Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay

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Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad
Venue Olympic Aquatic Centre
DatesAugust 18, 2004 (heats & final)
Competitors74 from 16 nations
Winning time7:53.42 WR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svgFlag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)
Natalie Coughlin, Carly Piper, Dana Vollmer, Kaitlin Sandeno, Lindsay Benko*, Rhi Jeffrey*, Rachel Komisarz*
Silver medal icon.svgFlag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN)
Zhu Yingwen, Xu Yanwei, Yang Yu, Pang Jiaying, Li Ji*
Bronze medal icon.svg

Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)
Franziska van Almsick, Petra Dallmann, Antje Buschschulte, Hannah Stockbauer, Janina Götz*, Sara Harstick*


*Indicates the swimmer only competed in the preliminary heats.
  2000
2008  

The women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay took place on 18 August at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. [1]

The U.S. women's swimming team (Natalie Coughlin, Carly Piper, Dana Vollmer, and Kaitlin Sandeno) broke the oldest world record in the book, when they clocked at 7:53.42, slashing 2.05 seconds off the old, mark set by the East Germans exactly 17 years ago. Leading off the race, Coughlin swam a fastest split and a personal best of 1:57.74, which became quicker than a gold-medal performance of 1:58.03 set by Romania's Camelia Potec in the individual 200 m freestyle. [2] [3] [4]

With Team USA taking its third straight title since the event's Olympic debut in 1996, China made a surprise packet with a silver medal, in an Asian record of 7:55.97. [5] Meanwhile, the unified Germans held off the Aussies for the bronze in 7:57.35, 45-hundredths of a second under an old Olympic record set by Team USA in 2000. Despite missing the podium by 0.05 of a second, the Australians broke their national record of 7:57.40 to settle only for fourth place. [2]

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
Olympic recordFlag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)
Samantha Arsenault (1:59.92)
Diana Munz (1:59.19)
Lindsay Benko (1:59.34)
Jenny Thompson (1:59.35)
7:57.80 Sydney, Australia 20 September 2000

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

DateEventNameNationalityTimeRecord
August 18Final Natalie Coughlin (1:57.74)
Carly Piper (1:59.39)
Dana Vollmer (1:58.12)
Kaitlin Sandeno (1:58.17)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 7:53.42 WR

Results

Heats

RankHeatLaneNationSwimmersTimeNotes
124Flag of the United States.svg  United States Lindsay Benko (2:00.73)
Rhi Jeffrey (2:01.46)
Carly Piper (1:59.37)
Rachel Komisarz (1:59.25)
8:00.81Q
215Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain Karen Pickering (2:00.90)
Joanne Jackson (2:00.89)
Caitlin McClatchey (2:00.65)
Melanie Marshall (1:59.33)
8:01.77Q
314Flag of Australia.svg  Australia Shayne Reese (2:00.13)
Elka Graham (1:58.83)
Linda Mackenzie (2:00.55)
Giaan Rooney (2:02.34)
8:01.85Q
412Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Petra Dallmann (2:00.78)
Janina Götz (2:00.87)
Hannah Stockbauer (2:00.35)
Sara Harstick (2:01.22)
8:03.22Q
523Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Tatiana Rouba (2:00.80)
Melissa Caballero (2:00.64)
Erika Villaécija (2:00.34)
Arantxa Ramos (2:01.89)
8:03.67Q
625Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Zhu Yingwen (2:00.89)
Li Ji (2:01.68)
Yang Yu (1:59.91)
Pang Jiaying (2:02.90)
8:05.38Q
711Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Joanna Melo (2:01.38)
Monique Ferreira (2:01.40)
Mariana Brochado (2:01.68)
Paula Baracho (2:01.12)
8:05.58Q
813Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Ida Mattsson (2:02.46)
Josefin Lillhage (1:59.19)
Lotta Wanberg (2:02.85)
Johanna Sjöberg (2:02.67)
8:07.17Q
926Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Celina Lemmen (2:02.21)
Haike van Stralen (2:01.80)
Chantal Groot (2:02.87)
Marleen Veldhuis (2:02.08)
8:08.96
1016Flag of France.svg  France Céline Couderc (2:02.50)
Elsa N'Guessan (2:03.26)
Katarin Quelennec (2:03.56)
Solenne Figuès (2:00.10)
8:09.42
1122Flag of Romania.svg  Romania Simona Păduraru (2:00.97)
Larisa Lăcustă (2:03.80)
Beatrice Câșlaru (2:04.20)
Camelia Potec (2:00.70)
8:09.67
1227Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland Chantal Strasser (2:02.90)
Hanna Miluska (2:02.75)
Nicole Zahnd (2:01.60)
Flavia Rigamonti (2:03.16)
8:10.41
1321Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Helen Norfolk (2:01.89)
Alison Fitch (2:00.70)
Rebecca Linton (2:05.17)
Nathalie Bernard (2:07.00)
8:14.76
1417Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  Italy Alessia Filippi (2:04.09)
Sara Parise (2:03.69)
Cecilia Vianini (2:03.52)
Cristina Chiuso (2:04.00)
8:15.30
1518Flag of Greece.svg  Greece Zoi Dimoschaki (2:02.33)
Marianna Lymperta (2:02.71)
Evangelia Tsagka (2:05.99)
Georgia Manoli (2:05.66)
8:16.69
1628Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Sara Isaković (2:01.82)
Anja Klinar (2:03.44)
Anja Čarman (2:03.19)
Lavra Babič (2:08.44)
8:16.89

