# Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle

The women's 100 metre freestyle event for the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal, with the final on 18 July 1976.

## Results
### Heats

Heat 1
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Petra Priemer | East Germany | 56.95 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Rebecca Perrott | New Zealand | 57.66 | Q |
| 3 | Pia Mårtensson | Sweden | 59.15 | |
| 4 | Ida Hansson | Sweden | 1:00.22 | |
| 5 | Shelley Cramer | Virgin Islands | 1:00.67 | |
| 6 | Myriam Mizouni | Tunisia | 1:02.42 | |
Heat 2
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Anne Jardin | Canada | 57.61 | Q |
| 2 | Jutta Weber | West Germany | 57.71 | Q |
| 3 | Sachiko Yamazaki | Japan | 1:00.43 | |
| 4 | Regina Nissen | West Germany | 1:00.60 | |
| 5 | Lesleigh Harvey | Australia | 1:01.59 | |
| 6 | Deirdre Sheehan | Ireland | 1:02.11 | |
| 7 | Vilborg Sverrisdóttir | Iceland | 1:03.26 | |
Heat 3
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Jill Sterkel | United States | 57.41 | Q |
| 2 | Guylaine Berger | France | 58.79 | Q |
| 3 | Irina Vlasova | Soviet Union | 58.99 | |
| 4 | Elaine Gray | Great Britain | 1:00.31 | |
| 5 | Ivis Poleo | Venezuela | 1:03.07 | |
| 6 | Karen Robertson | Hong Kong | 1:04.29 | |
Heat 4
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Shirley Babashoff | United States | 58.06 | Q |
| 2 | Barbara Clark | Canada | 58.29 | Q |
| 3 | Susan Edmondson | Great Britain | 1:00.64 | |
| 4 | Berber Kamstra | Netherlands | 1:00.68 | |
| 5 | Geert Boekhout | Belgium | 1:00.76 | |
| 6 | Marianela Huen | Venezuela | 1:02.51 | |
| 7 | Georgina Osorio | Panama | 1:03.88 | |
Heat 5
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Claudia Hempel | East Germany | 57.35 | Q |
| 2 | Lene Jenssen | Norway | 58.10 | Q |
| 3 | Jenny Tate | Australia | 58.78 | Q |
| 4 | Marina Klyuchnikova | Soviet Union | 59.30 | |
| 5 | Ratchaneewan Bulakul | Thailand | 1:01.33 | |
| 6 | Rossana Juncos | Argentina | 1:01.89 | |
Heat 6
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Enith Brigitha | Netherlands | 56.61 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Kim Peyton | United States | 57.26 | Q |
| 3 | Ineke Ran | Netherlands | 58.08 | Q |
| 4 | Drue Le Guier | Australia | 59.40 | |
| 5 | Beate Jasch | West Germany | 1:00.80 | |
| 6 | María París | Costa Rica | 1:01.53 | |
Heat 7
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Kornelia Ender | East Germany | 55.81 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Gail Amundrud | Canada | 58.01 | Q |
| 3 | Lyubov Kobzova | Soviet Union | 58.93 | |
| 4 | Anne Richard | Belgium | 59.11 | |
| 5 | Diana Olsson | Sweden | 1:00.46 | |
| 6 | Susana Coppo | Argentina | 1:02.46 | |
| 7 | Jane Fayer | Puerto Rico | 1:02.89 | |

### Semifinals

Heat 1
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Kim Peyton | United States | 56.89 | Q |
| 2 | Enith Brigitha | Netherlands | 57.08 | Q |
| 3 | Jill Sterkel | United States | 57.19 | Q |
| 4 | Barbara Clark | Canada | 57.72 | |
| 5 | Gail Amundrud | Canada | 58.10 | |
| 6 | Rebecca Perrott | New Zealand | 58.13 | |
| 7 | Ineke Ran | Netherlands | 58.50 | |
| 8 | Guylaine Berger | France | 58.62 | |
Heat 2
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Kornelia Ender | East Germany | 55.82 | Q |
| 2 | Shirley Babashoff | United States | 56.95 | Q |
| 3 | Claudia Hempel | East Germany | 57.05 | Q |
| 4 | Petra Priemer | East Germany | 57.21 | Q |
| 5 | Jutta Weber | West Germany | 57.35 | Q |
| 6 | Anne Jardin | Canada | 57.78 | |
| 7 | Lene Jenssen | Norway | 58.10 | |
| 8 | Jenny Tate | Australia | 58.88 | |

### Final

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| | Kornelia Ender | East Germany | 55.65 | WR |
| | Petra Priemer | East Germany | 56.49 | |
| | Enith Brigitha | Netherlands | 56.65 | |
| 4 | Kim Peyton | United States | 56.81 | |
| 5 | Shirley Babashoff | United States | 56.95 | |
| 6 | Claudia Hempel | East Germany | 56.99 | |
| 7 | Jill Sterkel | United States | 57.06 | |
| 8 | Jutta Weber | West Germany | 57.26 | |