Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay

Last updated

Contents

Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad
Venue Sydney International Aquatic Centre
DatesSeptember 20, 2000 (heats & final)
Competitors69 from 15 nations
Winning time7:57.80 OR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svgFlag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)
Samantha Arsenault, Diana Munz, Lindsay Benko, Jenny Thompson, Julia Stowers*, Kim Black*
Silver medal icon.svgFlag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS)
Susie O'Neill, Giaan Rooney, Kirsten Thomson, Petria Thomas, Jacinta van Lint*, Elka Graham*
Bronze medal icon.svg

Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)
Franziska van Almsick, Antje Buschschulte, Sara Harstick, Kerstin Kielgass, Britta Steffen*, Meike Freitag*


*Indicates the swimmer only competed in the preliminary heats.
  1996
2004  

The women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay event and place at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 20 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia. [1]

The U.S. women's team established a new Olympic record to defend their title with the help of a sterling anchor leg from Jenny Thompson. Throughout most of the race, the Americans were trailing slightly behind the host nation Australia until Thompson dived into the pool at the final exchange. Thompson held off a sprint battle from Petria Thomas on the final stretch until she touched the wall by seven-tenths of a second (0.70) with a remarkable split of 1:59.35 to deliver the foursome of Samantha Arsenault (1:59.92), Diana Munz (1:59.19), and Lindsay Benko (1:59.34) a gold-medal time in 7:57.80. [2] As the Americans celebrated their triumph in the pool, Thompson picked up her ninth career medal to break a tie with former East Germany's Kristin Otto for the most golds, a total of seven, and to maintain her position as the most successful woman in Olympic history. [3] [4] [5] [6]

After leading three-fourths of the race, Australia's Thomas (2:00.32), Susie O'Neill (1:58.70), Giaan Rooney (1:59.37), and Kirsten Thomson (2:00.13) powered home with a silver in 7:58.52. Meanwhile, Germany's Franziska van Almsick (1:59.51), Antje Buschschulte (2:00.35), and Sara Harstick (2:00.88) helped their teammate Kerstin Kielgass produce a striking anchor of 1:57.90 to capture the bronze medal in 7:58.64. For the first time in Olympic history, all three teams finished the race under an eight-minute barrier. [7] [8]

Outside the club, Romania's Camelia Potec (1:59.10), Simona Păduraru (2:01.52), Ioana Diaconescu (2:01.47), and Beatrice Câșlaru (1:59.54) missed the podium with a fourth-place time of 8:01.63, worthy enough for a national record. Canada (8:02.65), Great Britain (8:03.69), Italy (8:04.68), and France (8:05.99) rounded out the championship finale. [8]

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

World recordFlag of East Germany.svg  East Germany  (GDR)
Manuela Stellmach (2:00.23)
Astrid Strauss (1:58.90)
Anke Möhring (1:58.73)
Heike Friedrich (1:57.61)
7:55.47 Strasbourg, France 18 August 1987 [9]
Olympic recordFlag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)
Trina Jackson (1:59.71)
Cristina Teuscher (1:58.86)
Sheila Taormina (2:01.29)
Jenny Thompson (2:00.01)
7:59.87 Atlanta, United States 25 July 1996 [9]

The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.

DateEventNameNationalityTimeRecord
September 20Final Samantha Arsenault (1:59.92)
Diana Munz (1:59.19)
Lindsay Benko (1:59.34)
Jenny Thompson (1:59.35)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 7:57.80 OR

Results

Heats

[9]

