Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres
# Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres

The women's 200 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 19–21 August (final) at the Beijing National Stadium.

Allyson Felix, the young American athlete and already a double World champion, entered the 200m race in Beijing as a favorite for the gold. Defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica also appeared to be in great form, setting a new personal best of 21.94 seconds at the Olympic trials.

In the final, Campbell-Brown had the quickest start and made up the stagger very quickly on Allyson Felix, who had been drawn in the lane outside of her. Running a stellar curve and accelerating out of the bend, the Jamaican athlete held her form to cross the line in 21.74 seconds, the fastest time of the decade and a new personal best.

Veronica Campbell-Brown, who suffered from injuries that led to disappointment in the 200m in the 2007 World Championships, returned to form to become only the second woman in history to win back-to-back Olympic 200m titles. Allyson Felix was once again relegated to the silver medal in a seasonal best of 21.93, the second-fastest time of her career. Jamaican Kerron Stewart won the bronze medal by just a hundredth of a second.

The qualifying standards were 23.00 s (A standard) and 23.20 s (B standard).

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:

| World record | Florence Griffith-Joyner (United States) | 21.34 s | Seoul, South Korea | 29 September 1988 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Olympic record | Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA) | 21.34 s | Seoul, South Korea | 29 September 1988 |

No new world or Olympic records were set for this event.

## Results

### Round 1

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) and the next 8 fastest (q) advance to the Round 2.

| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Muna Lee | United States | 22.71 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi | France | 22.72 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 22.76 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 4 | Roqaya Al-Gassra | Bahrain | 22.81 | Q |
| 5 | 6 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 22.91 | Q, =PB |
| 6 | 6 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 22.94 | Q |
| 7 | 4 | Emily Freeman | Great Britain | 22.95 | Q |
| 8 | 2 | Yuliya Chermoshanskaya | Russia | 22.98 | DSQ |
| 9 | 1 | Allyson Felix | United States | 23.02 | Q |
| 10 | 4 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 23.03 | Q |
| 11 | 5 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 23.04 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Susanthika Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 23.04 | Q |
| 13 | 5 | Kadiatou Camara | Mali | 23.06 | Q |
| 14 | 3 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 23.07 | Q |
| 15 | 6 | Roxana Díaz | Cuba | 23.09 | Q |
| 16 | 6 | LaVerne Jones-Ferrette | Virgin Islands | 23.12 | Q |
| 17 | 2 | Ivet Lalova | Bulgaria | 23.13 | q, SB |
| 18 | 1 | Virgil Hodge | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 23.14 | Q |
| 19 | 5 | Natalia Rusakova | Russia | 23.21 | Q |
| 20 | 3 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 23.22 | Q |
| 21 | 4 | Ionela Târlea | Romania | 23.24 | Q |
| 22 | 1 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 23.29 | Q |
| 23 | 3 | Oludamola Osayomi | Nigeria | 23.31 | Q |
| 24 | 5 | Sheniqua Ferguson | Bahamas | 23.33 | Q |
| 24 | 4 | Darlenis Obregón | Colombia | 23.33 | q |
| 26 | 5 | Adrienne Power | Canada | 23.40 | q |
| 27 | 6 | Evelyn dos Santos | Brazil | 23.43 | q |
| 28 | 5 | Vincenza Calì | Italy | 23.44 | q |
| 28 | 4 | Guzel Khubbieva | Uzbekistan | 23.44 | q |
| 30 | 6 | Allison George | Grenada | 23.45 | q |
| 31 | 1 | Inna Eftimova | Bulgaria | 23.50 | q |
| 32 | 3 | Eleni Artymata | Cyprus | 23.58 | Q, SB |
| 33 | 6 | Marta Jeschke | Poland | 23.59 | |
| 34 | 4 | Jade Bailey | Barbados | 23.62 | |
| 34 | 3 | Sabina Veit | Slovenia | 23.62 | |
| 36 | 5 | Isabel Le Roux | South Africa | 23.67 | |
| 37 | 3 | Gloria Kemasuode | Nigeria | 23.72 | |
| 38 | 3 | Meritzer Williams | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 23.83 | |
| 39 | 2 | Mariely Sánchez | Dominican Republic | 24.05 | |
| 40 | 3 | Fabienne Feraez | Benin | 24.07 | |
| 40 | 2 | Carol Rodríguez | Puerto Rico | 24.07 | |
| 42 | 1 | Kia Davis | Liberia | 24.31 | |
| 43 | 4 | Lai Lai Win | Myanmar | 24.37 | |
| 44 | 1 | Kirsten Nieuwendam | Suriname | 24.46 | NR |
| 45 | 6 | Gretta Taslakian | Lebanon | 25.32 | SB |
| 46 | 5 | Samia Yusuf Omar | Somalia | 32.16 | |
| | 1 | Vida Anim | Ghana | DNS | |
| | 2 | Kim Gevaert | Belgium | DNS | |

