau and Corrina Kennedy (CAN) | 1:41.313 |
| 6. | Izaskun Aramburu and Beatriz Manchón (ESP) | 1:42.621 |
| 7. | Izabela Dylewska-Światowiak and Elżbieta Urbańczyk (POL) | 1:42.753 |
| 8. | Larisa Kosorukova and Nataliya Guly (RUS) | 1:43.237 |
| 9. | Sabine Kleinhenz and Séverine Loyau (FRA) | 1:43.449 |
Andersson's Olympic medal total was brought to seven with three gold, two silver, and two bronze. Fischer's silver matched the total of Sweden's Gert Fredriksson with eight. Australia's bronze medal crew was foreign-born with Wood (formerly Annemarie Cox) from the Netherlands and Borchert from Germany.