2024 Paris Olympics Day 1 Relay Prelims: Chalmers (AUS), Dressel (USA) to Anchor 4×100 Free

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 Swimming Schedule
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Day 1 Prelim Heat Sheets

Swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games starts today, which means the rush of relay start lists starts today. This morning’s prelims session features the 4×100 freestyle relay for both men and women, promising some exciting fireworks to close out the session.

This will be the first look we’ll get at most of these athletes’ form for these Games.

In the first heat of the women’s event, Team USA has the center lane. Their prelims lineup includes 3/4 of their Tokyo finals lineup, as Abbey Weitzeil, Simone Manuel, and Erika Connolly (neé Brown) all return from their bronze medal performance. The newcomer is Kate Douglass, who won the 100 free at U.S. Trials but withdrew from the individual event here in Paris. Typically, the fastest two performers in freestyle events are saved for the finals relay.

Canada, who earned the silver in Tokyo, swims in heat 2 with Penny Oleksiak leading off. Despite winning the 100 free at Canadian Trials, she did not get under the OQT and will not swim the event individually. She is joined by teammates Mary-Sophie Harvey, Brooklyn Douthwright, and Taylor Ruck.

Top-seed Australia is leading off with 18-year-old Olivia Wunsch, making her Olympic debut. She is followed by veteran Bronte Campbell, Meg Harris, and Emma McKeon. Harris and McKeon are in the same positions as they were in 2023 on Australia’s world record-setting relay. The front-half of that relay will likely swap in for finals; the question is who will join them. McKeon is also pulling a double this morning; she’ll swim the 100 butterfly earlier in the session.

Moving over to the men’s event, the eye is immediately drawn to Australia and USA in adjacent lanes. Australia has only won this event once in the history of the games, but they’re the top seed from their Fukuoka performance. Kyle Chalmers and Caeleb Dressel are anchoring their respective relays, so while we won’t see them clash individually this summer, this is the closest we’ll get.

There likely won’t be a flat-start 46 this morning, but 100 free world record-holder Pan Zhanle will still be in action anchoring China’s relay. He’ll be handed the baton by teammates Wang Haoyu, Chen Juner, and Ji Xinjie, nearly an identical team to what won the world title earlier this year.

2023 Worlds silver medalists Italy have the center lane in the first heat of the men’s event. Lorenzo Zazzeri, Leonardo Deplano, Paolo Conte Bonin, and Manuel Frigo will swim here, with Alessandro Miressi and Thomas Ceccon to likely swap in for tonight.

Some quick hits:

• 100 free world record-holder Sarah Sjostrom is swimming second on Sweden’s relay. She was a surprise entry in the individual 100.
• Hong Kong is not using Siobhan Haughey this morning, sinking their already outside shot of vying for a finals spot.
• Rafael Fente-Damers is swimming second on France’s relay. He dislocated his shoulder celebrating at French Trials last month.

See the complete list of relay line-ups below, ordered by heat and lane.

Women’s 4×100 Free Relay Prelims Line-ups:

Heat 1 (ordered by lane):

1. Denmark
   1. Signe Bro
   2. Julie Jensen
   3. Elisabeth Ebbesen
   4. Martine Damborg
2. Poland
   1. Kascia Wasick
   2. Kornelia Fiedkiewicz
   3. Julia Maik
   4. Zuzanna Famulok
3. Netherlands
   1. Tessa Giele
   2. Kim Busch
   3. Sam van Nunen
   4. Marrit Steenbergen
4. USA
   1. Abbey Weitzeil
   2. Simone Manual
   3. Erika Connolly
   4. Kate Douglass
5. Great Britain
   1. Anna Hopkin
   2. Eva Okaro
   3. Lucy Hope
   4. Freya Anderson
6. Italy
   1. Sofia Morini
   2. Chiara Tarantino
   3. Sara Curtis
   4. Emma Menicuci
7. Hong Kong
   1. Natalie Kan
   2. Hoi Lam Tam
   3. Camille Cheng
   4. Stephanie Au
8. Ireland
   1. Danielle Hill
   2. Grace Davison
   3. Erin Riordan
   4. Victoria Catterson

Heat 2:

1. Hungary
   1. Petra Senanszky
   2. Minna Abraham
   3. Panna Ugrai
   4. Nikolett Padar
2. France
   1. Beryl Gastaldello
   2. Mary-Ambre Moluh
   3. Lison Nowacyzk
   4. Charlotte Bonnet
3. Sweden
   1. Michelle Coleman
   2. Sarah Sjostrom
   3. Sara Junevik
   4. Sofia Aastedt
4. Australia
   1. Olivia Wunsch
   2. Bronte Campbell
   3. Meg Harris
   4. Emma McKeon
5. China
   1. Cheng Yujie
   2. Wu Qingfeng
   3. Yu Yiting
   4. Yang Junxuan
6. Canada
   1. Penny Oleksiak
   2. Mary-Sophie Harvey
   3. Brooklyn Douthwright
   4. Taylor Ruck
7. Brazil
   1. Ana Carolina Vieira
   2. Stephanie Balduccini
   3. Giovana Medeiros
   4. Maria Paula Heitmann
8. Slovenia
   1. Neza Klancar
   2. Janja Segel
   3. Katja Fain
   4. Tjasa Pintar

Men’s 4×100 Free Relay Prelims Line-ups:

Heat 1:

1. France
   1. Hadrien Salvan
   2. Rafael Fente-Damers
   3. Guillaume Guth
   4. Amazigh Yebba
2. Spain
   1. Sergio de Celis Montalban
   2. Luis Dominguez
   3. Cesar Castro Valle
   4. Mario Molla Yanes
3. Great Britain
   1. Duncan Scott
   2. Jacob Whittle
   3. Alexander Cohoon
   4. Tom Dean
4. Italy
   1. Lorenzo Zazzeri
   2. Leonardo Deplano
   3. Paolo Conte Bonin
   4. Manuel Frigo
5. China
   1. Wang Haoyu
   2. Chen Juner
   3. Ji Xinjie
   4. Pan Zhanle
6. Hungary
   1. Nandor Nemeth
   2. Szebasztian Szabo
   3. Adam Jaszo
   4. Hubert Kos
7. Germany
   1. Josha Salchow
   2. Rafael Miroslaw
   3. Luca Armbruster
   4. Peter Varjasi
8. Poland
   1. Matuesz Chowaniec
   2. Dominik Dudys
   3. Bastosz Piszczorowicz
   4. Kamil Sieradzki

Heat 2:

1. Serbia
   1. Velimir Stjepanovic
   2. Nikola Acin
   3. Justin Cvetkov
   4. Andrej Barna
2. Greece
   1. Andreas Vazaois
   2. Panagiotis Bolanos
   3. Stergios Marios Bilas
   4. Odyssefs Meladinis
3. Canada
   1. Finlay Knox
   2. Yuri Kisil
   3. Javier Acevedo
   4. Josh Liendo
4. Australia
   1. Jack Cartwright
   2. William Yang
   3. Flynn Southam
   4. Kyle Chalmers
5. USA
   1. Ryan Held
   2. Matt King
   3. Hunter Armstrong
   4. Caeleb Dressel
6. Brazil
   1. Guilherme Santos
   2. Marcelo Chierighini
   3. Gabriel Santos
   4. Breno Correia
7. Israel
   1. Tomer Frankel
   2. Gal Cohen Groumi
   3. Denis Loktev
   4. Alexey Glivinskiy
8. Sweden
   1. Robin Hanson
   2. Bjorn Seeliger
   3. Elias Persson
   4. Isak Eliasson