# Swimming at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle

The Women's 400 metre freestyle competition of the 2020 European Aquatics Championships was held on 23 May 2021.

## 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 | 3:56.46 | Rio de Janeiro | 7 August 2016 |
| 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 started at 10:24.
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Anna Egorova | Russia | 4:08.87 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | 5 | Boglárka Kapás | Hungary | 4:09.02 | Q |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Simona Quadarella | Italy | 4:09.04 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | Ajna Késely | Hungary | 4:09.14 | Q |
| 5 | 5 | 6 | Merve Tuncel | Turkey | 4:09.37 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | 3 | Beril Böcekler | Turkey | 4:09.53 | Q |
| 7 | 4 | 6 | Holly Hibbott | Great Britain | 4:10.11 | Q |
| 8 | 5 | 1 | Julia Hassler | Liechtenstein | 4:10.74 | Q |
| 9 | 3 | 5 | Helena Rosendahl Bach | Denmark | 4:11.79 | |
| 10 | 3 | 7 | Aimee Willmott | Great Britain | 4:12.76 | |
| 11 | 4 | 1 | Bettina Fábián | Hungary | 4:13.83 | |
| 12 | 3 | 3 | Lotte Goris | Belgium | 4:14.06 | |
| 13 | 4 | 8 | Monique Olivier | Luxembourg | 4:14.23 | |
| 14 | 5 | 3 | Anastasia Kirpichnikova | Russia | 4:14.55 | |
| 15 | 3 | 4 | Robin Neumann | Netherlands | 4:14.70 | |
| 16 | 2 | 4 | Imani de Jong | Netherlands | 4:15.20 | |
| 17 | 4 | 0 | Deniz Ertan | Turkey | 4:15.45 | |
| 18 | 5 | 9 | Sara Gailli | Italy | 4:15.52 | |
| 19 | 3 | 9 | Marina Heller Hansen | Denmark | 4:15.60 | |
| 20 | 3 | 6 | Jimena Pérez | Spain | 4:15.65 | |
| 21 | 5 | 2 | Reva Foos | Germany | 4:15.67 | |
| 22 | 5 | 7 | Valentine Dumont | Belgium | 4:15.75 | |
| 23 | 4 | 9 | Fanni Fábián | Hungary | 4:15.94 | |
| 24 | 4 | 2 | Martina Caramignoli | Italy | 4:16.49 | |
| 25 | 3 | 0 | Aleksandra Polańska | Poland | 4:16.85 | |
| 26 | 2 | 6 | Tamryn van Selm | Great Britain | 4:17.11 | |
| 27 | 3 | 8 | Silke Holkenborg | Netherlands | 4:17.67 | |
| 28 | 5 | 8 | Katja Fain | Slovenia | 4:18.41 | |
| 29 | 2 | 2 | Claudia Hufnagl | Austria | 4:18.61 | |
| 30 | 1 | 5 | Laura Benková | Slovakia | 4:21.05 | |
| 31 | 2 | 9 | Matea Sumajstorčić | Croatia | 4:22.95 | |
| 32 | 2 | 1 | Daša Tušek | Slovenia | 4:23.44 | |
| 33 | 2 | 0 | Snæfríður Jórunnardóttir | Iceland | 4:23.45 | |
| 34 | 1 | 3 | Sasha Gatt | Malta | 4:24.89 | |
| 35 | 2 | 5 | Klaudia Tarasiewicz | Poland | 4:25.33 | |
| 36 | 1 | 6 | Fatima Alkaramova | Azerbaijan | 4:25.44 | |
| 37 | 3 | 1 | Aleksandra Knop | Poland | 4:26.71 | |
| 38 | 1 | 2 | Nika Špehar | Croatia | 4:28.77 | |
| 39 | 2 | 8 | Arina Baikova | Latvia | 4:28.98 | |
| 40 | 1 | 4 | Martina Cibulková | Slovakia | 4:32.94 | |
| 41 | 1 | 7 | Eda Zeqiri | Kosovo | 4:40.13 | |
| 42 | 1 | 8 | Katie Rock | Albania | 4:40.79 | |
| 43 | 1 | 1 | Era Budima | Kosovo | 4:53.37 | |
| | 3 | 2 | María de Valdés | Spain | Did not start | Did not start |
| | 5 | 0 | Diana Durães | Portugal | Did not start | Did not start |
| | 4 | 7 | Marlene Kahler | Austria | Did not start | Did not start |
| | 2 | 7 | Laura Lahtinen | Finland | Did not start | Did not start |
| | 2 | 3 | Malene Rypestøl | Norway | Did not start | Did not start |

### Final

The final was held at 19:05.
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 3 | Simona Quadarella | Italy | 4:04.66 | |
| | 4 | Anna Egorova | Russia | 4:06.05 | |
| | 5 | Boglárka Kapás | Hungary | 4:06.90 | |
| 4 | 6 | Ajna Késely | Hungary | 4:07.42 | |
| 5 | 7 | Beril Böcekler | Turkey | 4:08.18 | |
| 6 | 8 | Julia Hassler | Liechtenstein | 4:08.23 | NR |
| 7 | 2 | Merve Tuncel | Turkey | 4:10.97 | |
| 8 | 1 | Holly Hibbott | Great Britain | 4:11.54 | |