Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre freestyle
# Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre freestyle

The women's 200 metre freestyle event for the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal. The event took place on 22 July.

## Results

### Heats

Heat 1

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Claudia Hempel | East Germany | 2:03.36 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Larisa Tsaryova | Soviet Union | 2:03.98 | |
| 3 | Jutta Weber | West Germany | 2:08.02 | |
| 4 | Sonya Gray | Australia | 2:10.73 | |
| 5 | Ratchaneewan Bulakul | Thailand | 2:12.92 | |
| 6 | Vilborg Sverrisdóttir | Iceland | 2:14.27 | |

Heat 2

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Gail Amundrud | Canada | 2:03.85 | Q |
| 2 | Debbie Clarke | Canada | 2:05.10 | |
| 3 | Lyubov Kobzova | Soviet Union | 2:05.55 | |
| 4 | Gunilla Lundberg | Sweden | 2:09.51 | |
| 5 | Jane Fayer | Puerto Rico | 2:19.93 | |
| 6 | Raphaelynne Lee | Hong Kong | 2:20.76 | |

Heat 3

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Irina Vlasova | Soviet Union | 2:03.67 | Q |
| 2 | Rebecca Perrott | New Zealand | 2:03.94 | |
| 3 | Andrea Pollack | East Germany | 2:06.12 | |
| 4 | Marion Platten | West Germany | 2:06.70 | |
| 5 | Regina Nissen | West Germany | 2:14.66 | |
| 6 | Deirdre Sheehan | Ireland | 2:15.69 | |
| 7 | Susana Coppo | Argentina | 2:19.26 | |

Heat 4

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Enith Brigitha | Netherlands | 2:01.54 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Jennifer Hooker | United States | 2:03.72 | Q |
| 3 | Anne Richard | Belgium | 2:07.90 | |
| 4 | Lesleigh Harvey | Australia | 2:08.60 | |
| 5 | Pia Mårtensson | Sweden | 2:09.85 | |
| 6 | Ann Bradshaw | Great Britain | 2:10.93 | |
| 7 | Georgina Osorio | Panama | 2:19.06 | |

Heat 5

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Shirley Babashoff | United States | 2:01.64 | Q |
| 2 | Annelies Maas | Netherlands | 2:03.01 | Q |
| 3 | Anne Jardin | Canada | 2:05.28 | |
| 4 | Guylaine Berger | France | 2:06.74 | |
| 5 | Susan Edmondson | Great Britain | 2:10.08 | |
| 6 | Vania Vázquez | Venezuela | 2:13.54 | |
| 7 | Shelley Cramer | Virgin Islands | 2:14.94 | |

Heat 6

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Kornelia Ender | East Germany | 2:02.50 | Q |
| 2 | Jill Sterkel | United States | 2:03.94 | |
| 3 | Ineke Ran | Netherlands | 2:05.01 | |
| 4 | Michelle Ford | Australia | 2:05.72 | |
| 5 | Susan Barnard | Great Britain | 2:08.76 | |
| 6 | María París | Costa Rica | 2:13.17 | |
| 7 | María Pérez | Venezuela | 2:13.97 | |

### Final

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Kornelia Ender | East Germany | 1:59.26 | WR |
| | Shirley Babashoff | United States | 2:01.22 | |
| | Enith Brigitha | Netherlands | 2:01.40 | |
| 4 | Annelies Maas | Netherlands | 2:02.56 | |
| 5 | Gail Amundrud | Canada | 2:03.32 | |
| 6 | Jennifer Hooker | United States | 2:04.20 | |
| 7 | Claudia Hempel | East Germany | 2:04.61 | |
| 8 | Irina Vlasova | Soviet Union | 2:05.63 | |
