2024 Olympics Previews: Australian Women Locked in for Gold in the 4×200 Free Relay

2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games

• Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
  • Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
• La Défense Arena – Paris, France
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Full Schedule
• SwimSwam Preview Index

By the Numbers: Women’s 4×200 Free Relay

• World Record: 7:37.50 – AUS,  (2023)
• World Junior Record: 7:51.47 – CAN, K. Sanchez, P. Oleksiak, R. Smith, T. Ruck (2017)
• Olympic Record: 7:40.33 – CHN, Y. Junxuan, T. Muhan, Z. Yufei, L. Bingjie (2021)
• 2021 Olympic Champion: 7:40.33 – CHN, Y. Junxuan, T. Muhan, Z. Yufei, L. Bingjie

The women’s 4×200 freestyle relay has a full lineup qualified, with 16 countries set to put forth teams to compete in the event in Paris.

Going for the Gold

Australia is the heavy favorite to secure the gold medal in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay; a stacked roster in the 200 free, Australia practically has this race in the bag.

Australia first broke the world record in the 4×200 free relay back in 2008 and has since flip-flopped possession of the record with China. The country has held the world record since 2022, with the relay team of Mollie O’Callaghan, Ariarne Titmus, Brianna Throssell and Shayna Jack lowering the standard to a time of 7:37.50 at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka.

Aside from holding the world record in the relay itself, Australia also has the two fastest women in the world in the 200 free on their roster. At Australian Swimming Trials, Titmus broke O’Callaghan’s world record in the individual 200 free with a show stopping time of 1:52.23, over half a second under the previous time of 1:52.85. Despite falling just short of Titmus, O’Callaghan was also under her record pace, throwing down a time of 1:52.48.

Rounding out the top four at Australian Swimming Trials was Lani Pallister and Throssell. Newcomer Pallister will be making her Olympic debut this summer, and took 3rd behind O’Callaghan in the 200 with a time of 1:55.57. Olympic veteran Throssell, who was already a member of the world record-breaking Australian relay, placed 4th with a time of 1:55.74.

Titmus, O’Callaghan and Throssell all posted times faster than what they turned in as splits during the 2023 World Championships, meaning that if you add up all four individual 200 free times from the competition, the Australian relay team is shaping up to bring home the gold and potentially shatter their own world record in Paris.

Australian 4×200 Relay Split Comparison

*Shayna Jack was on the world record relay in 2023, but tied for 5th at Trials with a time of 1:56.22.

Racing for Silver

Three nations are gearing up for a tough battle in the pool in the 4×200 free relay, as China, the United States and Canada will all be vying for silver.

China

With China being one of Australia’s closest competitors in the relay for the last several years, the country is sure to be one to watch when it comes to chasing down a silver medal. China last held the world record in 2021, when the relay team of Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan, Zhang Yufei and Li Bingjie posted a time of 7:40.33 to win gold at the Olympic Games.

All four members of that squad will be returning to the Games this summer, although it is not confirmed who will be making up the relay team. China has been known to make some odd relay decisions in

Courtesy of Fabio Cetti

the past, especially when it seemed that a relay would not medal, so there could be some surprises in store in Paris.

At the 2024 Chinese National Swimming Championships, Junxuan won the 200 free with a time of 1:54.37, while Bingjie was runner-up in a time of 1:56.29. Finishing 3rd and 4th was Liu Yaxin, who posted a time of 1:56.56, and Muhan, who swam a time of 1:56.85.

Junxuan tied the opening split that she threw down as the leadoff on the gold medal-winning relay in Tokyo, but Bingjie and Muhan were both slightly off of their times. Adding up the four fastest times in the 200 free from the National Championships would put China at a total time of 7:44.07 for the 4×200 free relay, right around the time that China’s squad posted at the 2023 World Championships.

United States

The U.S. will also be trying to chase down a silver medal in Paris. The U.S.’s fastest performance in recent competitions was also the World Championships in Fukuoka, where the team of Erin Gemmell, Katie Ledecky, Bella Sims and Alex Shackell threw down a time of 7:41.38 to bring home a silver medal.

If we assume that the top four finishers in the 200 free from the U.S. Olympic Trials will make up the relay squad at the Paris Games, then Ledecky and Gemmell will be reprising their roles on the relay, only this time likely joined by Claire Weinstein and Paige Madden.

