2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
- Full aquatics schedule
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Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay
The women’s 4×100 free relay final was one for the history books, with the Australian quartet taking .36 off the World Record with their winning time of 3:29.69. While none of their swimmers was slower than 53.10, it was Emma McKeon’s 51.35 split on the third leg that really put considerable distance between Australia and the rest of the field. McKeon’s was the 5th-fastest relay split of all time, interrupting teammate Cate Campbell’s streak of the six fastest splits ever.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Country | Meet | Date | Location |
| 1 | 50.93 | Cate Campbell | AUS | 2018 Pan Pacific Champs | 8/8/2018 | Tokyo |
| 2 | 51.00 | Cate Campbell | AUS | 2018 Commonwealth Games | 4/4/2018 | Gold Coast |
| 3 | 51.10 | Cate Campbell | AUS | 2019 World Champs | 7/23/2019 | Gwangju |
| 4 | 51.19 | Cate Campbell | AUS | 2018 Pan Pacific Champs | 8/8/2018 | Tokyo |
| 5 | 51.35 | Emma McKeon | AUS | 2020 Olympic Games | 7/24/2021 | Tokyo |
| 6 | 51.36 | Cate Campbell | AUS | 2018 Pan Pacific Champs | 8/8/2018 | Tokyo |
Sweden got off to an early lead out of lane 6 thanks to Sarah Sjostrom leadoff which broke the Olympic Record with 52.62. Bronte Campbell of Australia was next in 53.01, followed by Denmark’s Pernille Blume (53.07). Great Britain and Canada both produced sub-54 leadoffs, as well, from Anna Hopkin (53.16) and Kayla Sanchez (53.42).
Lead-off Splits
| Country | Swimmer | Split |
| Sweden | Sarah Sjostrom | 52.62 |
| Australia | Bronte Campbell | 53.01 |
| Denmark | Pernille Blume | 53.07 |
| Great Britain | Anna Hopkin | 53.16 |
| Canada | Kayla Sanchez | 53.42 |
| USA | Erika Brown | 54.02 |
| China | Cheng Yujie | 54.10 |
| Netherlands | Kim Busch | 54.64 |
USA’s Abbey Weitzeil was the fastest in the number 2 position with 52.68. She split 52.56 in Rio, also on the second leg. Ranomi Kromowidjojo (52.87) of Netherlands and Australia’s Meg Harris (53.09) were the next-fastest #2s.
McKeon led the 3rd leg by 1.8 seconds. The next-fastest was Natalie Hinds of USA, whose 53.15 brought the Americans from fourth into second place. Sweden’s Louise Hansson (53.51) and Canada’s Rebecca Smith (53.63) were the only other sub-54s on the 3rd leg.
Femke Heemskerk clocked a 52.05 on the end of Netherland’s relay for the fastest anchor. Cate Campbell’s 52.24 was next, bringing Australia in for the record. Campbell’s fastest split, however, is 50.93 from 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. She has been under 52 seconds 11 times. Penny Oleksiak notched a 52.26 to outsplit USA’s Simone Manuel by .70 and secure the silver medal for Canada.
Manuel’s 52.96 was the second-fastest split for the American squad. It was a vindication for the 2016 Olympic champion, whose semi-final performance at U.S. Olympic Trials put her one place short of making that final. Olivia Smoliga, Catie Deloof, and Allison Schmitt, who finished third, fifth, and sixth in that race with times that ranged from 53-mid to 54-low, raced on the USA relay in prelims but none broke 53.4.
Flying Splits
| Country | Position | Swimmer | Split |
| Australia | 3 | Emma McKeon | 51.35 |
| Netherlands | 4 | Femke Heemskerk | 52.05 |
| Australia | 4 | Cate Campbell | 52.24 |
| Canada | 4 | Penny Oleksiak | 52.26 |
| USA | 2 | Abbey Weitzeil | 52.68 |
| Great Britain | 4 | Freya Anderson | 52.84 |
| Netherlands | 2 | Ranomi Kromowidjojo | 52.87 |
| China | 4 | Wu Qingfeng | 52.9 |
| USA | 4 | Simone Manuel | 52.96 |
| Australia | 2 | Meg Harris | 53.09 |
| USA | 3 | Natalie Hinds | 53.15 |
| Great Britain | 2 | Abbie Wood | 53.23 |
| Canada | 2 | Maggie MacNeil | 53.47 |
| Sweden | 3 | Louise Hansson | 53.51 |
| China | 2 | Zhu Menghui | 53.54 |
| Sweden | 2 | Michelle Coleman | 53.62 |
| Canada | 3 | Rebecca Smith | 53.63 |
| Denmark | 2 | Signe Bro | 53.78 |
| Netherlands | 3 | Kira Toussaint | 54.14 |
| China | 3 | Ai Yanhan | 54.22 |
| Denmark | 4 | Jeanette Ottesen | 54.39 |
| Denmark | 3 | Julie Kepp Jensen | 54.46 |
| Great Britain | 3 | Lucy Hope | 54.73 |
| Sweden | 4 | Sophie Hansson | 54.94 |
Is nobody going to mention how manuel was well infront of oleksiak at the final change, yet penny swam completely over the top of her and clinched 2nd for the canadians, to relegate the americans to 3rd place.
