The women's 200 metres sprint event at the 1948 Olympic Games took place on August 5 and August 6. The final was won by Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen. It was the first time this event was included in the Summer Olympics.

Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World record was as follows. Since it was the first time this event took place, the following new Olympic record was set during this competition:

Schedule

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

Results

Round 1

Round 1 took place on 5 August. The first two runners from each heat advanced to the semifinals. Heat 1 Heat 2 Heat 3 Heat 4 Heat 5 Heat 6 Heat 7

Semifinals

The semifinals took place on 5 August. The top three runners from each heat advanced to the final. Heat 1 Heat 2

Final

Key: Est = Time is an estimate, OR = Olympic record Despite Strickland's 4th placing in the final, a photo finish of the race (that was not consulted then but discovered in 1975) showed that she had beaten Patterson into 3rd place, a discrepancy that has been recognised by many reputable Olympic historians.