2026 Commonwealth Games
- July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming)
- Glasgow, Scotland
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MEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL
- World Record – 6:58.55, USA, 2009
- Commonwealth Record – 7:00.85, Australia, 2019
Commonwealth Games Record – 7:04.96, Australia, 2022- 2022 Champion – Australia, 7:04.96
GOLD – Australia – 7:01.67 *Commonwealth Games Record*
SILVER – England – 7:04.98
BRONZE – Wales – 7:09.59
Australia hacked three seconds off their Commonwealth Games record in the men’s 4×200 free in what proved to be a fantastic race with England. The Australian team touched the wall in 7:01.67, three seconds under their own record of 7:04.96, and just 0.69 seconds off the 7:00.98 they posted at the World Championships last summer to take bronze.
Sam Short led them off in 1:46.08, nearly a second slower than the 1:45.16 he swam for gold at Australian Trials last month. He handed over to Harrison Turner, who kept 2020 Olympic Champion Tom Dean at bay with a split of 1:45.95.
Ed Sommerville blasted out to an opening 100 split of 49.87 and held on to split 1:45.34, although he fell behind the English team due to a blistering 1:44.03 split from James Guy.
Kai Taylor saw the gauntlet thrown down by Guy and notched a personal best split of 1:44.10 to blow Max Litchfield away. That is half a second faster than his previous best, a 1:44.56 from the heats at the 2023 World Championships, and faster than the 1:44.64 he swam on the relay at the World Championships last summer.
Australia were faster on every leg than they were four years ago, with the biggest gap coming on the anchor leg. It was an entirely different quartet this year, with Zac Incerti and Mack Horton not on the team, Elijah Winnington not selected for the event, and Flynn Southam focusing on the sprint free events this season.
Split Comparison
| Split | Previous Commonwealth Games Record – Australia, 7:04.96 | New Commonwealth Games Record – Australia, 7:01.67 |
| 200 | Elijah Winnington – 1:46.36 | Sam Short – 1:46.08 |
| 400 | Flynn Southam – 1:46.08 | Harrison Turner – 1:45.95 |
| 600 | Zac Incerti – 1:46.08 | Ed Sommerville – 1:45.34 |
| 800 | Mack Horton – 1:46.44 | Kai Taylor – 1:44.10 |
England won silver after matching Australia through the first 650m. Gabriel Shepherd led off in a near-lifetime best of 1:46.67, Tom Dean split a solid 1:45.63, James Guy rocketed to a 1:44.03 for his second-fastest split ever, and Max Litchfield anchored in 1:48.65.
Guy’s split is a timely indication of his abilities after placing 4th in the 400 free last night. The 200 free comes on the final day of this competition, but both he and Taylor now look to be two of the favorites.
Split Split Comparison
| James Guy (ENG) – 1:44.03 | Kai Taylor (AUS) – 1:44.10 | |
| 50 | 23.95 | 23.36 |
| 100 | 50.34 (26.39) | 49.78 (26.22) |
| 150 | 1:16.96 (26.62) | 1:16.95 (27.37) |
| 200 | 1:44.03 (27.07) | 1:44.10 (27.15) |
Matt Richards led off in 1:45.42 for a Welsh team who won their second relay medal in two days, having waited 48 years between their last two Commonwealth relay medals before this week. Dan Jones (1:49.13), Kieran Bird (1:47.54), and Tyler Melbourne-Smith (1:47.50) held off a fast-charging Duncan Scott (1:45.58) on the anchor leg.
Wales and England both set national records tonight, with England coming within 0.02 seconds of the previous Commonwealth Games record in 7:04.98. This is the fifth Games in a row to have seen the meet record broken in this event, with Australia breaking the record in all five.
What i like about the Comm Games, is that it allows more people to taste/experience some relay action – particularly for the GB home nations – because their teams are split into the different home nations – so they get more experience for future relay action at the world stage when they eventually come together
AUS can challenge the UK and this WR for sure with a better 200 from Short and the inclusion of Southam (I assume that at this point in his career the 200 is of the table for Chalmers)
Southam’s 200 might not be at that level anymore now he’s putting more focus on the 50.
I agree with Troyy here – I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Southam has dropped eight tenths in his 50 in the same season that he has only been 1:48.2 in the 200.
I think Australia can challenge the 7:00 barrier with some more development, but I struggle to see their current team beating the World record. Great Britain have four swimmers who could all have conceivably split 1:43, which I think is what you need with not everyone being in peak form at the same time. Taylor’s 1:44.10 is a great building block, but only if you have another 1:44-low and a pair of 1:45-flats, one of which is the leadoff. I don’t think anyone in the… Read more »
I think from a flat start perspective Australia currently only has two swimmers – Sommerville and Giuliani – capable of doing 1:44 based on their personal best times – I am hoping Kai Taylor can join that club at some point, and even Sam Short
I do wonder how gb will get on in this relay at the euros
There was rumour circulating that if the form was there they may go for an attempt at the WR at euros
Im interested to see how they all get on in the 200