RankHeatLaneNationSwimmersTimeNotes
124Flag of the United States.svg  United States Samantha Arsenault (1:59.38)
Julia Stowers (2:01.51)
Kim Black (2:01.41)
Diana Munz (1:59.39)
8:01.69Q
214Flag of Australia.svg  Australia Elka Graham (2:01.91)
Kirsten Thomson (2:00.31)
Jacinta van Lint (2:01.97)
Giaan Rooney (1:59.07)
8:03.26Q
323Flag of Romania.svg  Romania Camelia Potec (2:00.27)
Florina Herea (2:01.86)
Lorena Diaconescu (2:01.13)
Simona Păduraru (2:01.98)
8:05.24Q
426Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Cecilia Vianini (2:00.91)
Luisa Striani (2:02.02)
Sara Parise (2:00.05)
Sara Goffi (2:03.20)
8:06.18Q
525Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Britta Steffen (2:02.01)
Sara Harstick (2:00.68)
Meike Freitag (2:02.86)
Antje Buschschulte (2:00.97)
8:06.52Q
616Flag of France.svg  France Solenne Figuès (2:01.92)
Laetitia Choux (2:01.49)
Katarin Quelennec (2:02.24)
Alicia Bozon (2:01.38)
8:07.03Q
713Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Jessica Deglau (2:01.92)
Shannon Shakespeare (2:01.36)
Katie Brambley (2:02.40)
Jen Button (2:01.44)
8:07.12Q
815Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain Claire Huddart (2:03.12)
Karen Legg (2:01.28)
Nicola Jackson (2:00.93)
Janine Belton (2:02.08)
8:07.41Q
927Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Wang Luna (2:03.45)
Chen Yan (2:02.10)
Sun Dan (2:02.16)
Yang Yu (1:59.98)
8:07.69
1021Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Yuliya Fomenko (2:02.84)
Irina Ufimtseva (2:00.96)
Lyubov Yudina (2:03.16)
Nadezhda Chemezova (2:01.07)
8:08.03 NR
1117Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Carla Geurts (2:00.56)
Chantal Groot (2:04.42)
Haike van Stralen (2:02.22)
Manon van Rooijen (2:01.33)
8:08.53 NR
1222Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Nina van Koeckhoven (2:01.49)
Yseult Gervy (2:04.22)
Fabienne Dufour (2:05.46)
Sofie Goffin (2:01.20)
8:12.37
1312Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Laura Roca (2:02.25)
Angels Bardina (2:04.47)
Natalia Cabrerizo (2:04.94)
Paula Carballido (2:02.16)
8:13.82
1428Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan Anna Korshikova (2:06.99)
Anjelika Solovieva (2:15.59)
Yekaterina Tochenaya (2:10.56)
Nataliya Korabelnikova (2:08.07)
8:41.21 NR
11Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Nadiya Beshevli
Zhanna Lozumyrska
Albina Bordunova
Olena Lapunova
DSQ

Final

RankLaneNationSwimmersTimeTime behindNotes
Gold medal icon.svg4Flag of the United States.svg  United States Samantha Arsenault (1:59.92)
Diana Munz (1:59.19)
Lindsay Benko (1:59.34)
Jenny Thompson (1:59.35)
7:57.80 OR
Silver medal icon.svg5Flag of Australia.svg  Australia Susie O'Neill (1:58.70)
Giaan Rooney (1:59.37)
Kirsten Thomson (2:00.13)
Petria Thomas (2:00.32)
7:58.520.72 OC
Bronze medal icon.svg2Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Franziska van Almsick (1:59.51)
Antje Buschschulte (2:00.35)
Sara Harstick (2:00.88)
Kerstin Kielgass (1:57.90)
7:58.640.84 NR
43Flag of Romania.svg  Romania Camelia Potec (1:59.10)
Simona Păduraru (2:01.52)
Lorena Diaconescu (2:01.47)
Beatrice Câșlaru (1:59.54)
8:01.633.83 NR
51Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Marianne Limpert (1:59.85)
Shannon Shakespeare (2:01.78)
Joanne Malar (2:00.50)
Jessica Deglau (2:00.52)
8:02.654.85
68Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain Nicola Jackson (2:00.56)
Karen Legg (2:01.55)
Janine Belton (2:00.79)
Karen Pickering (2:00.79)
8:03.695.89
76Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Sara Parise (2:00.55)
Cecilia Vianini (1:59.46)
Luisa Striani (2:01.47)
Sara Goffi (2:03.20)
8:04.686.88
87Flag of France.svg  France Solenne Figuès (1:59.67)
Laetitia Choux (2:01.86)
Katarin Quelennec (2:03.19)
Alicia Bozon (2:01.27)
8:05.998.19

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libby Trickett</span> Australian swimmer (born 1985)

Lisbeth Constance Trickett, is an Australian retired competitive swimmer. She was a gold medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the world record holder in the short-course (25m) 100-metre freestyle.

