Aussies Include Chalmers, Apple In For USA’s Men’s 400 Free Relay Heats

2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

Today’s heats session concludes with the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, one of the most anticipated events of the entire Olympic swimming program. We have two heats of squads ready to make it to the top eight and we now know the individuals comprising each hopeful foursome.

Heat one is set to bring the heat with the Russian Olympic Committee team (ROC) taking center stage, and the ‘nation’ not taking any chances in the evening. The stacked lineup includes Vladislav Grinev, Andrei Minakov, Vlad Morozov and Aleksandr Shchegolev, carrying a seed time nearly two seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

That field in heat one includes Japan, led off by the one-two punch of Katsumi Nakamura and Shinri Shioura, as well as Brazil with the likes of Breno Correia and anchor Marcelo Chierighini.

American-turned-Canadian-turned-Italian Santo Condorelli is set to make his Olympic debut, taking the reigns from lead-off Alessandro Miressi on the ITA team.

Heat 1 Lineups:

 

USA is going with the quartet of Olympic rookie Brooks Curry of LSU leading off, with 2016 Olympian Blake Pieroni next in line. Former Minnesota Gopher Bowen Becker will swim leg three as Zach Apple rounds out the relay.

While USA is resting its big gun Caeleb Dressel for the prelims and Great Britain also has Duncan Scott on the sidelines, Australia is indeed bringing out the weapon that is Kyle Chalmers for these heats.

Chalmers dropped the 200m free individual event and is therefore focusing on the 100m free and relays, so it makes sense more than the aforementioned athletes to include him here to secure a spot in the final eight.

Heat 2 Lineups:

 

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Verram
3 years ago

I would love for them to swim temple then graham then Incerti then chalmers in final

Bill G
3 years ago

Canada not using relay-only swimmer Javier Acevedo in this one. They’ll have to use him in the mixed medley relay or medley relay at some point. (Not that I fully understand the rules here). Or swim him in the finals tonight (if Canada makes it)?

njones
Reply to  Bill G
3 years ago

Yes. I wonder if they simply put their best 4 this morning to try to sneak into the final which will be tough, then swap in Acevedo for the slowest leg, or Hayden if he is tired. Interesting scenario though, what if you wish to use your relay swimmers but your team(s) don’t qualify for finals…? So they finish 9th or 10th this morning for example, can’t use Acevedo, then get DQ’d…will it matter to anyone then on that technicality?

Verram
3 years ago

Australia doesn’t have the depth to swim a B team in Tokyo

Torchbearer
Reply to  Verram
3 years ago

Could put a couple of the women in?

Gogo bibi
Reply to  Verram
3 years ago

Matthew temple instead of mcevoy would be a better choice

Last edited 3 years ago by Gogo bibi
NornIron Swim
3 years ago

I was abou to ask if this was the 1st time no one born in the 80s was in this relay. Then I saw Hayden! What a guy!

Steve Nolan
Reply to  NornIron Swim
3 years ago

I noticed that too, Germany and Poland’s got two 89’s.

Hayden being nearly 20 years older than the next guy on Canada’s relay is unique, though.

Notanyswimmer
3 years ago

Russia should have gone with Shchegolev/Vekovishchev/Zhilkin/Rylov or Girev. Why only give out 5 gold medals when you can give out 8?

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