| Event: | Women's EAD 50 metre freestyle |
| Games: | 2002 |
| Venue: | Manchester Aquatics Centre |
| Dates: | 31 July |
| Competitors: | 17 |
| Nations: | 11 |
| Win Value: | -1.06 |
| Gold: | Natalie du Toit |
| Goldcga: | RSA |
| Silver: | Stéphanie Dixon |
| Silvercga: | CAN |
| Bronze: | Danielle Campo |
| Bronzecga: | CAN |
| Next: | 2006 |
The Women's EAD 50 metre freestyle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games was held on 31 July at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.
The events were run on a multi-disability format, which included both physically disabled and visually impaired swimmers i.e. the International Paralympic Committee’s Swimming Classification S1 – S13.[1]
All classes, 1 through 13 swan together in 3 heats and a final event. Positions were determined by each athlete’s time relative to the current world record for the appropriate classification of the swimmer. This may have meant that the swimmer touching first may not have been the winner.
World records were time standardised to identify both the finalists and medal winners throughout the competition. This meant that the same ‘time marker’ was used in the heats and the final irrespective of whether the world record had been broken during the course of competition.
Prior to this competition, the existing world records were as follows;
| Class | Name | Time | Location | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 1:34.24 | 7 June 2002 | |||
| S2 | 1:15.46 | 27 October 2000 | |||
| S3 | 59.92 | 27 October 2000 | |||
| S4 | 39.23 | 27 October 2000 | |||
| S5 | 36.85 | 27 October 2000 | |||
| S6 | 36.02 | 28 October 2000 | |||
| S7 | 34.95 | 13 October 1998 | |||
| S8 | 31.85 | 28 October 2000 | |||
| S9 | 30.74 | ||||
| S10 | 28.44 | 28 October 2000 | |||
| S11 | 33.02 | 25 August 1996 | |||
| S12 | 28.16 | 25 July 1998 | |||
| S13 | 27.38 | 25 August 1996 |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Class | Name | Nationality | Time | Result | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 July | Heats | S5 | 51.05 | +14.20 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Heats | S7 | 35.92 | +0.97 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Final | S7 | 35.02 | +0.07 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Heats | S8 | 58.85 | +27.00 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Heats | S9 | 29.53 | -1.21 | WR | |||
| 31 July | Heats | S10 | 31.34 | +2.90 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Heats | S11 | 34.89 | +1.87 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Final | S11 | 34.46 | +1.44 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Heats | S13 | 30.16 | +2.78 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Heats | S13 | 29.93 | +2.55 | GR | |||
| 31 July | Final | S13 | 29.88 | +2.50 | GR |
The 8 fastest swimmers in the heats qualified for the semifinals.[2]
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Class | Nationality | Time | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 4 | S9 | 29.53 | -1.21 | Q, WR | |||
| 2 | 3 | 5 | S9 | 30.69 | -0.05 | Q | |||
| 3 | 1 | 3 | S7 | 35.92 | +0.97 | Q, GR | |||
| 4 | 1 | 5 | S9 | 31.80 | +1.06 | Q | |||
| 5 | 3 | 6 | S11 | 34.89 | +1.87 | Q, GR | |||
| 6 | 2 | 3 | S9 | 32.75 | +2.01 | Q | |||
| 7 | 3 | 3 | S9 | 33.13 | +2.39 | Q | |||
| 8 | 3 | 4 | S13 | 29.93 | +2.55 | Q, GR | |||
| 9 | 2 | 4 | S13 | 30.16 | +2.78 | GR | |||
| 10 | 2 | 5 | S10 | 31.34 | +2.90 | GR | |||
| 11 | 2 | 6 | S10 | 35.11 | +6.67 | ||||
| 12 | 1 | 6 | S5 | 51.05 | +14.20 | GR | |||
| 13 | 3 | 2 | S9 | 46.87 | +16.13 | ||||
| 14 | 1 | 2 | S8 | 58.85 | +27.00 | GR | |||
| 15 | 2 | 7 | S9 | 1:01.86 | +31.12 | ||||
| 16 | 2 | 2 | S9 | 1:14.81 | +44.07 | ||||
| 3 | 7 | S5 |
The final was held on 31 July at 19:51.[3]
| Rank | Lane | Name | Class | Nation | Time | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | S9 | 29.68 | -1.06 | |||||
| 5 | S9 | 30.60 | -0.14 | |||||
| 3 | S7 | 35.02 | +0.07 | GR | ||||
| 4 | 6 | S9 | 31.79 | +1.05 | ||||
| 5 | 2 | S11 | 34.46 | +1.44 | GR | |||
| 6 | 7 | S9 | 32.75 | +2.01 | ||||
| 7 | 1 | S9 | 32.82 | +2.08 | ||||
| 8 | 8 | S13 | 29.88 | +2.50 | GR |