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)
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The Australians were regarded as near-locks to win the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay coming into the Tokyo Olympic Games, having had a historically fast 200 free final at their Olympic Trials in June, where the top four times had an add-up under the existing world record.
The top two Aussies in the event at Trials, Ariarne Titmus and Emma McKeon, had a strong start to the Games, with Titmus winning gold in both the 200 and 400 free and McKeon producing one of the fastest 100-meter splits in history on the world record-setting 400 free relay.
These performances really drove home Australia’s favorite status in the relay, so much so that the coaching staff appeared to have made a premature decision on the team’s lineups from the heats to the final.
According to a release from the Australian Olympic Committee, the four swimmers that lined up for the prelims—Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris, Brianna Throssell and Tamsin Cook—were informed beforehand that none of them would be advancing to the final, no matter how fast they swam.
“(They) all swam their hearts out, knowing that none of them would swim for gold on,” the release said, referencing their performances in the prelims, which were, in fact, very good.
O’Callaghan in particular was a star, lowering the World Junior Record on the lead-off leg in 1:55.11—a time that would’ve been fifth in the individual 200 freestyle, and faster than Madi Wilson or Leah Neale had ever been.
Wilson and Neale were two of the swimmers earmarked to slot into the final, along with Titmus and McKeon, but many believed Neale’s spot was in question after O’Callaghan’s performance.
However, despite what O’Callaghan dropped in the heats, Australia was steadfast in their approach, putting out a lineup of Titmus, McKeon, Wilson and Neale into the final.
Expected to dominate no matter what lineup they used, Australia had average splits across the board by their standards, including Titmus going almost a second and a half slower than her PB from Trials in 1:54.51.
Neale was the slowest leg in 1:55.85, which works out to be about a second slower than O’Callaghan’s morning lead-off with a relay exchange factored in. However, Neale certainly didn’t underperform by any stretch of the imagination. She was more than two tenths under her flat-start best.
The Australians ended up with the bronze medal in 7:41.29, just under a second shy of world record-breaking China (7:40.33).
The decision to leave O’Callaghan off of the finals relay, along with a questionable order (going fastest to slowest), and a pair of phenomenal showings from China and the United States all factored into the Aussies getting upset in an event that looked like a forgone conclusion coming in.
Oceania Day 5 Quick Hits
- Zac Stubblety-Cook won gold for Australia in the men’s 200 breaststroke, setting a new Olympic Record in 2:06.38. It is the country’s first gold in the event since 1964.
- Kyle Chalmers won silver in the men’s 100 freestyle in a time of 47.08, matching his personal best time from 2019. Chalmers was the 2016 Olympic champion.
Continental & National Records Through Day 5
- Lewis Clareburt set a new Oceania and New Zealand record of 4:09.49 during heat 3 of the men’s 400 IM prelims.
- Right after Clareburt’s swim Australian, Brendon Smith took the Oceanic record from Clareburt with a 4:09.27 in heat 4. That left Clareburt with the New Zealand record and gave Smith the Australian and Oceanic marks.
- Emma McKeon swam her way to a 55.82 Australian, Oceanic, and Commonwealth record during the prelims of the event. She then lowered the Australian and Oceanian records to a 55.72 during the final which was good enough for bronze.
- During the final race of the night, the Australian women become the first-ever nation to get under 3:30 in the 4×100 free with their world record-breaking 3:29.69.
- Ariarne Titmus secured a new Australian, Oceanian, and Commonwealth record during the women’s 400 freestyle with her 3:56.69 for gold.
- Kaylee McKeown hit a 57.88 Olympic record during the women’s 100 backstroke prelims which was broken by Regan Smith 1 heat earlier (57.96) who took it from Kylie Masse 1 heat earlier (58.17). The record was previously held by Emily Seebohm at a 58.23 from 2012. Regan Smith took the record back with a 57.68 during semi-finals until McKeown brought it down to a 57.47 (just 0.02 off her own world record) in the final.
- Ariarne Titmus‘ 1:53.50 gold medal time in the women’s 200 freestyle was a new Olympic record, improving upon Allison Schmitt‘s 1:53.61 from 2012. She got within half a second of her own Australian record in the event of 1:53.09.
- McKeon clocked 52.11 for a new Olympic Record in the women’s 100 free prelims.
- Zac Stubblety-Cook lowered the Olympic Record in the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:06.38.
