Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
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Venue | Tokyo Aquatics Centre | ||||||||||||
Dates | 30 July 2021 (heats) 1 August 2021 (final) | ||||||||||||
Competitors | 74 from 16 nations | ||||||||||||
Teams | 16 | ||||||||||||
Winning time | 3:26.78 WR | ||||||||||||
Medalists | |||||||||||||
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Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |||
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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 men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held on 30 July and 1 August 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. [1] It was the event's sixteenth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1960.
The United States extended their dominance in the event, having won it every time since its introduction in 1960, except for the boycotted 1980 Games and the 2024 Games where they lost to China.
In the final swimming race at these Games, the U.S. continued their unbeaten streak in the event to take gold in a world record time of 3:26.78, eclipsing the former super-suited mark by half a second. Though a shade off his bronze medal-winning time in the individual 100 m backstroke, Ryan Murphy (52.31) nonetheless got the U.S. out to an early lead of 0.21 seconds. While Michael Andrew's breaststroke split of 58.49 led the U.S. to fall back in third, Caeleb Dressel unleashed the fastest butterfly split of all time in 49.03 to regain the lead. Diving in with a margin of 6-tenths of a second over the field, Zach Apple anchored the U.S. home to gold in 46.95 for their eleventh swimming gold of the Games.
100 m breaststroke world record holder Adam Peaty threw down the fastest breaststroke split ever in 56.53 to give the British team of Luke Greenbank (53.63), James Guy (50.27), and Duncan Scott (47.08) a brief lead of 0.6 seconds on the second leg. Though the U.S. edged them out to the front in the following leg, Great Britain touched in a European record of 3:27.51 - the third fastest performance in history - to defend their silver medal from five years earlier in Rio.
Meanwhile, Italy's well-rounded foursome of Thomas Ceccon (52.52), Nicolò Martinenghi (58.11), Federico Burdisso (51.07) and Alessandro Miressi (47.47) posted a national record of 3:29.17 to secure Italy's first podium finish in the event. Despite a strong back-half - with Andrey Minakov (50.31) and Kliment Kolesnikov (47.03) recording the third-fastest butterfly and freestyle splits in the field - ROC could not close the gap on the Italians to miss the podium by 5-hundredths of a second. Australia, the defending bronze medallists, could not repeat their podium finish, falling to fifth in 3:29.60. Japan took sixth in 3:29.91, breaking China's 2018 Asian record by 0.08 s, while Canada (3:32.42) finished in a distant seventh. China was disqualified from the race owing to an early relay takeover by freestyler He Junyi. [2]
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
World record |
| 3:27.28 | Rome, Italy | 2 August 2009 | [3] [4] |
Olympic record |
| 3:27.95 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 13 August 2016 | [5] [6] |
The following record was established during the competition:
Date | Event | Name | Nation | Time | Record |
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1 August | Final |
| ![]() | 3:26.78 | WR |
The top 12 teams in this event at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships qualified for the Olympics. An additional 4 teams will qualify through having the fastest times at approved qualifying events during the qualifying period (1 March 2019 to 30 May 2020). [7]
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. [8]
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) [1]
Date | Time | Round |
---|---|---|
30 July 2021 | 21:10 | Heats |
1 August 2021 | 11:36 | Final |
The relay teams with the top 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final. [9]
Rank | Lane | Nation | Swimmers | Time | Notes |
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![]() | 1 | ![]() | Ryan Murphy (52.31) Michael Andrew (58.49) Caeleb Dressel (49.03) Zach Apple (46.95) | 3:26.78 | WR |
![]() | 5 | ![]() | Luke Greenbank (53.63) Adam Peaty (56.53) James Guy (50.27) Duncan Scott (47.08) | 3:27.51 | ER |
![]() | 4 | ![]() | Thomas Ceccon (52.52) Nicolò Martinenghi (58.11) Federico Burdisso (51.07) Alessandro Miressi (47.47) | 3:29.17 | NR |
4 | 3 | ![]() | Evgeny Rylov (52.82) Kirill Prigoda (59.06) Andrey Minakov (50.31) Kliment Kolesnikov (47.03) | 3:29.22 | |
5 | 7 | ![]() | Mitch Larkin (53.19) Zac Stubblety-Cook (58.67) Matthew Temple (50.78) Kyle Chalmers (46.96) | 3:29.60 | |
6 | 2 | ![]() | Ryosuke Irie (53.05) Ryuya Mura (58.94) Naoki Mizunuma (50.88) Katsumi Nakamura (47.04) | 3:29.91 | AS |
7 | 8 | ![]() | Markus Thormeyer (53.69) Gabe Mastromatteo (59.67) Joshua Liendo (51.02) Yuri Kisil (48.04) | 3:32.42 | |
6 | ![]() | Xu Jiayu (52.77) Yan Zibei (58.35) Sun Jiajun (51.76) He Junyi | DSQ |
Yuliya Andreyevna Yefimova is a Russian competitive swimmer. She is the Russian record holder in the 200 metre individual medley, 50 metre breaststroke, 100 metre breaststroke, and 200 metre breaststroke. After making her Olympic debut in 2008, she went on to win the bronze medal in the 200 metre breaststroke in 2012, and silver medals in the 100 metre and 200 metre breaststroke in 2016. She is a six-time World Champion, winning the 50 metre breaststroke in 2009 and 2013, the 100 metre breaststroke in 2015, and the 200 metre breaststroke in 2013, 2017, and 2019. In 2019, she became the first woman to win the 200 metre breaststroke at a FINA World Aquatics Championships three times. She is a former world record holder in the long course 50 metre breaststroke. She has won 109 medals, including 48 gold medals, at Swimming World Cups.
