Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle

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{{Infobox Olympic event

|event = Women's 100 metre freestyle

|games = 2004 Summer

|image =

|caption =

|venue = Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre

|date = August 18, 2004 (heats &
semifinals)
August 19, 2004 (final)

|competitors = 51

|nations = 45

|win_value = 53.84

|gold = Jodie Henry

|goldNOC = AUS

|silver = Inge de Bruijn

|silverNOC = NED

|bronze = Natalie Coughlin

|bronzeNOC = USA

|prev = 2000

|next = 2008}}

{{SwimmingAt2004SummerOlympics}}

The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2004 Olympic Games was contested at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece on August 18 and 19.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/schedule/3534120.stm |title=Swimming schedule |publisher=BBC Sport|date=5 August 2004|access-date=17 June 2007}}

Australia's Jodie Henry edged out defending Olympic champion Inge de Bruijn to take the gold medal in this event, by thirty-two hundredths of a second (0.32), outside the record time of 53.84 seconds.{{cite news|title=Jodie Henry wins gold in 100 metres freestyle|url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1181130.htm|publisher=ABC News Australia|date=20 August 2004|access-date=19 March 2013}} U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin, who previously claimed the title in the 100 m backstroke, earned the bronze at 54.40 seconds. In the semifinals, Henry captured fourteen hundredths of a second (0.14) off her teammate Lisbeth Lenton's world record (set five months earlier in Sydney), with a time of 53.52.{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Stephen|title=Aussie Jodie Henry Breaks World Record in 100 Freestyle – Blasts 53.52|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/7880.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=2 December 2006|access-date=20 March 2013}} This was also the final appearance for de Bruijn at the Olympics, before she retired from her swimming career in 2007.{{cite news|title=Olympic champion de Bruijn retires|url=http://sports.ndtv.com/othersports/swimming/item/4493-olympic-champion-de-bruijn-retires|work=Associated Press|publisher=NDTV|date=22 March 2007|access-date=19 March 2013}}