### Round 2

Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) advance to the Semifinals.

| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 22.60 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Yuliya Chermoshanskaya | Russia | 22.63 | DSQ |
| 3 | 1 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 22.64 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Allyson Felix | United States | 22.74 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 22.74 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Roqaya Al-Gassra | Bahrain | 22.76 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 22.76 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 22.77 | Q |
| 9 | 4 | Muna Lee | United States | 22.83 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 22.83 | q |
| 11 | 2 | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi | France | 22.89 | Q |
| 12 | 2 | Susanthika Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 22.94 | Q |
| 13 | 4 | Emily Freeman | Great Britain | 22.95 | Q |
| 14 | 2 | Roxana Díaz | Cuba | 22.98 | q |
| 15 | 3 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 23.03 | q |
| 16 | 2 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 23.04 | q |
| 17 | 3 | Kadiatou Camara | Mali | 23.06 | |
| 18 | 4 | Ivet Lalova | Bulgaria | 23.15 | |
| 19 | 4 | Virgil Hodge | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 23.17 | |
| 20 | 1 | Ionela Târlea | Romania | 23.22 | |
| 21 | 2 | Oludamola Osayomi | Nigeria | 23.27 | |
| 22 | 4 | Natalia Rusakova | Russia | 23.28 | |
| 23 | 1 | Evelyn dos Santos | Brazil | 23.35 | |
| 24 | 1 | LaVerne Jones-Ferrette | Virgin Islands | 23.37 | |
| 25 | 2 | Darlenis Obregón | Colombia | 23.40 | |
| 26 | 2 | Inna Eftimova | Bulgaria | 23.48 | |
| 27 | 3 | Adrienne Power | Canada | 23.51 | |
| 28 | 3 | Vincenza Calì | Italy | 23.56 | |
| 29 | 3 | Sheniqua Ferguson | Bahamas | 23.61 | |
| 30 | 4 | Eleni Artymata | Cyprus | 23.77 | |
| 31 | 4 | Allison George | Grenada | 23.77 | |
| | 1 | Guzel Khubbieva | Uzbekistan | DNS | |

### Semifinals

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) advance to the Final.

**Semifinal 1**

20 August 2008 - 21:55 Wind: 0.0 m/s

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes | React |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 22.19 | Q | 0.187 |
| 2 | 7 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 22.29 | Q | 0.217 |
| 3 | 4 | Muna Lee | United States | 22.29 | Q, PB | 0.186 |
| 4 | 9 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 22.51 | Q | 0.165 |
| 5 | 6 | Yuliya Chermoshanskaya | Russia | 22.57 | DSQ | 0.204 |
| 6 | 3 | Nataliya Pyhyda | Ukraine | 22.95 | | 0.160 |
| 7 | 8 | Susanthika Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 22.98 | | 0.245 |
| 8 | 2 | Roxana Díaz | Cuba | 23.12 | | 0.177 |

**Semifinal 2**

20 August 2008 - 22:04 Wind: -0.2 m/s

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes | React |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 7 | Allyson Felix | United States | 22.33 | Q | 0.181 |
| 2 | 9 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 22.50 | Q | 0.196 |
| 3 | 5 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 22.50 | Q | 0.175 |
| 4 | 3 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 22.61 | Q, SB | 0.212 |
| 5 | 4 | Muriel Hurtis-Houairi | France | 22.71 | | 0.188 |
| 6 | 6 | Roqaya Al-Gassra | Bahrain | 22.72 | | 0.259 |
| 7 | 8 | Emily Freeman | Great Britain | 22.83 | | 0.201 |
| 8 | 2 | Aleksandra Fedoriva | Russia | 23.22 | | 0.202 |

### Final

21 August 2008 - Wind: 0.6 m/s

| Rank | Lane | Name | Country | Reaction Time | Time | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | 4 | Veronica Campbell-Brown | Jamaica | 0.172 | 21.74 | PB |
| | 5 | Allyson Felix | United States | 0.193 | 21.93 | SB |
| | 6 | Kerron Stewart | Jamaica | 0.199 | 22.00 | |
| 4 | 9 | Muna Lee | United States | 0.176 | 22.01 | PB |
| 5 | 7 | Marshevet Hooker | United States | 0.200 | 22.34 | PB |
| 6 | 8 | Sherone Simpson | Jamaica | 0.167 | 22.36 | |
| 7 | 2 | Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie | Bahamas | 0.175 | 22.61 | |
| 8 | 3 | Cydonie Mothersille | Cayman Islands | 0.206 | 22.68 | |