Very nice to see Penny swimming well again, and also a rather incredible sight to see the aussies win by over 3 seconds; their B team from the heats would have won by nearly 2 seconds– thats what u call domination and depth.
I think it was great for both of them. Penny’s had a hard four years, while Simone has had a hard few months. Both did well and should be celebrated. Cool to see them side by side after Rio, too. Two great champs.
People are forgetting that Brown’s PB was swum in an afternoon final at Trials and was only a half second off at the morning Finals of the relay. .5 slower is hardly choking people!!! Jesus.
Well what everybody thought would happen it certainly did Australia won day light second world record achieved . Alas one feels change of the guarde Cate Bronte Emma you would not think will be in Paris . But with Mollie 17 and Meg 19 in deed the dynasty will carry on
This will be the Olympic swansong for both Campbells; McKeon may well go on to Paris. Both Harris and O’Callaghan have passed their first Olympic exam with flying colours.
Where a 4th leg comes from remains open to question ? Does “the excuse factory” re-enter the equation or will we see the lure of an Olympic medal inspire 1-2 more new faces ?
You’ve been talking about “swansongs” for Seebobm, Larkin, McEvoy …. for years. Your record is not a good one.
Both Campbell’s have openly put it on the public record that this would be curtains as regards Olympics.
The others were certainly supposition; in the cases of McEvoy & Larkin based on university commitments given they are both targetting “the professions” & in Seebohm’s case Anno Domini.
At no stage have I ever set myself up as infallible or the fountain of all knowledge.
I know Bronte is retiring but when did Cate confirm that she is? Every time she’s spoken about it she’s seemed quite non-committal and hasn’t ruled out Paris.
I expect McKeon to swim on tbh.
Wilson might try to one more also.
If you check out trials, some decent swimmers aged 16-18 coming thru.
Australia’s time from prelims would still have won gold very handily… now thats depth!!!!
Hopefully in the next quad Penny can enjoy greater consistency, but there are worse problems to have than always bringing your best times at the Olympic Games.
Because of Lucy Hope’s brain fade start, Yanks won the Bronze.
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
I could say the same about Erika Brown:
54.02 – Olympics
53.59 – Trials
However, a bronze medal is better than left off the podium altogether.
Every team can find excuses, buddy.
Now it’s the Brits with the lame excuses. It must be a Commonwealth trait.
With Campbell’s and and weitzeils splits in the books, the American women are now the favorite over Australia in the medlay relay now(weitzeil was only .4 sec of Campbell’s split)
Can’t really compare: Weitzel fighting to get the US a medal, C1 in clear water a mile ahead with no pressure. C1 has at least another second in her!
I hope so but time will tell if she can produce those kinds of splits still.
Llily King will destroy whoever Australians place on the breaststroke leg.
Unless they can somehow put the s
South African on the relay ☺️
Haha.
Right, sure she was holding back a full second
Emma Mckeon could go 0.5 faster than Huske and give some momentum to Aussie Relay.
Or Huske could go 0.5 faster then McKeon. Soon we will see.
McKeon is 10 years older than Huske and still has a slower PB lol
tell that to pellegrini in 2017/19 and her best textile time
Non sequitur.
Lets see it tomorrow then.
McKeon also has a full schedule while Huske only has the relays left
Torri Huske will be fresh as a daisy unlike Emma McKeon:
Women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay
Women’s 100 meter freestyle heats
Women’s 100 meter freestyle semis
Women’s 100 meter freestyle final
Women’s 50 meter freestyle heats
Women’s 50 meter freestyle semis
Women’s 50 meter freestyle final
Huske a bit slower here than trials and McKeon in top form.
Abbey Weitzeil
Women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay splits
2016 – 52.56
2019 – 52.66
2021 – 52.68
Real slow split from Brown, atleast they medaled I suppose
Cate Meg & Bronte were much slower than pbs also . Just that all 3s had room & Erikadid not ( being only a 53.4.
Why do you suppose ?
Erika “Downtown” Brown CHOKED