At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Machaira drastically shortened her program, swimming only in the 100 m freestyle. She achieved a FINA A-standard of 56.17 from the European Championships in Helsinki, Finland. She challenged seven other swimmers in heat five, including U.S. legend and top favorite Dara Torres. With one swimmer scratching out of the race in her heat, Machaira edged out Austria's Judith Draxler on the final lap to pick up a sixth seed by 16-hundredths of a second in 57.24. Machaira failed to advance into the semifinals, as she placed twenty-fifth overall in the prelims.