# Swimming at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle

The women's 200-metre freestyle event at the 2001 World Aquatic Championships took place 27 July. The heats and semifinals were on 26 July.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and competition records were as follows:
| World record | Franziska van Almsick (GER) | 1:56.78 | Rome, Italy | 6 September 1994 |
| Championship record | Franziska van Almsick (GER) | 1:56.78 | Rome, Italy | 6 September 1994 |

## Results
### Heats

| Rank | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Claudia Poll | Costa Rica | 1:59.73 | Q |
| 2 | Nadezhda Chemezova | Russia | 2:00.07 | Q |
| 3 | Mette Jacobsen | Denmark | 2:00.31 | Q |
| 4 | Giaan Rooney | Australia | 2:00.31 | Q |
| 5 | Martina Moravcová | Slovakia | 2:00.32 | Q |
| 6 | Elka Graham | Australia | 2:00.53 | Q |
| 7 | Yang Yu | China | 2:00.78 | Q |
| 8 | Camelia Potec | Romania | 2:00.82 | Q |
| 9 | Maki Mita | Japan | 2:00.93 | Q |
| 10 | Sofie Goffin | Belgium | 2:01.03 | Q |
| 10 | Nicola Jackson | United Kingdom | 2:01.03 | Q |
| 12 | Karen Pickering | United Kingdom | 2:01.35 | Q |
| 13 | Carla Geurts | Netherlands | 2:01.64 | Q |
| 14 | Alicia Bozon | France | 2:01.67 | Q |
| 14 | Jessica Deglau | Canada | 2:01.67 | Q |
| 16 | Natallia Baranouskaya | Belarus | 2:01.83 | Q |
| 17 | Cecilia Vianini | Italy | 2:02.15 | |
| 18 | Laura Roca | Spain | 2:02.23 | |
| 19 | Xu Yanwei | China | 2:02.27 | |
| 20 | Josefin Lillhage | Sweden | 2:02.31 | |
| 21 | Florencia Szigeti | Argentina | 2:02.39 | |
| 22 | Nicole Zahnd | Switzerland | 2:02.60 | |
| 23 | Sarah Harstick | Germany | 2:02.62 | |
| 24 | Luisa Striani | Italy | 2:02.65 | |
| 25 | Zoi Dimoschaki | Greece | 2:02.66 | |
| 26 | Monique Ferreira | Brazil | 2:03.13 | |
| 27 | Alessa Ries | Germany | 2:03.21 | |
| 28 | Stefanie Williams | United States | 2:03.33 | |
| 29 | Olga Bogoslovenko | Russia | 2:03.46 | |
| 30 | Colleen Lanne | United States | 2:03.52 | |
| 31 | Sophie Simard | Canada | 2:03.75 | |
| 32 | Nina van Koeckhoven | Belgium | 2:03.95 | |
| 33 | Chantal Gibney | Ireland | 2:04.38 | |
| 34 | Eri Yamanoi | Japan | 2:04.48 | |
| 35 | Ania Gustomelski | Israel | 2:04.59 | |
| 36 | Lin Chi-Chan | Chinese Taipei | 2:05.50 | |
| 37 | Helen Nolfolk | New Zealand | 2:06.12 | |
| 38 | Ivanka Moralieva | Bulgaria | 2:06.92 | |
| 39 | Christel Bouvron | Singapore | 2:07.77 | |
| 40 | U-Nice Chan | Singapore | 2:08.99 | |
| 41 | Maria Wong | Peru | 2:09.30 | |
| 42 | Nicole Hayes | Palau | 2:11.01 | |
| 43 | Lee Huei-Yun | Chinese Taipei | 2:14.40 | |
| – | Elina Partõka | Estonia | DNS | |

### Semifinals

| Rank | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Claudia Poll | Costa Rica | 1:59.45 | Q |
| 2 | Giaan Rooney | Australia | 1:59.62 | Q |
| 3 | Yang Yu | China | 1:59.68 | Q |
| 3 | Nicola Jackson | United Kingdom | 1:59.68 | Q |
| 5 | Camelia Potec | Romania | 1:59.73 | Q |
| 6 | Elka Graham | Australia | 1:59.75 | Q |
| 7 | Martina Moravcová | Slovakia | 1:59.76 | Q |
| 8 | Maki Mita | Japan | 2:00.05 | QSO |
| 8 | Mette Jacobsen | Denmark | 2:00.05 | QSO |
| 10 | Nadezhda Chemezova | Russia | 2:00.37 | |
| 10 | Natallia Baranouskaya | Belarus | 2:00.37 | |
| 12 | Karen Pickering | United Kingdom | 2:00.52 | |
| 13 | Alicia Bozon | France | 2:00.95 | |
| 14 | Carla Geurts | Netherlands | 2:01.71 | |
| 15 | Sofie Goffin | Belgium | 2:01.80 | |
| 16 | Jessica Deglau | Canada | 2:02.16 | |

#### Swim-off

| Rank | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Mette Jacobsen | Denmark | 2:00.31 | Q |
| 2 | Maki Mita | Japan | 2:01.01 | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Giaan Rooney | Australia | 1:58.57 |
| | Yang Yu | China | 1:58.78 |
| | Camelia Potec | Romania | 1:58.85 |
| 4 | Claudia Poll | Costa Rica | 1:58.92 |
| 5 | Martina Moravcová | Slovakia | 1:59.29 |
| 6 | Nicola Jackson | United Kingdom | 1:59.44 |
| 7 | Elka Graham | Australia | 1:59.63 |
| 8 | Mette Jacobsen | Denmark | 1:59.64 |
Key: WR = World record