Swimming_at_the_2020_Summer_Olympics_–_Women's_1500_metre_freestyle
| Women's 1500 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Tokyo Aquatics Centre | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 26 July 2021 (heats) 28 July 2021 (final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 33 from 22 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 15:37.34 | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
The women's 1500 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held in 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.[1] These Games marked the first time to feature women swimming in the pool longer than 800 metres.
The medals for the competition were presented by David Haggerty, United States; IOC Member, and the medalists' bouquets were presented by Dale Neuburger, United States; FINA Treasurer.
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Katie Ledecky (USA) | 15:20.48 | Indianapolis, United States | 16 May 2018 | [2] |
| Olympic record | Inaugural event | — | — | — | — |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 July | Heat 5 | Katie Ledecky |  United States | 15:35.35 | OR |
The Olympic Qualifying Time for the event is 16:32.04. Up to two swimmers per National Olympic Committee (NOC) can automatically qualify by swimming that time at an approved qualification event. The Olympic Selection Time is 17:01.80. Up to one swimmer per NOC meeting that time is eligible for selection, allocated by world ranking until the maximum quota for all swimming events is reached. NOCs without a female swimmer qualified in any event can also use their universality place.[3]
The competition consists of two rounds: heats and a final. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the heats advance to the final. Swim-offs are used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.[4]
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)[1]
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 26 July | 20:32 | Heats |
| 28 July | 11:54 | Final |
Heats
The swimmers with the top 8 times, regardless of heat, advance to the final.[5]
Final
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4 | Katie Ledecky | United States | 15:37.34 | |
 | 3 | Erica Sullivan | United States | 15:41.41 | |
 | 7 | Sarah Köhler |  Germany | 15:42.91 | NR |
| 4 | 5 | Wang Jianjiahe |  China | 15:46.37 | |
| 5 | 6 | Simona Quadarella |  Italy | 15:53.97 | |
| 6 | 8 | Kiah Melverton |  Australia | 16:00.36 | |
| 7 | 2 | Anastasiya Kirpichnikova |  ROC | 16:00.38 | |
| 8 | 1 | Maddy Gough | Australia | 16:05.81 |
- "Tokyo 2020: Swimming Schedule". Tokyo 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- Ross, Andy (16 May 2018). "Katie Ledecky Smashes 1500 Free World Record on First Night of TYR Indianapolis Pro Swim Series". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "Tokyo 2020 – FINA Swimming Qualification System" (pdf). Tokyo 2020. FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- "FINA Swimming Rulebook, 2017–21" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- "Heats results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.