title: 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships – Women's 400m Freestyle
text: # 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships – Women's 400m Freestyle
  
  The finals and the qualifying heats of the Women's 400 metres Freestyle event at the 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships were held on the third day of the competition, on Saturday 19 April 1997 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
  
  ## Finals
  
  | RANK | FINAL A | TIME |
  | - | - | - |
  | | Claudia Poll (CRC) | 4:00.03 WR |
  | | Natasha Bowron (AUS) | 4:05.76 |
  | | Kerstin Kielgass (GER) | 4:07.13 |
  | 4. | Wang Luna (CHN) | 4:08.27 |
  | 5. | Julia Greville (AUS) | 4:09.81 |
  | 6. | Carla Geurts (NED) | 4:10.02 |
  | 7. | Jennifer Parmenter (USA) | 4:11.78 |
  | 8. | Jana Pechanová (CZE) | 4:14.54 |
  | RANK | FINAL B | TIME |
  | 9. | Britt Raaby (DEN) | 4:10.71 |
  | 10. | Malin Nilsson (SWE) | 4:11.54 |
  | 11. | Anna Simoni (ITA) | 4:13.00 |
  | 12. | Victoria Horner (GBR) | 4:13.29 |
  | 13. | Flavia Rigamonti (SUI) | 4:13.89 |
  | 14. | Desiree Beckers (GER) | 4:14.11 |
  | 15. | Laura Nicholls (CAN) | 4:14.32 |
  | 16. | Kristýna Kyněrová (CZE) | 4:16.83 |
  
  ## Qualifying heats
  
  | RANK | HEAT RANKINGS | TIME |
  | - | - | - |
  | 1. | Natasha Bowron (AUS) | 4:08.72 |
  | 2. | Claudia Poll (CRC) | 4:08.93 |
  | 3. | Kerstin Kielgass (GER) | 4:09.24 |
  | 4. | Jennifer Parmenter (USA) | 4:09.39 |
  | 5. | Carla Geurts (NED) | 4:09.91 |
  | 6. | Wang Luna (CHN) | 4:10.34 |
  | 7. | Julia Greville (AUS) | 4:10.45 |
  | 8. | Jana Pechanová (CZE) | 4:14.09 |
  | 9. | Laura Nicholls (CAN) | 4:14.26 |
  | 10. | Anna Simoni (ITA) | 4:14.42 |
  | 11. | Desiree Beckers (GER) | 4:14.43 |
  | 12. | Kristýna Kyněrová (CZE) | 4:14.56 |
  | 13. | Malin Nilsson (SWE) | 4:14.64 |
  | 14. | Britt Raaby (DEN) | 4:15.67 |
  | 15. | Victoria Horner (GBR) | 4:15.88 |
  | 16. | Flavia Rigamonti (SUI) | 4:17.15 |
  | 17. | Ana Alegria (POR) | 4:17.56 |
  | 18. | Jessica Deglau (CAN) | 4:17.59 |
  | 19. | Rutai Santadvatana (THA) | 4:18.47 |
  | 20. | Mirjana Boševska (MKD) | 4:19.42 |
  | 21. | Asa Sandlund (SWE) | 4:19.65 |
  