The women's 400 metre individual medley competition of the swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 events at the 2011 Pan American Games

2011 Pan American Games

The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, Puerto Vallarta, Lagos de Moreno and Tapalpa...

 will take place on the 15 of October at the Scotiabank Aquatics Center

Scotiabank Aquatics Center

The Scotiabank Aquatics Center is an aquatics center built for the 2011 Pan American Games in the municipality of Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico. It was opened June 22, 2011, built at a cost of $USD31.7...

. The defending

Swimming at the 2007 Pan American Games – Women's 400 metre individual medley

The Women's 400m Individual Medley event at the 2007 Pan American Games took place at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the final being swum on July 17.-Medalists:-Records:-Results:-References:*...

 Pan American Games

Pan American Games

The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...

 champion is Kathleen Hersey

Kathleen Hersey

Kathleen Elizabeth Hersey is an Olympic-level swimmer from the United States.-2007-2008:Hersey competed in the 2007 Pan American Games, where she won gold medals in the 100 m butterfly, 200 m butterfly, 400 m individual medley, and 4x100 m medley relay...

 of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

This race consisted of eight lengths of the pool. The first two lengths were swum using the butterfly stroke

Butterfly stroke

The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...

, the second pair with the backstroke

Backstroke

The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...

, the third pair of lengths in breaststroke

Breaststroke

The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...

, and the final two were freestyle

Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

.

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan American Games records were as follows:

World record		4:29.45	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	August 10, 2008
Pan American Games record		4:38.46	Winnipeg Winnipeg Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	August 2, 1999

Qualification

Each National Olympic Committee

National Olympic Committee

National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...

 (NOC) was able to enter up to two entrants providing they had met the A standard (5:19.0) in the qualifying period (January 1, 2010 to September 4, 2011). NOCs were also permitted to enter one athlete providing they had met the B standard (5:28.6) in the same qualifying period.

Results

All times shown are in minutes.

KEY:	q	Fastest non-qualifiers	Q	Qualified	NR	National record	PB	Personal best	SB	Seasonal best

Heats

The first round was held on October 15.

Rank	Heat	Lane	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
1	4	4	Julia Smit Julia Smit Julia Elizabeth Smit is an American swimmer and two-time Olympic medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley ....		4:51.78	QA
2	3	4	Allysa Vavra		4:53.76	QA
3	2	4	Joanna Maranhão Joanna Maranhão Joanna de Albuquerque Maranhão Bezerra de Melo, or Joanna Maranhão is a medley swimmer from Brazil. She won the bronze medal in the women's 400m individual medley at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic...		4:54.51	QA
4	3	5	Georgina Bardach Georgina Bardach Georgina Bardach Martin is a swimmer from Argentina. At the 2002 FINA Short Course World Championships in Moscow, she finished third in the 400 m Individual Medley race...		4:57.58	QA
5	4	5	Karyn Jewell		4:57.81	QA
6	4	3	Susana Escobar Susana Escobar Susana Escobar is a Mexican swimmer and Olympian. As of October 2008, she attends and swims for the USA's University of Texas at Austin....		4:58.57	QA
7	2	5	Hanna Pierse		4:59.76	QA
8	3	3	Samantha Arevalo		5:02.29	QA
9	3	6	Julia Arino		5:06.78	QB
10	3	2	Eliana Barrios		5:07.70	QB
11	2	3	Montserrat Ortuño		5:08.47	QB
12	4	6	Larissa Cieslak		5:09.86	QB
13	4	7	Patricia Quevedo		5:13.30	QB
14	4	2	Barbara Caraballo		5:17.07	QB
15	2	2	Zara Bailey		5:19.46	QB
16	2	1	Lani Cabrera		5:19.66	QB
17	1	5	Daniela Reyes		5:20.05
18	1	3	Laura Rodriguez		5:22.28
19	4	8	Daniella van den Berg		5:24.75
20	3	7	Ana Castellanos		5:26.80
21	2	7	Maria Alejandra Torres		5:27.30
22	4	1	Karen Vilorio		5:30.42
23	3	1	Lara Maria Butler		5:35.96
24	1	4	Amara Gibbs		5:38.27
	2	6	Daniela Victoria

Final A

The final was held on October 15.

Rank	Lane	Name	Nationality	Time	Notes
	4	Julia Smit Julia Smit Julia Elizabeth Smit is an American swimmer and two-time Olympic medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley ....		4:46.15
	3	Joanna Maranhao Joanna Maranhão Joanna de Albuquerque Maranhão Bezerra de Melo, or Joanna Maranhão is a medley swimmer from Brazil. She won the bronze medal in the women's 400m individual medley at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic...		4:46.33
	5	Allysa Vavra		4:48.05
4	1	Hanna Pierse		4:52.95
5	6	Georgina Bardach Georgina Bardach Georgina Bardach Martin is a swimmer from Argentina. At the 2002 FINA Short Course World Championships in Moscow, she finished third in the 400 m Individual Medley race...		4:53.81
6	7	Susana Escobar Susana Escobar Susana Escobar is a Mexican swimmer and Olympian. As of October 2008, she attends and swims for the USA's University of Texas at Austin....		4:54.49
7	2	Karyn Jewell		4:57.65
8	8	Samantha Arevalo		4:58.27