Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metre freestyle
# Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metre freestyle

The final of the women's 800 metre freestyle event for the 1976 Summer Olympics was held on July 25, 1976, in Montreal, after the preliminary heats on July 24, 1976.

## Results

### Heats

Heat 1

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Nicole Kramer | United States | 8:46.81 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Shannon Smith | Canada | 8:52.66 | Q |
| 3 | Lisa Geary | Canada | 8:56.49 | |
| 4 | Allison Calder | New Zealand | 8:57.24 | |
| 5 | Carine Verbauwen | Belgium | 8:57.31 | |
| 6 | Laura Bortolotti | Italy | 9:00.16 | |

Heat 2

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Petra Thümer | East Germany | 8:46.58 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Regina Jäger | East Germany | 8:49.19 | Q |
| 3 | Wendy Weinberg | United States | 8:49.78 | Q |
| 4 | Wendy Quirk | Canada | 8:53.93 | |
| 5 | Eleonora Pandini | Italy | 9:12.47 | |
| 6 | Fernanda Pérez | Colombia | 9:36.10 | |
| - | Maria Guimarães | Brazil | - | DQ |

Heat 3

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Shirley Babashoff | United States | 8:47.74 | Q |
| 2 | Jenny Turrall | Australia | 8:51.41 | Q |
| 3 | Rosemary Milgate | Australia | 8:53.65 | Q |
| 4 | Annelies Maas | Netherlands | 8:57.38 | |
| 5 | Tracey Wickham | Australia | 9:01.93 | |
| 6 | Antonia Real | Spain | 9:07.24 | |
| 7 | Diana Hatler | Puerto Rico | 9:43.51 | |

### Final

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Petra Thümer | East Germany | 8:37.14 | WR |
| | Shirley Babashoff | United States | 8:37.59 | |
| | Wendy Weinberg | United States | 8:42.60 | |
| 4 | Rosemary Milgate | Australia | 8:47.21 | |
| 5 | Nicole Kramer | United States | 8:47.33 | |
| 6 | Shannon Smith | Canada | 8:48.15 | |
| 7 | Regina Jäger | East Germany | 8:50.40 | |
| 8 | Jenny Turrall | Australia | 8:52.88 | |
