Swimming at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle

{{Short description|none}}

{{use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}

{{Infobox Olympic event

|event = Women's 100 metre freestyle

|games = 1960 Summer

|image =

|caption =

|venue = Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto

|date = August 26, 1960 (heats &
semifinals)
August 29, 1960 (final)

|competitors = 32

|nations = 19

|win_value = 1:01.2

|longnames =

|gold = Dawn Fraser

|goldNOC = AUS

|silver = Chris von Saltza

|silverNOC = USA

|bronze = Natalie Steward

|bronzeNOC = GBR

|prev = 1956

|next = 1964

}}

{{SwimmingAt1960SummerOlympics}}

The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 1960 Olympic Games took place between August 26 and 29.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1960/SWI/womens-100-metres-freestyle.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417170147/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1960/SWI/womens-100-metres-freestyle.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Swimming at the 1960 Rome Summer Games: Women's 100 metres Freestyle |accessdate=21 October 2016 |work=Sports Reference}} This swimming event used freestyle swimming, which means that the method of the stroke is not regulated (unlike backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly events). Nearly all swimmers use the front crawl or a variant of that stroke. Because an Olympic-size swimming pool is 50 metres long, this race consisted of two lengths of the pool.