# 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 400 metre freestyle

The Women's 400 metre freestyle competition of the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) was held on 9 December 2016.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing world and championship records were as follows.
| | Name | Nation | Time | Location | Date |
| World record | Mireia Belmonte | Spain | 3:54.52 | Berlin | 11 August 2013 |
| Championship record | Mireia Belmonte | Spain | 3:55.76 | Doha | 5 December 2014 |

## Results
### Heats

The heats were held at 10:25.
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | 4 | Leah Smith | United States | 4:00.47 | Q |
| 2 | 6 | 5 | Veronika Popova | Russia | 4:01.11 | Q, NR |
| 3 | 5 | 2 | Chihiro Igarashi | Japan | 4:02.23 | Q |
| 4 | 6 | 4 | Katinka Hosszú | Hungary | 4:02.38 | Q |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | Ariarne Titmus | Australia | 4:03.54 | Q |
| 6 | 6 | 3 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | Netherlands | 4:04.07 | Q |
| 7 | 6 | 8 | Zhang Yuhan | China | 4:04.49 | Q |
| 8 | 6 | 9 | Aya Takano | Japan | 4:04.89 | Q |
| 9 | 5 | 3 | Ashley Twichell | United States | 4:05.27 | |
| 10 | 4 | 7 | Kennedy Goss | Canada | 4:05.91 | |
| 11 | 5 | 6 | Arina Openysheva | Russia | 4:06.31 | |
| 12 | 6 | 1 | Reva Foos | Germany | 4:06.47 | |
| 13 | 5 | 7 | Kiah Melverton | Australia | 4:06.51 | |
| 14 | 4 | 2 | Taylor Ruck | Canada | 4:06.69 | |
| 15 | 5 | 0 | Li Bingjie | China | 4:07.03 | |
| 16 | 1 | 9 | Abbie Wood | Great Britain | 4:07.29 | |
| 17 | 6 | 7 | Georgia Coates | Great Britain | 4:09.16 | |
| 18 | 6 | 2 | Viviane Jungblut | Brazil | 4:09.38 | |
| 19 | 4 | 3 | Robin Neumann | Netherlands | 4:09.67 | |
| 20 | 5 | 1 | Diana Durães | Portugal | 4:10.18 | NR |
| 21 | 4 | 0 | Celine Rieder | Germany | 4:10.29 | |
| 22 | 5 | 9 | Martina Elhenická | Czech Republic | 4:10.38 | |
| 23 | 4 | 4 | Maria Ugolkova | Switzerland | 4:10.60 | |
| 24 | 4 | 5 | Delfina Pignatiello | Argentina | 4:10.68 | |
| 25 | 4 | 6 | Julia Hassler | Liechtenstein | 4:10.95 | |
| 26 | 4 | 9 | Maj Howardsen | Denmark | 4:11.51 | |
| 27 | 4 | 8 | Fantina Lesaffre | France | 4:12.91 | |
| 28 | 6 | 0 | Gaja Natlacen | Slovenia | 4:13.11 | |
| 29 | 3 | 0 | Helena Moreno | Costa Rica | 4:13.55 | NR |
| 30 | 3 | 3 | Monique Olivier | Luxembourg | 4:15.28 | |
| 31 | 3 | 7 | Souad Nefissa Cherouati | Algeria | 4:15.72 | |
| 32 | 3 | 5 | Elisbet Gámez | Cuba | 4:16.69 | NR |
| 33 | 3 | 8 | Nejla Karić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4:17.03 | |
| 34 | 3 | 4 | Benjaporn Sriphanomthorn | Thailand | 4:18.20 | NR |
| 35 | 4 | 1 | Tamila Holub | Portugal | 4:18.76 | |
| 36 | 1 | 5 | Karen Torrez | Bolivia | 4:20.24 | |
| 37 | 3 | 2 | Andrea Cedrón Rodríguez | Peru | 4:20.25 | |
| 38 | 3 | 6 | Jessica Cattaneo | Peru | 4:21.92 | |
| 39 | 1 | 8 | Christie Chue | Singapore | 4:22.49 | |
| 40 | 2 | 4 | Rosalee Mira Santa Ana | Philippines | 4:22.70 | NR |
| 41 | 2 | 6 | Gabriella Doueihy | Lebanon | 4:24.54 | NR |
| 42 | 3 | 9 | Daniella van den Berg | Aruba | 4:25.18 | |
| 43 | 3 | 1 | Sara Nysted | Faroe Islands | 4:25.85 | |
| 44 | 2 | 3 | Malavika Vishwanath | India | 4:26.98 | |
| 45 | 2 | 5 | Ines Marin | Chile | 4:30.09 | |
| 46 | 2 | 7 | Maeform Borriello | Honduras | 4:32.47 | |
| 47 | 2 | 1 | Fatima Alkaramova | Azerbaijan | 4:32.51 | NR |
| 48 | 2 | 9 | Alania Suttie | Samoa | 4:32.72 | NR |
| 49 | 1 | 3 | Enkhkhuslen Batbayar | Mongolia | 4:37.87 | NR |
| 50 | 2 | 8 | Yara Lima | Angola | 4:40.69 | |
| 51 | 2 | 0 | McKayla Treasure | Barbados | 4:42.12 | |
| 52 | 1 | 2 | Diana Basho | Albania | 4:54.63 | |
| 53 | 1 | 6 | Tiana Rabarijaona | Madagascar | 4:56.27 | |
| 54 | 1 | 1 | Osisang Chilton | Palau | 4:59.21 | NR |
| | 1 | 0 | Federica Pellegrini | Italy | | DNS |
| | 1 | 4 | Dara Al-Bakry | Jordan | | DNS |
| | 1 | 7 | Alesia Neziri | Albania | | DNS |
| | 2 | 2 | Talita Te Flan | Ivory Coast | | DNS |
| | 5 | 5 | Mireia Belmonte | Spain | | DNS |
| | 5 | 8 | Ajna Késely | Hungary | | DNS |

### Final

The final was held at 19:16.
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Leah Smith | United States | 3:57.78 | |
| | 5 | Veronika Popova | Russia | 3:58.90 | NR |
| | 3 | Chihiro Igarashi | Japan | 3:59.41 | NR |
| 4 | 6 | Katinka Hosszú | Hungary | 3:59.89 | |
| 5 | 1 | Zhang Yuhan | China | 4:02.61 | |
| 6 | 2 | Ariarne Titmus | Australia | 4:02.70 | |
| 7 | 7 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | Netherlands | 4:03.69 | |
| 8 | 8 | Aya Takano | Japan | 4:05.95 | |