Swimming at the 1992 Summer Games: Previous Summer Games ▪ Next Summer Games
Host City: Barcelona, Spain
Venue(s): Bernat Picornell Pools, Barcelona
Date Started: July 28, 1992
Date Finished: July 28, 1992
| Gold: | Krisztina Egerszegi |
| Silver: | Tünde Szabó |
| Bronze: | Lea Loveless |
Swimming rules for backstroke were slightly different in 1992, as no hand touch was required at the turn, a rule put into effect in March 1991. It mattered little to Hungary’s Krisztina Egerszegi, who had won the silver medal in this event in 1988, trailing East German Kristin Otto. But since Seoul Egerszegi had been the world’s best backstroker, winning both events at the 1991 World and European Championships and setting world records in both events. When this event started she already had one gold in Barcelona, in the 400 IM, which she added to her 200 backstroke gold from Seoul. She would later win the 200 back, giving her four gold medals.\n\nThe final was delayed by 15 minutes because of the preceding race, the men’s 100 free, which required a review of the tape. Egerszegi went out ahead early, although American Lea Loveless stayed close throughout. But she could never move ahead and Egerszegi won her second Barcelona gold in 1:00.68, the third fastest performance ever. Loveless was passed near the end by Egerszegi’s teammate Tünde Szabó.
| Rank | Athlete | Age | Team | NOC | Medal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krisztina Egerszegi | 17 | Hungary | HUN | Gold | OR |
| 2 | Tünde Szabó | 18 | Hungary | HUN | Silver | |
| 3 | Lea Loveless | 21 | United States | USA | Bronze | |
| 4 | Nicole Livingstone-Stevenson | 21 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 5 | Janie Wagstaff | 18 | United States | USA | ||
| 6 | Joanne Meehan | 15 | Australia | AUS | ||
| 7 | Nina Zhivanevskaya | 15 | Unified Team | EUN | ||
| 8 | Yoko Koikawa | 18 | Japan | JPN | ||
| 9 | Dagmar Hase | 22 | Germany | GER | ||
| 10 | Marianne Kriel | 20 | South Africa | RSA | ||
| 11 | Anna Simcic | 20 | New Zealand | NZL | ||
| 12 | Noriko Inada | 13 | Japan | JPN | ||
| 13 | He Cihong | 17 | China | CHN | ||
| 14 | Nikki Dryden | 17 | Canada | CAN | ||
| 15 | Silvia Poll | 21 | Costa Rica | CRC | ||
| 16 | Sandra Völker | 18 | Germany | GER | ||
| 17 | Ellen Elzerman | 21 | Netherlands | NED | ||
| 18 | Gillian Thomson | 17 | Philippines | PHI | ||
| 19 | Joanne Deakins | 19 | Great Britain | GBR | ||
| 20 | Claudia Stănescu | 16 | Romania | ROU | ||
| 21 | Eva Gysling | 25 | Switzerland | SUI | ||
| 22 | Jill Brukman | 19 | South Africa | RSA | ||
| 23 | Lorenza Vigarani | 22 | Italy | ITA | ||
| 24 | Kathy Read | 23 | Great Britain | GBR | ||
| 25 | Lara Bianconi | 18 | Italy | ITA | ||
| 26 | Nataliya Shybaieva | 23 | Unified Team | EUN | ||
| 27 | Nuria Castelló | 21 | Spain | ESP | ||
| 28 | Julie Howard | 15 | Canada | CAN | ||
| 29 | Małgorzata Galwas | 18 | Poland | POL | ||
| 30 | Helena Straková | 17 | Czechoslovakia | TCH | ||
| 31 | Martina Moravcová | 16 | Czechoslovakia | TCH | ||
| 32T | Céline Bonnet | 16 | France | FRA | ||
| 32T | Nathalie Wunderlich | 21 | Switzerland | SUI | ||
| 34 | Rita Garay | 21 | Puerto Rico | PUR | ||
| 35 | Lee Chang-Ha | 15 | South Korea | KOR | ||
| 36 | Ana Barros | 22 | Portugal | POR | ||
| 37 | Mariya Kocheva | 17 | Bulgaria | BUL | ||
| 38 | Diane Lacombe | 15 | France | FRA | ||
| 39 | Anne Lackman | 22 | Finland | FIN | ||
| 40 | Darija Alauf | 23 | Individual Olympic Athletes | IOA | ||
| 41 | Tanja Godina | 21 | Slovenia | SLO | ||
| 42 | Sarah Murphy | 16 | Zimbabwe | ZIM | ||
| 43 | Storme Moodie | 18 | Zimbabwe | ZIM | ||
| 44 | Ana Fortin | 20 | Honduras | HON | ||
| 45 | Rania El-Wani | 14 | Egypt | EGY |