Americans Lead Record Charge With World Mark In Mixed Free Relay

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The United States won their third consecutive World Championship title in the mixed 400 free relay, breaking the world record in a time of 3:19.40.

The team of Caeleb DresselZach AppleMallory Comerford and Simone Manuel came together to take out the previous mark of 3:19.60, set at the 2017 Championships by Dressel, Comerford, Manuel and Nathan Adrian.

Adrian, who swam on the prelim relay this year, was also a member of the 2015 team which won the inaugural mixed free relay at the World Championships. He, along with Manuel, Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin set the world record back in Kazan in a time of 3:23.05.

SPLIT COMPARISON

The record came down by leaps and bounds in Budapest, as they broke the 2015 mark by almost three and a half seconds, and now they chop two more tenths off.

Dressel and Apple combined to be 0.03 quicker than Dressel and Adrian two years ago, and Comerford was just 0.01 slower than she was. The difference came on the anchor leg, as Manuel brought her split down from 52.18 in Budapest to 52.00.

US, 2015 Worlds US, 2017 Worlds US, 2019 Worlds
Lochte – 48.79 Dressel – 47.22 Dressel – 47.34
Adrian – 47.29 Adrian – 47.49 Apple – 47.34
Manuel – 53.66 Comerford – 52.71 Comerford – 52.72
Franklin – 53.31 Manuel – 52.18 Manuel – 52.00
3:23.05 3:19.60 3:19.40

After his wins in the 50 free and 100 fly, this victory gives Dressel three gold medals in a single session, tying his record set two years ago where he won the same three events. He also now owns six gold and one silver medal for the meet.

OTHER RECORDS

In addition to the world record, there were four other standards lowered during the Championship final.

The Australians took silver in a Commonwealth, Oceanic and National Record, Japan broke the Asian Record, and Canada and Russia also added National Records.

COMMONWEALTH RECORD

Bronte Campbell was the only returnee from the previous record from 2014, as Kyle ChalmersClyde Lewis and Emma McKeon joined her to knock over three seconds from the time and join the U.S. as the only countries to ever crack 3:20.

Chalmers led off in 47.37, the second-fastest lead-off behind Dressel, while McKeon’s 52.06 split was the third-fastest among women.

They opted to leave Cate, the silver medalist in the individual 100 free, off of the squad.

AUS, 2014 AUS, 2019 Worlds
D’Orsogna – 49.65 Chalmers – 47.37
C.Campbell – 52.83 Lewis – 48.18
Magnussen – 47.29 McKeon – 52.06
B.Campbell – 53.52 B.Campbell – 52.36
3:23.29 3:19.97

CANADIAN RECORD

Penny Oleksiak tied Manuel for the top female split in the field at 52.00 as the Canadians took over a second off their previous National Record set in 2017. They won bronze in Budapest but ended up fourth here after getting edged by France (3:22.11).

CAN, 2017 Worlds CAN, 2019 Worlds
Kisil – 48.51 Thormeyer – 48.84
Acevedo – 48.68 Kisil – 48.58
Van Landeghem – 53.25 Ruck – 53.12
Oleksiak – 53.11 Oleksiak – 52.00
3:23.55 3:22.54

RUSSIAN RECORD

Russia took almost two seconds off their previous National Record to place fifth in 3:22.72, with Vlad Morozov registering the fastest split in the field at 47.31. Vladislav Grinev was almost a full second off his personal best on the lead-off leg.

RUS, 2018 Euros RUS, 2019 Worlds
Kolesnikov – 48.45 Grinev – 48.42
Grinev – 47.69 Morozov – 47.31
Kameneva – 53.90 Kameneva – 52.95
Openysheva – 54.46 Ustinova – 54.04
3:24.50 3:22.72

ASIAN RECORD

Despite the absence of Rikako Ikee, who is undergoing treatment for leukaemia, Japan got under their Asian mark from two years ago by 0.11. Katsumi Nakamura and Katsuhiro Matsumoto combined to be 0.66 seconds quicker on the front half than they were in Budapest.

Japan, 2017 Worlds Japan, 2019 Worlds
Matsumoto – 49.38 Nakamura – 48.49
Nakamura – 47.76 Matsumoto – 47.99
Ikee – 53.50 Omoto – 54.36
Igarashi – 54.14 Sato – 53.83
3:24.78 3:24.67

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lauryn harden
3 years ago

wow

Wondering
4 years ago

Looking at Lochte’s 48.79 leadoff…. and shrugging

Lpman
4 years ago

Im sorry, i just cannot get excited for this relay

Nswim
4 years ago

The chances of a 7 gold repeat for Dressel looks really good

Verram
4 years ago

Another anchor leg from cate Campbell and that race could have been much much closer

commonwombat
Reply to  Verram
4 years ago

IF it were an Olympic event then there’s no doubt C1 would’ve been called on but I can see the reasons for not doing so with both the 50 final plus 4XMED (with the latter being the most vulnerable of the AUS women’s relays). With Throssel swimming well, McKeon can be rested from 4XMED heats and with C2 being a lesser chance in 50fr, its preferably to risk her. Fully fit, C2 herself is a 51.5 relay splitter but with her limited prep, 52 low splits are probably “where she’s at”/”all she’s got in her” ….. and that’s still in advance of USA’s no2.

In any case, the race wasn’t lost on the anchor but rather on the 2nd male… Read more »

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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