Petria Ann Thomas, is an Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist and a winner of 15 national titles. She was born in Lismore, New South Wales, and grew up in the nearby town of Mullumbimby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Coughlin</span> American swimmer

Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstroke in less than one minute—ten days before her 20th birthday in 2002. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she became the first U.S. female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympiad, and the first woman ever to win a 100-meter backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Hackett</span> Australian swimmer

Grant George Hackett OAM is an Australian swimmer, most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This achievement has led him to be regarded as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history. He also collected a gold medal in Sydney for swimming in the heats of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. He was well regarded for his versatility, and has held the long course world records in the 200 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle events. He dominated the 1500 m event for a decade, being undefeated in the event in finals from 1996 until the 2007 World Aquatics Championships. In total, he has won 10 long-course world championship gold medals.

Yang Yu is an Olympic medal-winning swimmer from the People's Republic of China. She became part of the Chinese national swimming team in 1999, and competed for Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 16 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.

The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 20–21 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.

The women's 200-metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 18–19 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney.

The women's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 22–23 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle</span>

The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 19–20 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia. There were 73 competitors from 66 nations. Nations have been limited to two swimmers each since the 1984 Games.

The women's 100 metre butterfly event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 16–17 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.

The women's 200 metre butterfly event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 19–20 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.

The women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 16 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.

The women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 22–23 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Seebohm</span> Australian swimmer (born 1992)

Emily Jane Seebohm, OAM is an Australian swimmer and television personality. She has appeared at four Olympic Games between 2008 and 2021; and won three Olympic gold medals, five world championship gold medals and seven Commonwealth Games gold medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semyon Belits-Geiman</span> Soviet swimmer

Semyon Viktorovich Belits-Geiman is a former Soviet freestyle swimmer. He set a world record in the 800 m freestyle, and won two Olympic medals.

Woo Chul is a retired South Korean swimmer, who specialized in middle-distance freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian, and a double medalist at the Asian Games.

Tsai Shu-min is a retired Taiwanese swimmer, who specialized in sprint and middle-distance freestyle, but also competed in backstroke and in individual medley. She represented Chinese Taipei in two editions of the Olympic Games, and later earned four medals in swimming, including her first ever gold, at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma McKeon</span> Australian swimmer (born 1994)

Emma Jennifer McKeon, is an Australian competitive swimmer. She is a seven-time world record holder, three current and four former, in relays. Her total career haul of 11 Olympic medals following the 2020 Olympic Games made her Australia's most decorated Olympian and included one gold medal from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and four gold medals from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. With four gold and three bronze medals she was the most decorated athlete across all sports at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and tied for the most medals won by a woman in a single Olympic Games. She has also won 17 medals, including four gold medals, at the World Aquatics Championships; and a record 20 medals, including 14 gold, at the Commonwealth Games.

The women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on 12–13 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. By winning gold, the U.S. women brought home America's 1000th gold medal in the nation's Summer Olympics history.

References

  1. "Swimming schedule". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 September 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  2. Longman, Jere (21 September 2000). "Sydney 2000: Swimming; Thompson Delivers Another Victory". New York Times . Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  3. Fitzpatrick, Frank (21 September 2000). "Misty Hops Up A Golden Mountain Hyman Tops Aussie Icon In Butterfly". Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  4. Dillman, Lisa (21 September 2000). "Surprise! Hyman Stuns O'Neill in 200 Butterfly; De Bruijn Smashing Again; Thompson Wins 7th Career Gold". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  5. "U.S. relay team sets Olympic record". ESPN. 20 September 2000. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  6. "Thompson Wins Seventh Swimming Gold". ABC News. 20 September 2000. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  7. "Seventh heaven: Thompson leads U.S. relay to gold, wins her seventh gold". Sports Illustrated . CNN. 20 September 2000. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  8. 1 2 Whitten, Phillip (20 September 2000). "Olympic Day 5 Finals (200 Breast, 100 Free, 200 Fly, 800 Free Relay)". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 4×200m Freestyle Relay Heats" (PDF). Sydney 2000 . LA84 Foundation. pp. 360–361. Retrieved 29 June 2013.