2026 Commonwealth Games: Day 1 Women’s 4×100 Free Relay Analysis

2026 Commonwealth Games

• July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming)
• Glasgow, Scotland
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• Preview Index
• How to Watch
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

WOMEN’S 4×100 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record – 3:27.96, Australia, 2023
• Commonwealth Record – 3:27.96, Australia, 2023
• Commonwealth Games Record – 3:30.05, Australia, 2018
• 2022 Champion – Australia, 3:30.64

GOLD – Australia, 3:31.40
SILVER – England, 3:35.66
BRONZE – South Africa, 3:38.67 *African Record*

Leadoff Legs

Meg Harris was the only leadoff leg under 54 seconds, as she led the field by over a second. That is around half a second off her lifetime best of 52.56 and four tenths off her season best of 52.66, but was enough to give Australia a comfortable lead heading into the second leg.

Theodora Taylor shaved 0.06 seconds off her Welsh record as she touched in 54.14, going out half a second faster than her previous best. Evelyn Davies swam her second-fastest swim ever with a 54.32 for third overall, just off the 53.99 lifetime best she posted at the Aquatics GB Championships in April.

Aimee Canny was two tenths off her lifetime best of 54.27 from this April in 54.46, just ahead of fellow NCAA swimmer Eva Okaro‘s 54.50 for England.

Grace Davison was eight tenths off her Irish record of 54.45 for Northern Ireland, while Kyra Rabess‘ 57.87 for the Cayman Islands ended up proving key for them to place 7th.

Rolling Splits

Australia had the three fastest flying splits in the field, with all three between 52.64 and 52.88. Shayna Jack split 52.64 on the second leg, Alex Perkins then swam her first sub-53 split with a 52.88, before Mollie O’Callaghan cruised home in 52.81.

O’Callaghan split 25.44/27.37, closing slower than she typically does and splitting half a second slower than her flat-start season best of 52.33. With a lead of several seconds by the final 50 this may have been merely due to having no one to race, but with her recently-announced back injury she may be one to keep an eye on.

England were the only other nation to get a sub-54 second split, and they got three of them. Freya Colbert was 53.41, a quarter of a second slower than the 53.16 she split in February but over half a second faster than her 54.02 flat start best. Leah Schlosshan swam her first sub-54 split, with Freya Anderson anchoring in 53.78.

South Africa were indebted to Olivia Nel‘s 54.29 anchor which secured them bronze, but just as important was Rebecca Meder‘s 54.46 second leg. Katie Shanahan, fresh off a silver medal in the 200 back, had Scotland’s fastest split at 54.65 while Emma Wood was a little slower than her 54.61 flat start best with a 54.84.

Wales got a 54.93 from Bex Sutton, who had them in third through her leg, but Sophie Davies‘ 55.57 couldn’t quite hold off Scotland and South Africa. Danielle Hill was sub-55 on the anchor leg for Northern Ireland.

Guernsey had all their swimmers under 60 seconds, but the Cayman Islands’ Riley Watson just held onto 7th at the touch, with their front half proving key as they beat the Channel Island by just 0.03 seconds. That was a huge swing from the 2025 Island Games (SCM), where Guernsey took gold in 3:48.73 and the Cayman Islands failed to make it out of the heats.