Nathan Ghar-jun Adrian is an American competitive swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist who formerly held the American record in the long course 50-meter freestyle event.
Jessica Adele Hardy Meichtry is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle events. Hardy earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle and a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relays at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Nicolas Fink is an American competitive swimmer. He is a five-time world champion in breaststroke events and a 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 100 meter breaststroke. He is a world record holder in the short course 4×100 meter medley relay and 4×50 meter mixed medley relay. He is the Americas record holder in the short course 50 meter breaststroke, 100 meter breaststroke, and 200 meter breaststroke as well as the American record holder in the long course 50 meter breaststroke. In the 50 meter breaststroke, he won the World Short Course titles in 2021 and 2022 and World Long Course title in 2022. In the 100 meter breaststroke, he is the 2022 World Short Course gold medalist. In the 200 meter breaststroke, he is the 2021 World Short Course gold medalist.
Chase Tyler Kalisz is an American swimmer who specializes in individual medley events. He is an Olympic gold medalist in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, an Olympic silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a two-time World Aquatics Championships gold medalist.
Adam George Peaty is an English former competitive swimmer who specialises in the breaststroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first by a male British swimmer in 24 years, and retained the title at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, the first British swimmer ever to retain an Olympic title.
The men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place on 12–13 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
Evgeny Mikhailovich Rylov is a Russian competitive swimmer and Olympic champion specializing in backstroke events. He won three gold medals at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, and a bronze medal at his senior international debut at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan. He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, both were in the 200 metre backstroke event. In 2018, at the 2018 World Short Course Championships, he won gold medals in the 200 metre backstroke and 50 metre backstroke. At the 2019 World Championships, he won a gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke, silver medal in the 100 metre backstroke, and silver medal in the 50 metre backstroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre backstroke and 200 metre backstroke at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Caeleb Remel Dressel is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley events. He swims representing the Cali Condors as part of the International Swimming League. He won a record seven gold medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, nine medals, six of which were gold, at the 2018 World Swimming Championships in Hangzhou, and eight medals, including six gold, at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju. Dressel is a nine-time Olympic gold medalist and holds world records in the 100 meter butterfly, 50 meter freestyle, and 100 meter individual medley.
Michael Charles Andrew is an American competitive swimmer and an Olympic gold medalist. He was the 2016 world champion in the 100 meter individual medley. At his first Olympic Games, the 2020 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal and set a world record as part of the 4x100 meter medley relay, placed fourth in the 100 meter breaststroke, fourth in the 50 meter freestyle, and fifth in the 200 meter individual medley. Andrew's swims in 2021 at the 2020 Olympics made him the first swimmer to represent the United States at an Olympic Games in an individual breaststroke event as well as another individual event other than an individual medley in the then-125-year-history of swimming at the Summer Olympics. He has won 78 medals at Swimming World Cup circuits.
Lillia Camille King is an American swimmer who specializes in breaststroke. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke competition and also won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay, in which she swam the breaststroke leg. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, King won a silver medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay for her efforts in the prelims, the silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, and the bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay, where she swam the breaststroke leg. She is the current world record holder in the long course 100-meter breaststroke.
James Wilby is a British competitive swimmer who specialises in the breaststroke. Wilby is the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion in 200 metre breaststroke, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion in 100 metre breaststroke, and the 2022 European champion in 200 metre breaststroke. He formed part of the Great Britain team that won World Championship gold in the men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay in 2019, and the England team that won the Commonwealth Games Men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay in 2014 and 2022.
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