World’s Fastest 400m Freestyle – Women’s Long Course

World Record: Ariarne Titmus 3:55.38
Olympic Record: Katie Ledecky 3:56.46
World Junior Record: Summer McIntosh 3:56.46
Commonwealth Record: Ariarne Titmus 3:55.38

Top 8 All-time Performers:

1. Ariarne Titmus (27.56, 29.36, 30.00, 30.02, 30.19, 29.77, 29.61, 28.87) 3:55.38
2. Summer McIntosh (27.34, 29.12, 29.65, 29.80, 29.65, 30.28, 30.26, 29.98) 3:56.08
3. Katie Ledecky (27.73, 29.32, 29.94, 30.12, 30.30, 30.21, 29.92, 28.92) 3:56.46
4. Federica Pellegrini (28.45, 30.21, 30.31, 30.45, 30.24, 30.27, 29.86, 29.36) 3:59.15 
5. Erika Fairweather (27.70, 29.83, 30.29, 30.39, 30.65, 30.93, 30.71, 29.09) 3:59.59
6. Joanne Jackson (28.43, 30.34, 30.44, 30.70, 30.31, 30.62, 30.16, 29.60) 4:00.60
7. Leah Smith (27.97, 29.73, 30.06, 30.40, 30.74, 30.61, 30.84, 30.30) 4:00.65
8. Rebecca Adlington (28.63, 30.42, 30.53, 30.48, 30.74, 30.47, 30.39, 29.13) 4:00.79

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The chart below compares the World’s fastest 400m Freestyle swimmers. Swimmers and coaches can looks at the individual Splits, Stroke Counts and the first 50m split compared to swimmers 50m PB. All swim data has been collected from our team reviewing race footage where possible.

Women's 400 Freestyle - Long Course
	Ariane Titmus	Summer McIntosh	Katie Ledecky	Federica Pellegrini	Erika Fairweather	Joanne Jackson	Leah Smith	Rebecca Adlington
Height:	5 ft 10 in 177cm	5 ft 8 in 173cm	6 ft 0 in 183cm	5 ft 10 in 179cm	5 ft 8 in 173cm	6 ft 0 in 184cm	5 ft 10 in 178cm	5 ft 10 in 179cm
Weight:	139Ib 63kg		160Ib 73kg	143Ib 65kg		168Ib 76kg	148Ib 67kg	154Ib 70kg
DOB:	2000-09-07	2006-08-18	1997-03-17	1988-08-05	2003-12-31	1986-09-12	1995-04-19	1989-02-17
Country:	AUS	CAN	USA	ITA	NZ	GBR	USA	GBR
Meet:	World Aquatic Championships - Fukuoka 2023 23 Jul 2023	2023 Canadian Swimming Trials	Olympic Games Rio 2016	13th FINA World Championships 2009	World Aquatic Championships - Fukuoka 2023 23 Jul 2023	13th FINA World Championships 2009	U.S. Olympic Team Trials 2016	13th FINA World Championships 2009
1st 50m Split	27.56	27.34	27.73	28.45	27.70	28.43	27.97	28.63
Strokes	35	34	37	38		36	39
50m PB:	26.13	26.39	25.45	24.92	26.14	27.52		27.85
Time off 50m PB:	1.55	0.95	2.28	3.53	1.56	0.91		0.78
Percentage of 50m PB:	105.932%	103.600%	108.959%	114.165%	105.968%	103.307%		102.801%
2nd 50m Split	29.36	29.12	29.32	30.21	29.83	30.34	29.73	30.42
Strokes	38	37	40	39		38	43
Split Time:	56.92	56.46	57.05	58.66	57.53	58.77	57.70	59.05
3rd 50m Split	30.00	29.65	29.94	30.31	30.29	30.44	30.06	30.53
Strokes	38?	38	41	41		38	44
Split Time:	1:26.92	1:28.11	1:26.99	1:28.97	1:27.82	1:29.21	1:27.76	1:29.58
4th 50m Split	30.02	29.80	30.12	30.45	30.39	30.70	30.40	30.48
Strokes	38	39	40	40		39
Split Time:	1:56.94	1:55.91	1:57.11	1:59.42	1:58.21	1:59.91	1:58.16	2:00.06
5th 50m Split	30.19	29.65	30.30	30.24	30.65	30.31	30.74	30.74
Strokes	38?	39	40	40		39
Split Time:	2:27.13	2:25.56	2:27.41	2:29.66	2:28.86	2:30.22	2:28.90	2:30.80
6th 50m Split	29.77	30.28	30.21	30.27	30.93	30.62	30.61	30.47
Strokes	38	40	40	40		39	45
Split Time:	2:56.90	2:55.94	2:57.54	2:59.93	2:59.59	3:00.84	2:59.51	3:01.27
7th 50m Split	29.61	30.26	29.92	29.86	30.71	30.16	30.84	30.39
Strokes	39	41	40	41		39	46
Split Time:	3:26.51	3:26.10	3:27.54	3:29.79	3:30.50	3:31.00	3:30.35	3:31.66
8th 50m Split	28.87	29.98	28.92	29.36	29.09	29.60	30.30	29.13
Strokes	42	42	40	42		41
Total Time:	3:55.38	3:56.08	3:56.46	3:59.15	3:59.59	4:00.60	4:00.65	4:00.79

Here is Ariarne’s 400m Freestyle World Record swim to view.

Note:

Swimmer’s mentioned above that Katie Ledecky, Ariane Titmus, and Federica Pellegrini are also seen on the Women’s 200m Freestyle List.

Swimmers from the 400m list above that progress to the Women’s 800m Long Course are Katie Ledecky, and Rebecca Adlington.

Katie Ledecky is the only swimmer to progress with a top 5 ranking in the 200m, 400m, 800m and Women’s 1500m Freestyle Long Course.

Statistical Insights:

• Time Differences:
  • The top 8 all-time performers are separated by just 5.41 seconds. This narrow range highlights the intense competition and the fine margins that distinguish the elite from the very best.
• Average Time of Top 8 Performers:
  • The average time of the top 8 swimmers is approximately 3:58.51, underscoring the benchmark for elite performance in this event.

The women’s 400m freestyle world record is a highly competitive event in the world of swimming. The current record holder is Ariarne Titmus, with a time of 3:55.38. Other top contenders include Summer McIntosh, Katie Ledecky, and Federica Pellegrini. This event showcases the incredible athleticism and endurance of female swimmers from around the world.

Note: World’s Fastest 400m Freestyle – Women’s Long Course Update July 2024