At Trials in June, Ledecky posted a time of 1:55.22 in her individual 200, which is not far off what she split in the relay last summer. Weinstein and Madden took 2nd and 3rd at Trials, turning in times of 1:56.18 and 1:56.36 respectively, both of which are slower than Gemmell’s leadoff time of 1:55.9 in the relay at 2023 Worlds. For her part, Gemmell posted a time of 1:56.75 at Trials, about eight tenths slower than her relay split.

Once again adding up these four fastest times, the U.S. would see a time of 7:44.51 if each swimmer were to match their Trials’ performance. This puts them right in the running with China’s projected relay team and means that it will more than likely come down to who can outswim who in the final in Paris.

Canada

Canada is also in a position to make a strong play for silver in Paris based on the performances of the nation’s top four swimmers in the 200 free at the Canadian Swimming Trials.

Courtesy of Michael P. Hall/Swimming Canada

Summer McIntosh secured a resounding victory with a time of 1:53.69, marking the 3rd-fastest time in the world this year. Her time trails only Titmus and O’Callaghan’s, making her one of the biggest competitors for the Australians and putting Canada on a more even playing field.

Following McIntosh at Trials were Mary-Sophie Harvey (1:55.44), Julie Brousseau (1:57.60) and Emma O’Croinin (1:57.86). Although Brousseau and O’Croinin are the only swimmers of those mentioned so far with times in the 1:57 range, their performances combined with McIntosh’s and Harvey’s add up to a total time of 7:44.59, mere hundredths off of the U.S.’s projected time.

Finals Contenders

Great Britain

Great Britain is sure to put forth a relay team that will be a top contender for the finals in Paris. The country is currently ranked 4th in the list of qualifiers, thanks to the performance by Freya Colbert, Lucy Hope, Abbie Wood and Freya Anderson that resulted in a time of 7:46.63 at the World Championships in Fukuoka, and almost the exact same squad will be taking on the event at the Games.

The British Olympic Trials in April saw Colbert emerge as the individual victor (1:56.22), with Wood taking the runner-up spot (1:56.62). In place of Anderson, Medi Harris will make her Olympic debut on the relay after placing 3rd (1:58.10), while Hope rounded out the top four (1:58.81).

A self-imposed British qualification standard for the 4×200 free relay required the top four swims to land under the standard of 7:51.89 in order to be contested in Paris; the combined times of Colbert, Wood, Harris and Hope easily slid under this standard, adding up to a total time of 7:49.75. This is the same relay squad that won a silver medal in Doha with a time of 7:50.90, meaning that if they can continue to improve upon their recent performances, they should be poised to land themselves solidly in the final.

Brazil

Another country looking to slide into the final will be Brazil, who put up a 4th-place 4×200 free relay at the World Championships in Doha. The team of Maria Fernanda Costa, Stephanie Balduccini, Gabrielle Roncatto and Aline Rodrigues turned in a time of 7:52.71. That performance landed them in the #6 spot in the ranking of qualified relay teams heading into Paris.

Courtesy of Satiro Sodre/SSPress

In place of Rodrigues, it seems that Maria Paula Heitman will be joining Costa, Balduccini and Roncatto on the relay squad for the Olympic Games. Costa won the individual 200 free with a time of 1:56.37 at the Brazilian Swimming Championships, while Balduccini was the runner-up with a time of 1:58.51. Roncatto and Heitman placed 3rd and 4th with times of 1:58.57 and 1:58.81, respectively.

Their combined times would add up to a time of 7:52.26 overall, which is just slightly faster than the time they qualified with in February. As a result, they should be able to make it into the final but may be right on the border depending on how other teams’ swimmers perform.

Netherlands

The Netherlands is another country that may be able to sneak into the final if their relay squad can deliver top form performances. While the final lineup will not be determined until Paris, the likely team based on recent performances is Marrit Steenbergen, Silke Holkenborg, Imani de Jong and Janna van Kooten.

Taking their top times (Steenbergen – 1:55.51, Holkenborg – 1:59.13, de Jong – 2:00.81 and van Kooten – 1:58.12), the Netherlands squad could see a projected time of 7:53.57. Contrary to most of the other teams we’ve discussed, this time is slightly slower than their entry time of 7:52.97 from the 2023 World Championships. This puts the nation in a much tougher position to secure a spot in the final.

New Zealand

New Zealand will be fighting for a spot in the final, but as one of the lower-ranked teams in the field, they will have their work cut out for them to make it in. They are currently ranked 8th on the list of qualified teams, but, similar to the Netherlands, the country has a slower projected time than what they qualified with based on swimmers’ recent performances.