- The team of Titmus, McKeon, Madi Wilson and Leah Neale set a new Commonwealth, Oceanian and Australian Record in the 800 free relay in 7:41.29.
Medals Table for Oceania Through Day 5
| GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL | |
| Australia | 5 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
Let’s be honest and face the music. The Austrailians and and Americans did not fail at all and neither were they the underdogs whatsoever. Both squads broke the Former Aussie WR . What really happened is that the Chinese Squad Won by Smashing the World Record ! Wake up People !!!
I’m from the U.S. and I only wish we had the passion for swimming that is present in Australia. In my state of Colorado, and I live just down the street from where Missy Franklin went to high school, they don’t even publish the results of the boy’s and girl’s state meet.
This has to go down as the biggest own goal in Olympic relay history. The Australian coaches showed hubris in thinking the gold medal was guaranteed and that team selection didn’t matter. they also showed hubris that made in thinking they should give Titmus the opportunity to set a world record when they should have been thinking strategically and putting her on another leg in case it needed to be pulled out of the fire. Neale is not to blame here. A split of 1.55.85 when her personal best off a flat start is 1.56.08 is not a bad swim. She should have had an insurmountable lead but those before her underperformed. The entire blame lies with the Australian coaches.… Read more »
Lousy decision by Aussie coaches with the order of the relay though not sure it would have changed the outcome. On the other hand the three teams all broke the old world record. So in the end it was such an exciting race and the Chinese team (who really really wanted that world record back) were the dominant team on the day. Amazing leg from the US team and Ledeckie .. wow. Aussie girls disappointing for them but still an Olympic medal. Loving these Games.
Ledecky is gunna Ledecky. Amazing job by Li to have the strength and mental fortitude to hold her off.
Getting under the old WR and it being the 4×200 probably saves them from the crushing bad social response. Most non swimming fans aren’t aware with how good aus were in the event and are shocked that a sub WR swim is getting panned by the media.
I think they rally and Emma goes sub 52 for gold in the 100
I wouldn’t say anyone outside of swimming fan circles would have had any idea they were heavy favourites. The 100 relay got way more attention.
Honestly I’m just grateful Neale swam well. If she had bombed then she would have got ALL the blame even if though it wasn’t her fault at all.
Yeah, the general public doesn’t know that Australia barely managed to squeeze under the old WR when they were projected to be under by a big margin.
I can’t speak for others, but I, for one, would not have placed all the blame on Neale if she had bombed but it was clear the others were swimming poorly too. I think we focused on voicing concerns about Neale because it seemed like she could be the weak link.
If even one of the mistakes had not been made (like leaving Mollie out of the finals), then that might have been enough to make up the 1 sec difference between Australia and China in and of itself.
But that’s not the way the cookie crumbles. It takes a series of selection mistakes, a couple key under-performances, and some unexpectedly stellar showings from competitors—who should never have been so quickly dismissed beforehand, mind you—to turn what looks like a dominant victory on paper into a defeat.
I think the biggest lesson here for the coaching staff is humility. A few mistakes can easily wipe away the best freestyle depth in the world, because the margin for error is… Read more »
can you tell me why coach choose for anchor leg.
do they discuss among them before selection been made
leah neale must inform coach that she is not. capable for anchor leg
For me, Neale and Wilson swims are ok, it is not sure at all that O’Callaghan would have reproduced her prelim swim and do better than that, they lose because Titmus and McKeon are more than 1s slower than expected.
The arrogant coac decision is not directly causing their loss, but it maybe created the arrogant mindset that caused these poor performances.
And I think McKeon anchoring could have been a better choice
Ariarne anchoring was the right move. They wanted her to get the world record. I hope the coaches have a long hard think about how they robbed some amazingly talented women of an Olympic gold medal, and how badly their stuff up might affect the swimmers.
yes mc keon or titmus should be in last leg
You gotta feel for Neale when she was thrust into the tough position of trying to chase down the Chinese anchor and fend off Ledecky. She should not have been put as the anchor.
hi bairnowl, coach decision utterly shamefull
as i said dont put leah neale and wilson in final, this result is appeard
Honestly I think the lineup itself was fine, they really should’ve just changed the order. I doubt Titmus and McKeon would’ve gone that slow if they had to play the catch up game instead of assuming they’d take an easy lead