# Swimming at the 2016 European Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle

The Women's 400 metre freestyle competition of the 2016 European Aquatics Championships was held on 22 May 2016.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing world, European and championship records were as follows.
| | Name | Nation | Time | Location | Date |
| World record | Katie Ledecky | United States | 3:58.37 | Gold Coast | 23 August 2014 |
| European record | Federica Pellegrini | Italy | 3:59.15 | Rome | 26 July 2009 |
| Championship record | Federica Pellegrini | Italy | 4:01.53 | Eindhoven | 24 March 2008 |

## Results
### Heats

The heats were held at 09:00.
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | 2 | Martina De Memme | Italy | 4:09.36 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | 5 | Mireia Belmonte | Spain | 4:09.60 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | Boglárka Kapás | Hungary | 4:09.80 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | Melani Costa | Spain | 4:10.00 | Q |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | Diletta Carli | Italy | 4:10.25 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | Jazmin Carlin | Great Britain | 4:10.78 | Q |
| 7 | 5 | 4 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | Netherlands | 4:12.08 | Q |
| 8 | 5 | 1 | Camilla Hattersley | Great Britain | 4:12.26 | Q |
| 9 | 5 | 7 | Hannah Miley | Great Britain | 4:13.09 | |
| 10 | 4 | 6 | Ajna Késely | Hungary | 4:13.13 | |
| 11 | 3 | 4 | María Vilas | Spain | 4:13.62 | |
| 12 | 5 | 9 | Antonia Massone | Germany | 4:13.64 | |
| 13 | 3 | 3 | Paula Żukowska | Poland | 4:14.46 | |
| 14 | 4 | 3 | Alice Mizzau | Italy | 4:14.79 | |
| 15 | 4 | 9 | Julia Hassler | Liechtenstein | 4:14.96 | |
| 16 | 4 | 7 | Ellie Faulkner | Great Britain | 4:15.14 | |
| 17 | 5 | 8 | Tjasa Oder | Slovenia | 4:15.83 | |
| 18 | 4 | 1 | Fantine Lesaffre | France | 4:16.39 | |
| 19 | 4 | 0 | Diana Duraes | Portugal | 4:16.45 | |
| 20 | 3 | 7 | Henriette Stenkvist | Sweden | 4:16.75 | |
| 21 | 2 | 6 | Tereza Závadová | Czech Republic | 4:16.80 | |
| 22 | 5 | 0 | Gaja Natlačen | Slovenia | 4:16.88 | |
| 23 | 3 | 5 | Andrea Kneppers | Netherlands | 4:16.94 | |
| 24 | 2 | 5 | Valentine Dumont | Belgium | 4:17.11 | |
| 25 | 2 | 7 | Nika Petrič | Slovenia | 4:18.01 | |
| 26 | 3 | 9 | Barbora Závadová | Czech Republic | 4:18.57 | |
| 27 | 2 | 1 | Marte Løvberg | Norway | 4:19.28 | |
| 28 | 4 | 8 | Esmee Vermeulen | Netherlands | 4:19.80 | |
| 29 | 3 | 1 | Milena Karpisz | Poland | 4:20.15 | |
| 30 | 1 | 4 | Jaqueline Hippi | Sweden | 4:21.29 | |
| 31 | 3 | 2 | Monika Czerniak | Poland | 4:22.29 | |
| 32 | 2 | 3 | Martina Elhenická | Czech Republic | 4:22.89 | |
| 33 | 3 | 8 | Paulina Piechota | Poland | 4:23.41 | |
| 34 | 2 | 2 | Aino Otava | Finland | 4:24.11 | |
| 35 | 2 | 8 | Anniina Ala-Seppälä | Finland | 4:26.98 | |
| 36 | 1 | 3 | Sara Lettoli | San Marino | 4:27.20 | |
| 37 | 2 | 9 | Elena Giovannini | San Marino | 4:27.75 | |
| 38 | 3 | 0 | Claudia Hufnagl | Austria | 4:27.83 | |
| 39 | 1 | 5 | Nejla Karić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4:28.62 | |
| 40 | 2 | 0 | Sara Nysted | Faroe Islands | 4:32.65 | |
| | 2 | 4 | Laura Lajunen | Finland | DNS | DNS |
| | 3 | 6 | Sycerika McMahon | Ireland | DNS | DNS |
| | 5 | 2 | Anja Klinar | Slovenia | DNS | DNS |

### Final

The final was held at 16:57.
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | 3 | Boglárka Kapás | Hungary | 4:03.47 |
| | 7 | Jazmin Carlin | Great Britain | 4:04.85 |
| | 5 | Mireia Belmonte | Spain | 4:06.89 |
| 4 | 4 | Martina De Memme | Italy | 4:08.19 |
| 5 | 6 | Melani Costa | Spain | 4:09.10 |
| 6 | 1 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | Netherlands | 4:09.50 |
| 7 | 2 | Diletta Carli | Italy | 4:09.51 |
| 7 | 8 | Camilla Hattersley | Great Britain | 4:09.51 |