The women's 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay event at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held on 27 July 2024 at Paris La Défense Arena, which was converted to a swimming pool for the swimming events.
| Women's 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 Paris La Défense Arena after it was converted to a swimming pool for the swimming events | |
| Venue | Paris La Défense Arena |
| Dates | 27 July 2024 (heats and final) |
| Competitors | 73 from 16 nations |
| Teams | 16 teams |
| Winning time | 3:28.92 OR |
| Medalists | |
Australia were the favourites to win the event, while the US, China and Canada were also in contention. All four teams progressed to the final.
In the final, Australia led from beginning to end to win with a new Olympic record of 3:28.92. The United States finished second with a new Americas record of 3:30.20 and China finished third with a new Asian record of 3:30.30. Australia's win gave them their fourth consecutive Olympic title in the event.
Background
editAustralia won the event at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics, held the world record, and also won the event at the 2023 World Championships.[1] Both SwimSwam and Swimming World opined that they would win, with SwimSwam calling them the "heavy favourite".[2] Other contenders were the US, who Swimming World opined "could keep it close",[2] China and Canada. SwimSwam and Swimming World both predicted the US would come second and China would take third.[1][2]
The event was held at Paris La Défense Arena, which was converted to a swimming pool for the swimming events.[3]
Qualification
editEach National Olympic Committee could enter one team, and there were a total of sixteen qualifications places available. The first three qualifying places were taken by the podium finishers at the 2023 World Championships, and the final thirteen qualifying places were allocated to the fastest performances at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships.[4]
Heats
editTwo heats (preliminary rounds) took place on 27 July 2024, starting at 12:15.[a][5] The teams with the best eight times in the heats advanced to the final.[6] The United States won the first heat to qualify with the fastest time of 3:33.29, while Australia won the second heat to qualify with the fastest time of 3:31.57. China, Sweden, France, Canada, Great Britain and Italy also all qualified.[7]
Final
editThe final took place at 21:34 on 27 July.[8] Australia led from beginning to end to win with a new Olympic record of 3:28.92,[9] which broke their record of 3:29.69 set at the previous Olympics in Tokyo.[10][11] The United States finished second with a new Americas record of 3:30.20,[12] 0.10 seconds ahead of China, who finished third with a new Asian record of 3:30.30.[13] Canada finished fourth with 3:32.99 and Sweden finished fifth with a new national record of 3:33.79.[9][14]
Australia's win gave them their fourth consecutive Olympic win in the event,[15][16] and Yang Junxuan's opening swim for China set a new national record of 52.48 in the individual version of the event.[13]
| Rank | Lane | Nation | Swimmers | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4 |  Australia |
Mollie O'Callaghan (52.24) Shayna Jack (52.35) Emma McKeon (52.39) Meg Harris (51.94) |
3:28.92 | OR |
 |
5 |  United States |
Kate Douglass (52.98) Gretchen Walsh (52.55) Torri Huske (52.06) Simone Manuel (52.61) |
3:30.20 | AM |
 |
3 |  China |
Yang Junxuan (52.48 NR) Cheng Yujie (52.76) Zhang Yufei (52.75) Wu Qingfeng (52.31) |
3:30.30 | AS |
| 4 | 7 |  Canada |
Maggie Mac Neil (53.31) Taylor Ruck (53.20) Summer McIntosh (53.22) Penny Oleksiak (53.26) |
3:32.99 | |
| 5 | 6 |  Sweden |
Sarah Sjöström (52.53) Michelle Coleman (52.98) Sara Junevik (54.41) Louise Hansson (53.87) |
3:33.79 | NR |
| 6 | 2 |  France |
Béryl Gastaldello (53.83) Charlotte Bonnet (54.14) Mary-Ambre Moluh (53.37) Marie Wattel (53.65) |
3:34.99 | |
| 7 | 1 |  Great Britain |
Anna Hopkin (53.31) Eva Okaro (53.75) Lucy Hope (54.95) Freya Anderson (53.24) |
3:35.25 | |
| 8 | 8 |  Italy |
Sofia Morini (54.16) Chiara Tarantino (54.27) Sara Curtis (54.24) Emma Virginia Menicucci (53.84) |
3:36.51 |
Notes
edit- ↑ All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
References
edit- 1 2 Wild, Mark (20 July 2024). "2024 Olympics Previews: Winning isn't for Everyone (Women's 4 x100 Free Relay)". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- 1 2 3 Rieder, David (21 July 2024). "Olympic Swimming Predictions, Day One: Ariarne Titmus Favored in Loaded 400 Freestyle". Swimming World. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ↑ Burgaud, Florian (22 July 2024). "From concert hall and rugby stadium to Olympic swimming pool arena in a matter of weeks, the metamorphosis of the Paris La Défense Arena is complete". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Paris 2024 – Swimming Info". World Aquatics. 5 April 2022. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- 1 2 "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ↑ "Olympic swimming rules: How can swimmers qualify for finals and win medals - format explained". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 24 July 2024. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ↑ Wild, Mark (27 July 2024). "2024 Paris Olympics: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- 1 2 "Results" (PDF). olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- 1 2 Kaufman, Sophie (28 July 2024). "2024 Olympics: Day 1 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ↑ "2024 Olympics records list: US men's 4x400M relay team sets a new mark at the Games". AP News. 30 July 2024. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ↑ Pelshaw, Anya (28 July 2024). "Australian Women Break Own Olympic Record With 3:28.92 4x100 Free Relay". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ↑ Pelshaw, Anya (28 July 2024). "Huske Splits 52.06 To Help US Women Break American Record With 3:30.02 4x100 Free Relay". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- 1 2 Race, Retta (27 July 2024). "Yang Junxuan Fires Off 52.48 100 Free CHN Record, Relay Scores Asian Record". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ↑ Byrnes, Liz (22 January 2025). "Sarah Sjöström Named Sweden's Female Athlete Of The Year For Seventh Time; Thanks Team For Having Belief". Swimming World. Archived from the original on 27 February 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ↑ Saltau, Chloe (27 July 2024). "Flawless foursome: Australian women win fourth consecutive relay gold". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ↑ Ransom, Ian (27 July 2024). "Australia's women extend 4x100 metres freestyle relay reign". Reuters. Retrieved 3 April 2025.