Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre individual medley
# Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre individual medley

The women's 400 metre individual medley event for the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal on 24 July. All swimmers in the final would have won the 1972 final in this event. Ulrike Tauber won in a new world-record time.

## Results

### Heats

Heat 1

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Becky Smith | Canada | 4:52.90 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Judith Hudson | Australia | 5:00.25 | |
| 3 | Anne Adams | Great Britain | 5:09.60 | |
| 4 | Ann Bradshaw | Great Britain | 5:10.82 | |
| 5 | Allison Smith | Australia | 5:17.51 | |
| 6 | Nancy Deano | Philippines | 5:34.89 | |

Heat 2

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Donnalee Wennerstrom | United States | 4:55.16 | Q |
| 2 | Sabine Kahle | East Germany | 4:56.85 | Q |
| 3 | Lynne Rowe | New Zealand | 5:09.21 | |
| 4 | Nataliya Popova | Soviet Union | 5:15.75 | |

Heat 3

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ulrike Tauber | East Germany | 4:51.24 | Q, OR |
| 2 | Cheryl Gibson | Canada | 4:55.30 | Q |
| 3 | Monique Rodahl | New Zealand | 4:58.47 | Q |
| 4 | Susan Richardson | Great Britain | 5:06.39 | |
| 5 | Jeanne Haney | United States | 5:10.53 | |
| 6 | Pierrette Michel | Belgium | 5:15.86 | |

Heat 4

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Birgit Treiber | East Germany | 4:57.39 | Q |
| 2 | Joann Baker | Canada | 4:58.86 | Q |
| 3 | Susan Hunter | New Zealand | 5:03.82 | |
| 4 | Colette Crabbe | Belgium | 5:06.87 | |

### Final

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Ulrike Tauber | East Germany | 4:42.77 | WR |
| | Cheryl Gibson | Canada | 4:48.10 | |
| | Becky Smith | Canada | 4:50.48 | |
| 4 | Birgit Treiber | East Germany | 4:52.40 | |
| 5 | Sabine Kahle | East Germany | 4:53.50 | |
| 6 | Donnalee Wennerstrom | United States | 4:55.34 | |
| 7 | Joann Baker | Canada | 5:00.19 | |
| 8 | Monique Rodahl | New Zealand | 5:00.21 | |
