Britta Steffen is a swimmer who has competed for Germany. She competed at the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Steffen started her Olympic career in Sydney 2000. There, she claimed a bronze as a member of the German women's team in the 4x200 metres freestyle relay with a national record time (7:58.64).
Steffen has continued to be a member of the German swimming team at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012. In 2004, she swam through the second leg in the heats of the 4x100 metres freestyle relay and saw her other teammates miss the podium by 0.35 seconds in the final.
Beijing 2008 marked the peak of Steffen's swimming career. In the 4x100 metres freestyle relay, she recorded a fastest split of the field (53.38) on the lead-off leg for the Germans, but her other teammates could not maintain their pace on the next legs, slipping them off the podium to fifth. She came from last at the final turn to catch the early leader Lisbeth Trickett near the wall and snatch her first individual gold by 0.04 of a second in the 100 metres freestyle. Her winning time of 53.12 lowered her own Olympic record set earlier in the relay race by 0.26 seconds. Two days later, she edged out the five-time Olympian Dara Torres to strike a sprint freestyle double in the 50 by a hundredth of a second (0.01). She posted a time of 24.06, the second fastest ever in the event, to erase 0.07 seconds from Inge de Bruijn's 2000 Olympic record.
Steffen entered her fourth Games in 2012 as the defending champion in the sprint freestyle double, but she failed to attain a medal in her races, losing both of her titles to Ranomi Kromowidjojo.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Women's 4x100m freestyle relay | 4th |
| Women's 4x200m freestyle relay | 
| |
| 2004 | Women's 4x100m freestyle relay | 4th |
| 2008 | Women's 50m freestyle | 
|
| Women's 100m freestyle |
| |
| Women's 4x100m freestyle relay | 5th | |
| Women's 4x100m medley relay | 9th | |
| 2012 | Women's 50m freestyle | 4th |
| Women's 100m freestyle | 12th | |
| Women's 4x100m freestyle relay | 9th | |
| Women's 4x100m medley relay | 9th |
2000[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:43.22 (55.77 split) |
|
| Final | 3:40.31 (Reserve) |
NR | |
| 4x200 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 8:06.52 (2:02.01 split) |
|
| Final | 7:58.64 (Reserve) |
NR |
2004[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:41.19 (56.31 split) |
| Final | 3:37.94 (Reserve) |
2008[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | 24.90 | |
| Semifinal | 24.43 | ||
| Final | 24.06 | OR | |
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 53.67 | |
| Semifinal | 53.96 | ||
| Final | 53.12 | OR | |
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:37.52 (54.16 split) |
|
| Final | 3:36.85 (53.38 split, OR) |
||
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 4:02.53 (53.29 split) |
|
| Final | Did not advance | ||
2012[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | 24.70 |
| Semifinal | 24.57 | |
| Final | 24.46 | |
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 54.42 |
| Semifinal | 54.18 | |
| Final | Did not advance | |
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:39.16 (54.43 split) |
| Final | Did not advance | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 3:59.95 (52.89 split) |
| Final | Did not advance |