At the New Zealand Championships in April, Erika Fairweather was the fastest competitor in the field by far, winning with a time of 1:55.49. The closest behind her was Laticia Transom, who posted a time of 1:58.42, followed by Caitlin Deans in a time of 2:00.72 and Chelsey Edwards in a time of 2:01.00. However, Edwards does not appear on the New Zealand Olympic roster, meaning the final spot could go to Eve Thomas, who swam the opening leg of the relay in Doha in a time of 1:59.07.

Assuming Thomas joins Fairweather, Transom and Deans on the Paris relay team, their performances would add up to a total time of 7:53.70. That time is over half a second slower than New Zealand’s relay performance in Doha (7:53.02), making it questionable whether they can hold onto their spot in the rankings to make the final or not.

Hungary

If Hungary’s relay squad can improve upon their recent performances just a little bit, then the nation could very well squeeze its way into the final of the 4×200 free relay. Hungary is currently 9th in the rankings of qualified relay teams but could see a faster time performed in Paris.

Courtesy of European Aquatics

The current relay team, based on the Hungarian Olympic roster, looks like it will be Nikolett Pádár, Minna Abraham, Dora Molnar, and Panna Ugrai. At the Hungarian national championships in April, Padar threw down a time of 1:56.83, while Molnar turned in a time of 1:58.95 and Ugrai posted a time of 1:59.84. While Abraham did not compete at the national championships, she recently posted a time of 1:57.22 in the 200 free at the European Aquatics Championships; the meet also saw Ugrai lower her best to a time of 1:58.07.

The add-up of all four swimmers’ recent performances comes to a time of 7:51.96. Hungary’s qualifying performance saw the nation place 7th at the 2023 World Championships against many of the same competitors they will face in Paris, so if they can nail their projected time then they could manage to secure a spot in the final.

Israel

At the 2023 World Championships, Israel’s 4×200 free relay team of Anastasia Gorbenko, Daria Golovaty, Ayla Spitz and Lea Polonsky finished 10th with a time of 7:59.02, putting them in the #12 spot on the ranking of Olympic-qualified relays. The same squad seems to ready to take on the same race in Paris, only this time with a significantly improved projected time.

At the European Aquatics Championships in June, Golovaty and Polonsky both posted personal best times in the individual 200 free, turning in times of 1:58.62 and 1:59.31, respectively. Spitz posted a time of 2:00.41 but had been under the 2:00 mark just a month prior when she swam a personal best time of 1:5879. While Gorbenko did not contest the 200 free individually, she threw down a time of 1:56.74 as the leadoff in the 4×200 free relay. Taking each of their times from Euros, the add-up for their relay in Paris is a time of 7:55.08, but given that they won the 4×200 free relay in a time of 7:51.83, it is likely that they surpass this projected time.

Israel did not put up a relay for this event at the last Olympics, making their chances of landing in the final even more noteworthy.

Japan

A surprise contender for the final is Japan. The Japanese 4×200 free relay qualified with a time of 7:57.22 at the World Championships in Fukuoka, landing them at 10th on the ranking of qualified nations. Japan did not crack the top eight at either the 2023 or 2024 World Championships, but the recent performances by the swimmers likely to make up their relay squad could turn that around in Paris.

At the Japanese Olympic Trials, Waka Kobori secured the victory in the 200 free with a time of 1:58.22, followed by Rio Shirai (1:58.27), Hiroko Makino (1:58.42) and Nagisa Ikemoto (1:58.51). Altogether, their performances would result in a relay time of 7:53.42, nearly four seconds faster than Japan’s current entry time. If they can replicate or even improve these performances again in Paris, then Japan could very well find itself in the Olympic final of the 4×200 free relay.

The Verdict

There is little doubt that the 4×200 free relay will be all Australia’s right from the start. Looking at the projected times, they have an eight second victory margin heading into the Paris Games and are the only team anticipated to be under the 7:40 mark. As a result, we can expect the relay to be a bigger race for silver and bronze than it will be for the gold.

SwimSwam’s Top 8 Picks

Dark Horse: France – France heads into the Olympics ranked 12th among the qualified relay teams, with a time of 7:59.27 from the 2024 World Championships. Their performance in Doha saw them place 9th overall, narrowly missing out on the final. Based on the four fastest swims in the 200 free at the French Elite Championships, France could put together a relay team of Lucile Tessariol (1:59.29), Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (1:59.88), Marina Jehl (2:00.04) and Assia Touati (2:00.37) for a projected time of 7:59.58. However, Tessariol, Kirpichnikova and Touati were all slightly off of their best times, meaning that they could easily lower their overall relay time if they can make a return to top form, giving them a fighting chance for the final.