Swimming at the 2020 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 XXXII Olympiad
Venue Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Dates28 July 2021 (heats)
29 July 2021 (final)
Competitors72 from 15 nations
Teams15
Winning time7:40.33 WR
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan, Zhang Yufei, Li Bingjie, Dong Jie*, Zhang Yifan*Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Silver medal icon.svg Allison Schmitt, Paige Madden, Katie McLaughlin, Katie Ledecky, Brooke Forde*, Bella Sims*Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Bronze medal icon.svg Ariarne Titmus, Emma McKeon, Madison Wilson, Leah Neale, Tamsin Cook*, Meg Harris*, Mollie O'Callaghan*, Brianna Throssell*
*Indicates the swimmer only competed in the preliminary heats.
Flag of Australia.svg  Australia
  2016
2024  

The women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held in 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. [1] 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 [2]
Olympic record
7:42.92 London, United Kingdom1 August 2012 [3] [4]

The following record was established during the competition:

DateEventNameNationTimeRecord
July 29Final
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 7:40.33 WR , OR

Qualification

The 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). [5]

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. [6]

Schedule

All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) [1]

DateTimeRound
28 July 202120:17Heats
29 July 202112:31Final

Results

Heats

A total of sixteen countries qualified to participate. The best eight from two heats advanced to the final. [7]

RankHeatLaneNationSwimmersTimeNotes
124Flag of Australia.svg  Australia Mollie O'Callaghan (1:55.11 WJ )
Meg Harris (1:57.01)
Brianna Throssell (1:56.46)
Tamsin Cook (1:56.03)
7:44.61Q
214Flag of the United States.svg  United States Bella Sims (1:58.59)
Paige Madden (1:55.96)
Katie McLaughlin (1:56.02)
Brooke Forde (1:57.00)
7:47.57Q
315Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Tang Muhan (1:57.29)
Zhang Yifan (1:57.63)
Dong Jie (1:57.77)
Li Bingjie (1:56.29)
7:48.98Q
425Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Katerine Savard (1:58.18)
Rebecca Smith (1:55.99)
Mary-Sophie Harvey (1:57.53)
Sydney Pickrem (1:59.82)
7:51.52Q
523Russian Olympic Committee flag.png  ROC Anastasia Guzhenkova (1:57.26)
Valeriya Salamatina (1:58.87)
Veronika Andrusenko (1:57.77)
Anna Egorova (1:58.14)
7:52.04Q
613Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Isabel Gose (1:57.29)
Leonie Kullmann (1:59.00)
Marie Pietruschka (1:58.73)
Annika Bruhn (1:57.04)
7:52.06Q
712Flag of France.svg  France Charlotte Bonnet (1:57.61)
Assia Touati (1:58.59)
Lucile Tessariol (1:59.39)
Margaux Fabre (1:59.46)
7:55.05Q
826Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Zsuzsanna Jakabos (1:59.19)
Laura Veres (1:57.88)
Evelyn Verrasztó (2:00.35)
Ajna Késely (1:58.74)
7:56.16Q
916Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Chihiro Igarashi (1:57.87)
Rio Shirai (1:59.94)
Nagisa Ikemoto (2:00.25)
Aoi Masuda (2:00.33)
7:58.39
1027Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Aline Rodrigues (2:00.15)
Larissa Oliveira (2:01.50)
Nathalia Almeida (1:59.18)
Gabrielle Roncatto (1:58.67)
7:59.50
1111Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Aimee Canny (1:58.41)
Rebecca Meder (2:00.53)
Duné Coetzee (1:59.75)
Erin Gallagher (2:02.87)
8:01.56 AF
1221Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Erika Fairweather (1:57.38)
Carina Doyle (2:02.18)
Eve Thomas (2:00.75)
Ali Galyer (2:05.85)
8:06.16
1317Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Viktoriya Zeynep Güneş (2:04.42)
Beril Böcekler (2:02.03)
Deniz Ertan (2:04.15)
Merve Tuncel (2:00.36)
8:10.96
1418Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea Jung Hyun-young (2:01.27)
Kim Seo-yeong (1:59.98)
Han Da-kyung (2:04.38)
An Se-hyeon (2:05.53)
8:11.16
22Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Stefania Pirozzi (2:01.64)
Anna Chiara Mascolo
Giulia Vetrano
Federica Pellegrini
DSQ
28Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong Stephanie Au
Camille Cheng
Siobhán Haughey
Ho Nam Wai
DNS

Final

[8]

RankLaneNationSwimmersTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg3Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  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
Silver medal icon.svg5Flag of the United States.svg  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
Bronze medal icon.svg4Flag of Australia.svg  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
46Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  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
52Russian Olympic Committee flag.png  ROC Anna Egorova (1:58.22)
Valeriya Salamatina (1:58.31)
Veronika Andrusenko (1:58.17)
Anastasia Guzhenkova (1:57.45)
7:52.15
67Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Isabel Gose (1:58.63)
Leonie Kullmann (1:59.19)
Marie Pietruschka (1:58.36)
Annika Bruhn (1:57.71)
7:53.89
78Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Zsuzsanna Jakabos (1:58.61)
Laura Veres (1:59.71)
Ajna Késely (1:58.14)
Boglárka Kapás (2:00.16)
7:56.62
81Flag of France.svg  France Charlotte Bonnet (1:58.08)
Assia Touati (1:58.82)
Lucile Tessariol (2:00.86)
Margaux Fabre (2:00.39)
7:58.15

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References

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  7. "Heats results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  8. "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.