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Swimming at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games:
Women's 400 metres Freestyle
Swimming at the 1952 Summer Games: Previous Summer Games ▪ Next Summer Games
Host City: Helsinki, Finland
Venue(s): Helsinki Swimming Stadium, Helsinki
Date Started: July 31, 1952
Date Finished: August 2, 1952
| Gold: |  Valéria Gyenge |
| Silver: | Éva Gérard-Novák |
| Bronze: |  Evelyn Kawamoto |
Summary
The 400m Freestyle was destined to be a clash between Hungary, the USA and Denmark. The return of world record holder Ragnhild Hveger-Andersen, after a sixteen year Olympic absence, added to the talents of European champion Grete Andersen meant that Denmark would be well represented whilst a trio of talented Hungarians and the American pairing of Evelyn Kawamoto and Carolyn Green could not be discounted. For nearly 300 metres the impossible seemed about to happened as Hveger-Andersen, at 32 and coming back from a 7 year retirement, held off her younger rivals but her early efforts were in vain as four swimmers passed her. The gold medal was decided between two Hungarians, Valéria Gyenge and Éva Novák, with Gyenge edging her more experienced team-mate for the victory.
Final Standings
| Rank | Athlete | Age | Team | NOC | Medal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valéria Gyenge | 19 | Hungary | HUN | Gold | OR |
| 2 | Éva Gérard-Novák | 22 | Hungary | HUN | Silver | |
| 3 | Evelyn Kawamoto | 18 | United States | USA | Bronze | |
| 4 | Carolyn Green | 18 | United States | USA | ||
| 5 | Ragnhild Hveger | 31 | Denmark | DEN | ||
| 6 | Éva Székely | 25 | Hungary | HUN | ||
| 7 | Ana María Schultz | 16 | Argentina | ARG | ||
| 8 | Greta Andersen | 25 | Denmark | DEN | ||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | Joan Harrison | 16 | South Africa | RSA | ||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | Daphne Wilkinson | 20 | Great Britain | GBR | ||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | Judy-Joy Davies | 24 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | Delia Meulenkamp | 17 | United States | USA | ||
| 7 h1 r2/3 | Piedade Coutinho-Tavares | 32 | Brazil | BRA | ||
| 7 h2 r2/3 | Denise Norton | 18 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 8 h2 r2/3 | Huguette Peeters | 15 | Belgium | BEL | ||
| 3 h1 r1/3 | Mette Ove Petersen | 18 | Denmark | DEN | ||
| 3 h3 r1/3 | Colette Thomas | 23 | France | FRA | ||
| 4 h1 r1/3 | Grace Wood | 19 | Great Britain | GBR | ||
| 4 h3 r1/3 | Elisabeth Rechlin | 22 | Germany | GER | ||
| 4 h4 r1/3 | Ingegerd Fredin | 21 | Sweden | SWE | ||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | Kay McNamee | 21 | Canada | CAN | ||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | Lillian Preece | 24 | Great Britain | GBR | ||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | Hannie Termeulen | 23 | Netherlands | NED | ||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | Ginette Jany-Sendral | 20 | France | FRA | ||
| 5 h5 r1/3 | Marianne Lundquist | 20 | Sweden | SWE | ||
| 6 h1 r1/3 | Geertje Wielema | 17 | Netherlands | NED | ||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | Sybille Verckist | 17 | Belgium | BEL | ||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | Gladys Priestley | 14 | Canada | CAN | ||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher | 27 | Netherlands | NED | ||
| 6 h5 r1/3 | Josette Arène | 27 | France | FRA | ||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | Ritva Järvinen | 19 | Finland | FIN | ||
| 7 h3 r1/3 | Cynthia Eager | 15 | Hong Kong | HKG | ||
| 7 h4 r1/3 | Sadako Yamashita | 19 | Japan | JPN | ||
| 7 h5 r1/3 | Misako Tamura | 18 | Japan | JPN |
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