| Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Olympic Aquatics Stadium | |||||||||
| Dates | 6 August 2016 (heats & final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 71 from 16 nations | |||||||||
| Teams | 16 | |||||||||
| Winning time | 3:30.65 WR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ← 20122020 → | ||||||||||
| Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Qualification | ||
| Freestyle | ||
| 50 m | men | women |
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| 800 m | women | |
| 1500 m | men | |
| Backstroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Breaststroke | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Butterfly | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| Individual medley | ||
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| Freestyle relay | ||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women |
| 4 × 200 m | men | women |
| Medley relay | ||
| 4 × 100 m | men | women |
| Marathon | ||
| 10 km | men | women |
The women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on 6 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
Summary
As expected, the Australian women's team solidified its triumph to set a new world record and defend the Olympic title in one of the program's freestyle relay races with the help of sterling final legs from sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell. Trailing half of the race with a marginal lead from the Americans, Bronte booted the Australians to the front with a third-leg split of 52.15, before her sister Cate (51.97) put on a fastest finish at the anchor leg to deliver the foursome of Emma McKeon (53.41) and Brittany Elmslie (53.12) a gold-medal time in 3:30.65. Moreover, they managed to break their own world record, set at the Commonwealth Games two years earlier, by a third of a second (3:30.98).
The U.S. team of Simone Manuel (53.36) and Abbey Weitzeil (52.56) handed Dana Vollmer the third-leg duties to maintain their lead, but Vollmer's split of 53.18 was just almost a second behind Bronte Campbell that pushed Australia to the front. As Katie Ledecky dove into the pool at the final exchange with a split of 52.79, she could not catch Cate Campbell near the wall to leave the Americans with a silver medal in 3:31.89. Meanwhile, Sandrine Mainville (53.86), Chantal Van Landeghem (53.12), Taylor Ruck (53.19), and Penny Oleksiak (52.72) ended Canada's 20-year medal drought for the female swimmers by taking home the bronze in 3:32.89.
The Dutch quartet of Marrit Steenbergen (54.29), Femke Heemskerk (53.47), Inge Dekker (53.85), and three-time gold medalist Ranomi Kromowidjojo (52.20) fell short of the medal podium with a fourth-place time in 3:33.81, while Sweden (3:35.90), Italy (3:36.78), France (3:37.45), and Japan (3:37.78) also vied for an Olympic medal.
Earlier in the prelims, the Australian team of Elmslie (53.22), Campbell sisters Bronte (53.26) and Cate (51.80), and Madison Wilson (54.11) grabbed the top seed with a 3:32.39 to overturn their own existing Olympic record by 86-hundredths of a second.
The medals were presented by John Dowling Coates, Australia Vice President of the IOC and Dennis Miller, Vice President of FINA.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Australia (AUS) Bronte Campbell (53.15) Melanie Schlanger (52.76) Emma McKeon (52.91) Cate Campbell (52.16) |
3:30.98 | Glasgow, Scotland | 24 July 2014 | |
| Olympic record |  Australia (AUS) Alicia Coutts (53.90) Cate Campbell (53.19) Brittany Elmslie (53.41) Melanie Schlanger (52.65) |
3:33.15 | London, England | 28 July 2012 |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Name | Nation | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 August | Heat 2 | Madison Wilson (54.11) Brittany Elmslie (53.22) Bronte Campbell (53.26) Cate Campbell (51.80) |
Australia |
3:32.39 | OR |
| 6 August | Final | Emma McKeon (53.41) Brittany Elmslie (53.12) Bronte Campbell (52.15) Cate Campbell (51.97) |
Australia |
3:30.65 | WR, OR |
Competition format
The competition consisted of two rounds: heats and a final. The relay teams with the best 8 times in the heats advanced to the final. Swim-offs were used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.
Results
Heats
A total of sixteen countries have qualified to participate. The best eight from two heats advanced to the final.
Final
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| Rank | Lane | Nation | Swimmers | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4 | Australia |
Emma McKeon (53.41) Brittany Elmslie (53.12) Bronte Campbell (52.15) Cate Campbell (51.97) |
3:30.65 | WR |
 |
5 |  United States |
Simone Manuel (53.36) Abbey Weitzeil (52.56) Dana Vollmer (53.18) Katie Ledecky (52.79) |
3:31.89 | AM |
 |
3 |  Canada |
Sandrine Mainville (53.86) Chantal Van Landeghem (53.12) Taylor Ruck (53.19) Penny Oleksiak (52.72) |
3:32.89 | NR |
| 4 | 2 |  Netherlands |
Marrit Steenbergen (54.29) Femke Heemskerk (53.47) Inge Dekker (53.85) Ranomi Kromowidjojo (52.20) |
3:33.81 | |
| 5 | 7 |  Sweden |
Michelle Coleman (54.19) Sarah Sjöström (52.47) Ida Marko-Varga (54.70) Louise Hansson (54.54) |
3:35.90 | |
| 6 | 6 |  Italy |
Erika Ferraioli (55.21) Silvia di Pietro (53.69) Aglaia Pezzato (53.99) Federica Pellegrini (53.89) |
3:36.78 | |
| 7 | 8 |  France |
Béryl Gastaldello (54.83) Charlotte Bonnet (53.17) Mathilde Cini (54.92) Anna Santamans (54.53) |
3:37.45 | |
| 8 | 1 |  Japan |
Miki Uchida (54.23) Rikako Ikee (53.98) Misaki Yamaguchi (55.11) Yayoi Matsumoto (54.46) |
3:37.78 |
References
- ^ "Women's 4×100m Freestyle Relay". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- Barrett, Chris (7 August 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Australia's women win gold in world record time in 4x100m freestyle relay". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- "Cate, Bronte Campbell lead Australian women to 4x100m gold at Rio". ABC News Australia. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- Graham, Armen (7 August 2016). "Katie Ledecky helps relay team to silver as US swimmers begin strongly". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- Blum, Benjamin (7 August 2016). "Canada wins bronze in women's 4x100m freestyle relay". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ "Australians Clock World Record to Earn Olympic Gold in Women's 400 Freestyle Relay". Swimming World Magazine. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- "Strong Anchor By Cate Campbell Propels Australians To New 400 Free Relay Olympic Record". Swimming World Magazine. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- "Australia Breaks Women's 400 Free Relay World Record at Commonwealth Games". Swimming World Magazine. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- "Aussie women claim first gold in London". ABC News Australia. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
