| Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Tokyo Aquatics Centre | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 28 July 2021 (heats) 29 July 2021 (final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 72 from 15 nations | ||||||||||||
| Teams | 15 | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 7:40.33 WR | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| ← 20162024 → | |||||||||||||
| Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Qualification | |||
| Freestyle | |||
| 50 m | men | women | |
| 100 m | men | women | |
| 200 m | men | women | |
| 400 m | men | women | |
| 800 m | men | women | |
| 1500 m | men | women | |
| 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 | mixed | women |
| Marathon | |||
| 10 km | men | women | |
The women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held in 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. It was the event's seventh consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1996.
Some members of the Chinese relay tested positive for trimetazidine at the Chinese Long Course Invitational held in Shijiazhuang City from 31 December 2020 to 3 January 2021. As of August 2024, the results of competition still stand. For more information, see Trimetazidine revelations in Chinese swimming.
Summary
In one of the most unexpected results at these Games, the Chinese women's team pulled off an enormous upset from the favoured Australian team, taking more than a second off Australia's previous world record. China's Yang Junxuan led off the Chinese quartet in a national record of 1:54.37, holding off Australia's 200 freestyle Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus (1:54.51). Though continuing to trade the lead with Australia in the next two legs, Tang Muhan (1:55.00), Zhang Yufei (1:55.66) and Li Bingjie (1:55.30) ultimately combined to register a gold-medal time of 7:40.33. As the Chinese celebrated their surprise victory, Yufei also added the relay gold to her individual triumph in the 200 butterfly earlier in the session.
The U.S.' Allison Schmitt (1:56.34), Paige Madden (1:55.25) and Katie McLaughlin (1:55.38) moved themselves to third place on the penultimate leg but were still 1.53 seconds behind the second-placed Australian team. However, a sterling anchor split of 1:53.76 from Katie Ledecky ensured the defending Olympic champions a silver medal in an American Record of 7:40.73. Meanwhile, Australia's Titmus, Emma McKeon (1:55.31) and Madison Wilson (1:55.62) finished second in their respective legs but their anchor Leah Neale (1:55.81) could not keep off Ledecky towards a close finish, leaving the Australians with a bronze in an Oceanic Record of 7:41.29.
Canada's Summer McIntosh (1:55.74), Rebecca Smith (1:57.30), Kayla Sanchez (1:55.59) and Penny Oleksiak (1:55:14) slipped off the podium to fourth in a national record of 7:43.77. Meanwhile, ROC (7:52.15), Germany (7:53.89), Hungary (7:56.62) and France (7:58.15) rounded out the championship field.
The medals for competition were presented by Richard W. Pound, IOC member, and the gifts were presented by Antonio Silva, FINA Bureau Member.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |
|
7:41.50 | Gwangju, South Korea | 25 July 2019 | |
| Olympic record |
|
7:42.92 | London, United Kingdom | 1 August 2012 |
The following record was established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Name | Nation | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 29 | Final |
|
 China |
7:40.33 | WR, OR |
Qualification
Main article: Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – QualificationThe top 12 teams in this event at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships qualified for the Olympics. An additional 4 teams qualified through having the fastest times at approved qualifying events during the qualifying period (1 March 2019 to 30 May 2020).
Competition format
The competition consists of two rounds: heats and a final. The relay teams with the best 8 times in the heats advance to the final. Swim-offs are used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.
Schedule
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 28 July 2021 | 20:17 | Heats |
| 29 July 2021 | 12:31 | Final |
Results
Heats
A total of sixteen countries qualified to participate. The best eight from two heats advanced to the final.
Final
| Rank | Lane | Nation | Swimmers | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
3 | China |
Yang Junxuan (1:54.37 NR) Tang Muhan (1:55.00) Zhang Yufei (1:55.66) Li Bingjie (1:55.30) |
7:40.33 | WR |
 |
5 |  United States |
Allison Schmitt (1:56.34) Paige Madden (1:55.25) Katie McLaughlin (1:55.38) Katie Ledecky (1:53.76) |
7:40.73 | AM |
 |
4 |  Australia |
Ariarne Titmus (1:54.51) Emma McKeon (1:55.31) Madison Wilson (1:55.62) Leah Neale (1:55.85) |
7:41.29 | OC |
| 4 | 6 |  Canada |
Summer McIntosh (1:55.74) Rebecca Smith (1:57.30) Kayla Sanchez (1:55.59) Penny Oleksiak (1:55.14) |
7:43.77 | NR |
| 5 | 2 |  ROC |
Anna Egorova (1:58.22) Valeriya Salamatina (1:58.31) Veronika Andrusenko (1:58.17) Anastasia Guzhenkova (1:57.45) |
7:52.15 | |
| 6 | 7 |  Germany |
Isabel Gose (1:58.63) Leonie Kullmann (1:59.19) Marie Pietruschka (1:58.36) Annika Bruhn (1:57.71) |
7:53.89 | |
| 7 | 8 |  Hungary |
Zsuzsanna Jakabos (1:58.61) Laura Veres (1:59.71) Ajna Késely (1:58.14) Boglárka Kapás (2:00.16) |
7:56.62 | |
| 8 | 1 |  France |
Charlotte Bonnet (1:58.08) Assia Touati (1:58.82) Lucile Tessariol (2:00.86) Margaux Fabre (2:00.39) |
7:58.15 |
References
- ^ "Tokyo2020 schedule". Tokyo2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- "Australia sets world record in winning gold in women's 4 × 200 metres freestyle in South Korea". ABC News Australia. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- Norlander, Matt (1 August 2012). "U.S. women set Olympic record in 4 × 200 freestyle relay". CBS Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- "2012 London Olympics: Team USA Wins Duel With Australia, Posts Olympic Record in Women's 800-Meter Freestyle Relay". Swimming World Magazine. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- "Tokyo 2020 – FINA Swimming Qualification System" (PDF). Tokyo 2020. FINA. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- "FINA Swimming Rulebook, 2017–21" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- "Heats results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.