# Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre freestyle

The women's 400 metre freestyle event at the 1996 Summer Olympics took place on 22 July at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, United States.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | Janet Evans (USA) | 4:03.85 | Seoul, South Korea | 22 September 1988 |
| Olympic record | Janet Evans (USA) | 4:03.85 | Seoul, South Korea | 22 September 1988 |

## Results
### Heats

Rule: The eight fastest swimmers advance to final A (Q), while the next eight to final B (q).
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | 5 | Kerstin Kielgaß | Germany | 4:08.99 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | 4 | Michelle Smith | Ireland | 4:09.00 | Q, NR |
| 3 | 4 | 6 | Kirsten Vlieghuis | Netherlands | 4:11.04 | Q |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | Dagmar Hase | Germany | 4:11.17 | Q |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | Carla Geurts | Netherlands | 4:11.18 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | 4 | Claudia Poll | Costa Rica | 4:12.07 | Q |
| 7 | 4 | 3 | Cristina Teuscher | United States | 4:12.20 | Q |
| 8 | 5 | 3 | Eri Yamanoi | Japan | 4:13.40 | Q |
| 9 | 3 | 5 | Janet Evans | United States | 4:13.60 | q, WD |
| 10 | 3 | 2 | Emma Johnson | Australia | 4:14.13 | q |
| 11 | 4 | 7 | Sarah Hardcastle | Great Britain | 4:14.50 | q |
| 12 | 3 | 6 | Suzu Chiba | Japan | 4:16.07 | q |
| 13 | 5 | 8 | Dionne Bainbridge | New Zealand | 4:16.47 | q |
| 14 | 5 | 7 | Carla Negrea | Romania | 4:16.89 | q |
| 15 | 3 | 3 | Hayley Lewis | Australia | 4:17.02 | q |
| 16 | 3 | 7 | Lin Chi-chan | Chinese Taipei | 4:17.18 | q, NR |
| 17 | 5 | 1 | Sandra Cam | Belgium | 4:17.35 | q |
| 18 | 5 | 2 | Irene Dalby | Norway | 4:19.34 | |
| 19 | 4 | 8 | Itziar Esparza | Spain | 4:19.45 | |
| 20 | 3 | 8 | Andrea Schwartz | Canada | 4:19.46 | |
| 21 | 4 | 1 | Olga Šplíchalová | Czech Republic | 4:20.04 | |
| 22 | 2 | 1 | Mirjana Boševska | Macedonia | 4:21.27 | NR |
| 23 | 2 | 4 | Nadezhda Chemezova | Russia | 4:21.33 | |
| 24 | 1 | 6 | Laëtitia Choux | France | 4:21.39 | |
| 25 | 1 | 4 | Britt Raaby | Denmark | 4:21.46 | |
| 26 | 1 | 7 | Ravee Intporn-Udom | Thailand | 4:21.93 | NR |
| 27 | 3 | 1 | Martina Moravcová | Slovakia | 4:22.10 | |
| 28 | 2 | 3 | Alicia Barrancos | Argentina | 4:22.11 | |
| 29 | 5 | 6 | Chen Yan | China | 4:22.55 | |
| 30 | 2 | 8 | Carolyn Adel | Suriname | 4:22.66 | NR |
| 31 | 2 | 6 | Jeong Eun-na | South Korea | 4:23.35 | |
| 32 | 1 | 1 | Martina Nemec | Austria | 4:23.72 | |
| 33 | 2 | 2 | Paula Harmokivi | Finland | 4:23.84 | |
| 34 | 1 | 5 | Antonia Machaira | Greece | 4:24.05 | |
| 35 | 2 | 7 | Chantal Strasser | Switzerland | 4:24.49 | |
| 36 | 1 | 3 | Maritza Chiaway | Peru | 4:27.11 | |
| 37 | 2 | 5 | Ana Alegria | Portugal | 4:27.19 | |
| 38 | 1 | 2 | Judit Kiss | Hungary | 4:29.80 | |
| 39 | 1 | 8 | Marina Zarma | Cyprus | 4:32.15 | |
| | 4 | 2 | Malin Nilsson | Sweden | DNS | |

### Finals
#### Final B

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 8 | 5 | Sarah Hardcastle | Great Britain | 4:14.13 | |
| 10 | 8 | Sandra Cam | Belgium | 4:14.94 | |
| 11 | 1 | Lin Chi-chan | Chinese Taipei | 4:15.74 | NR |
| 12 | 4 | Emma Johnson | Australia | 4:15.79 | |
| 13 | 3 | Suzu Chiba | Japan | 4:16.60 | |
| 14 | 6 | Dionne Bainbridge | New Zealand | 4:16.79 | |
| 15 | 7 | Hayley Lewis | Australia | 4:16.92 | |
| 16 | 2 | Carla Negrea | Romania | 4:17.08 | |

#### Final A

| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 5 | Michelle Smith | Ireland | 4:07.25 | NR |
| | 6 | Dagmar Hase | Germany | 4:08.30 | |
| | 3 | Kirsten Vlieghuis | Netherlands | 4:08.70 | NR |
| 4 | 4 | Kerstin Kielgaß | Germany | 4:09.83 | |
| 5 | 7 | Claudia Poll | Costa Rica | 4:10.00 | NR |
| 6 | 2 | Carla Geurts | Netherlands | 4:10.06 | |
| 7 | 8 | Eri Yamanoi | Japan | 4:11.68 | |
| 9 | 1 | Cristina Teuscher | United States | 4:14.21 | |