Race Video is courtesy of Universal Sports Network, a SwimSwam partner.
As reported by SwimSwam’s Jared Anderson:
MEN’S 4 X 50 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINALS
World Record: 1:23.36 – Russia – 2013
Looking to keep pace with a 5-world-record day 3, the fourth day of Short Course Worlds opened up with a relay record of its own. It was the Russian men who topped their own world record in the 4×50 free relay, going 1:22.60.
That crew was just a hair away from putting all four swimmers under 21 seconds. Vlad Morozov led off in 21.01 (the field’s best opening split) before the rest of his team put up three straight 20s to lock up the gold medal. Also on the relay were Evgeny Sedov (20.37),Oleg Tikhobaev (20.59) and Sergei Fesikov (20.63).
The U.S. took silver and was actually pretty close to the full-20-second relay as well. Josh Schneider was just a tick behind Morozov on the leadoff leg, going 21.05, and Tom Shields, Jimmy Feigen and Ryan Lochte all put up 20s to help the Americans go 1:23.47, just a tenth off the old world record.
Bronze went to Italy, led by a 20.43 from individual 50 free silver medalist Marco Orsi and his 20.43 split, which is the second-fastest of the field behind Sedov. That team went 1:24.56, just beating out Belgium (1:24.72).