Final

RankLaneNationSwimmersTimeTime behindNotes
Gold medal icon.svg4Flag of the United States.svg  United States Natalie Coughlin (1:57.74)
Carly Piper (1:59.39)
Dana Vollmer (1:58.12)
Kaitlin Sandeno (1:58.17)
7:53.42 WR
Silver medal icon.svg7Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Zhu Yingwen (1:59.75)
Xu Yanwei (1:58.45)
Yang Yu (1:59.50)
Pang Jiaying (1:58.27)
7:55.972.55 AS
Bronze medal icon.svg6Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Franziska van Almsick (1:59.61)
Petra Dallmann (2:00.06)
Antje Buschschulte (1:58.46)
Hannah Stockbauer (1:59.22)
7:57.353.93
43Flag of Australia.svg  Australia Alice Mills (2:00.38)
Elka Graham (1:59.18)
Shayne Reese (2:00.64)
Petria Thomas (1:57.20)
7:57.403.98 OC
55Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain Melanie Marshall (1:59.39)
Georgina Lee (2:00.50)
Caitlin McClatchey (2:00.48)
Karen Pickering (1:58.74)
7:59.115.69
62Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Tatiana Rouba (2:00.18)
Melissa Caballero (2:00.57)
Arantxa Ramos (2:02.32)
Erika Villaécija (1:59.04)
8:02.118.69
71Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Joanna Melo (2:01.20)
Monique Ferreira (2:01.42)
Mariana Brochado (2:01.15)
Paula Baracho (2:01.52)
8:05.2911.87
88Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Josefin Lillhage (1:59.86)
Ida Mattsson (2:01.45)
Malin Svahnström (2:03.68)
Lotta Wanberg (2:03.35)
8:08.3414.92

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References

  1. "Swimming schedule". BBC Sport. 5 August 2004. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  2. 1 2 Thomas, Stephen (18 August 2004). "US Women Break the Oldest World Record in the Book, the 800 Freestyle Relay". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  3. Dodd, Mike (18 August 2004). "American women erase swimming's oldest world record". USA Today . Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  4. Fitzpatrick, Franz (19 August 2004). "German mark now worthless The U.S. women's 4×200 relay squad drowned an unpopular 1987 record". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  5. "Chinese women win silver for freestyle relay gold". China Daily. 19 August 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2013.