Canoeing at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's K-4 500 metres

Heats

16 crews entered in two heats. The top two finishers from each of the heats advanced directly to the finals while the remaining teams were relegated to the semifinals.

Heat 1
1.	Xian Bangdi, Gao Beibei, Dong Ying, and Zhang Qin (CHN)	1:40.045	QF
2.	Ingrid Haralamow, Daniela Baumer, Sabine Eichenberger, and Gabi Müller (SUI)	1:40.197	QF
3.	Shelley Oates, Yanda Nossiter, Lynda Lehmann, and Natalie Hunter (AUS)	1:41.185	QS
4.	Sanda Toma, Viorica Iordache, Raluca Ioniţǎ, and Mihaela Bene (ROU)	1:41.685	QS
5.	Szilvia Mednyánski, Éva Dónusz, Kinga Czigány, and Erika Mészáros (HUN)	1:42.821	QS
6.	Hanna Balabanova, Nataliya Feklisova, Tetyana Teklyan, and Kateryna Yurchenko (UKR)	1:43.381	QS
7.	Tatyana Levina, Inna Isakova, Irina Lyalina, and Yelena Lebedeva (UZB)	1:45.905	QS
8.	Sayuri Maruyama, Keiko Muto, Asako Watanabe, and Natsuki Nishi (JPN)	1:49.505	QS
Heat 2
1.	Ramona Portwich, Birgit Fischer, Anett Schuck, and Manuela Mucke (GER)	1:37.895	QF
2.	Agneta Andersson, Ingela Ericsson, Anna Olsson, and Susanne Rosenqvist (SWE)	1:39.363	QF
3.	Marie-Josée Gibeau, Alison Herst, Corrina Kennedy, and Klari MacAskill (CAN)	1:39.691	QS
4.	Izaksun Aramburu, Beatriz Manchón, Ana María Penas, and Belén Sánchez (ESP)	1:39.863	QS
5.	Olga Tishchenko, Tatyana Tishchenko, Larisa Kosorukova, and Nataliya Guly (RUS)	1:41.695	QS
6.	Alexandra Harbold, DeAnne Hemmens, Lia Rousset, and Druella Van Hengel (USA)	1:43.311	QS
7.	Jitka Janáčková, Kateřina Heková, Kateřina Hluchá, and Milena Pergnerová (CZE)	1:44.707	QS
8.	Erika Duron, Renata Hernández, Sandra Rojas, and Itzel Reza (MEX)	1:45.215	QS

Semifinals

The top two finishers in each of the semifinals and the fastest third-place finisher advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1
1.	Marie-Josée Gibeau, Alison Herst, Corrina Kennedy, and Klari MacAskill (CAN)	1:38.712	QF
2.	Olga Tishchenko, Tatyana Tishchenko, Larisa Kosorukova, and Nataliya Guly (RUS)	1:39.764	QF
3.	Sanda Toma, Viorica Iordache, Raluca Ioniţǎ, and Mihaela Bene (ROU)	1:40.088
4.	Hanna Balabanova, Nataliya Feklisova, Tetyana Teklyan, and Kateryna Yurchenko (UKR)	1:40.092
5.	Jitka Janáčková, Kateřina Heková, Kateřina Hluchá, and Milena Pergnerová (CZE)	1:42.216
6.	Sayuri Maruyama, Keiko Muto, Asako Watanabe, and Natsuki Nishi (JPN)	1:45.996
Semifinal 2
1.	Szilvia Mednyánski, Éva Dónusz, Kinga Czigány, and Erika Mészáros (HUN)	1:37.145	QF
2.	Izaksun Aramburu, Beatriz Manchón, Ana María Penas, and Belén Sánchez (ESP)	1:37.365	QF
3.	Shelley Oates, Yanda Nossiter, Lynda Lehmann, and Natalie Hunter (AUS)	1:37.905	QF
4.	Alexandra Harbold, DeAnne Hemmens, Lia Rousset, and Druella Van Hengel (USA)	1:40.045
5.	Tatyana Levina, Inna Isakova, Irina Lyalina, and Yelena Lebedeva (UZB)	1:40.893
6.	Erika Duron, Renata Hernández, Sandra Rojas, and Itzel Reza (MEX)	1:42.157

Final

The final was held on August 3.

	Ramona Portwich, Birgit Fischer, Anett Schuck, and Manuela Mucke (GER)	1:31.077
	Ingrid Haralamow, Daniela Baumer, Sabine Eichenberger, and Gabi Müller (SUI)	1:32.701
	Agneta Andersson, Ingela Ericsson, Anna Olsson, and Susanne Rosenqvist (SWE)	1:32.917
4.	Xian Bangdi, Gao Beibei, Dong Ying, and Zhang Qin (CHN)	1:33.089
5.	Marie-Josée Gibeau, Alison Herst, Corrina Kennedy, and Klari MacAskill (CAN)	1:33.093
6.	Izaksun Aramburu, Beatriz Manchón, Ana María Penas, and Belén Sánchez (ESP)	1:33.577
7.	Olga Tishchenko, Tatyana Tishchenko, Larisa Kosorukova, and Nataliya Guly (RUS)	1:34.345
8.	Shelley Oates, Yanda Nossiter, Lynda Lehmann, and Natalie Hunter (AUS)	1:34.673
9.	Szilvia Mednyánski, Éva Dónusz, Kinga Czigány, and Erika Mészáros (HUN)	1:34.693

Fischer became the first woman in any sport to win Olympic gold medals 16 years apart. She won the women's K-1 500 m event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.