2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
- Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
- La Défense Arena — Paris, France
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- Prelims Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
- Finals Live Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – HEATS
- World Record: 7:37.50 – Australia (2023)
- Olympic Record: 7:40.33 – China (2021)
- 2021 Winning Time: 7:40.33 – China (2021)
- 2021 Time to Advance to Finals: 7:56.16
- Australia (Lani Pallister, Jamie Perkins, Brianna Throssell, Shayna Jack) – 7:45.63
- Hungary (Nikolett Padar, Minna Abraham, Ajna Kesely, Panna Ugrai) – 7:52.25
- China (Tang Muhan, Kong Yaqi, Ge Chutong, Liu Yaxin) – 7:52.36
- United States (Anna Peplowski, Erin Gemmell, Simone Manuel, Alex Shackell) – 7:52.72
- Brazil (Maria Costa, Stephanie Balduccini, Maria Heitmann, Gabrielle Roncatto) – 7:52.81
- Canada (Emma O’Croinin, Ella Jansen, Julie Brousseau, Mary-Sophie Harvey) – 7:53.03
- Great Britain (Freya Anderson, Abbie Wood, Lucy Hope, Medi Harris) – 7:53.49
- New Zealand (Erika Fairweather, Eve Thomas, Caitlin Deans, Laticia Transom) – 7;54.37
As expected, Australia led the way through prelims of the women’s 4×200 free relay. They dominated the field and look set up to win gold tonight. Who might they switch in their lineup and who might the rest of the final bring in for a chance to stand on the podium?
Note: * indicates the fastest time from the individual event in Paris. The rest of the times are season best times this year.
Australia
| Morning Splits | Reserves | ||
| Lani Pallister | 1:55.74 | Mollie O’Callaghan | 1:53.27* |
| Jamie Perkins | 1:56.78 | Ariarne Titmus | 1:53.81* |
| Brianna Throssell | 1:55.82 | ||
| Shayna Jack | 1:57.29 |
Australia will look to challenge their World Record tonight and have the top two finishers from the individual 200 free in their reserves. O’Callaghan set an Olympic Record en route to gold while Titmus was silver. They bring in the potential to drop some 1:52 splits, especially as both swam 1:52-points at Australian Trials.
Hungary
| Morning Splits | Reserves | ||
| Nikolett Padar | 1:57.82 | Dora Molnar | 1:58.95 |
| Minna Abraham | 1:57.48 | ||
| Ajna Kesely | 1:58.97 | ||
| Panna Ugrai | 1:57.98 |
Based on splits, Hungary might rotate Molnar in but she made semifinals of the 200 backstroke tonight after swimming the 16th fastest time in prelims, so it seems less likely as she has that double. With no other reserves, it looks like it is going to be harder to make the podium.
China
| Morning Splits | Reserves | ||
| Tang Muhan | 1:59.31 | Yang Junxuan | 1:55.38* |
| Kong Yaqi | 1:59.33 | Li Bingjie | 1:56.56* |
| Ge Chutong | 1:57.88 | ||
| Liu Yaxin | 1:55.84 |
China has the potential to drop about eight seconds off their relay based on this morning’s splits and their potential reserves. Yang finished 5th in the final the other day with a 1:55.38 and has the potential for a 1:54 split if she adds a flying start in.
USA
| Morning Splits | Reserves | ||
| Anna Peplowski | 1:57.98 | Katie Ledecky | 1:54.97 |
| Erin Gemmell | 1:56.77 | Claire Weinstein | 1:55.24* |
| Simone Manuel | 1:58.50 | Paige Madden | 1:56.36 |
| Alex Shackell | 1:59.47 | Torri Huske | 1:59.45 |
The US already used Erin Gemmell this morning and she had the fastest split of the morning. Katie Ledecky swam a 1:54.97 flat start in April and won the event at US Trials but ceded her individual spot to the 3rd place finisher Paige Madden who declined so that spot went to Gemmell, who made the semifinals of the event. Ledecky and Madden are still eligible for the relay though and it looks like they’ll be brought in tonight.
After having a successful meet so far, Torri Huske looks like another name to throw in the hat. Huske swam a 1:59.45 last October and was a 1:59.66 in January. She does not swim the event often and did not race the event at Trials but has been on fire in Paris. She has already won gold in the 100 butterfly, swam a personal best by over half a second in the 100 freestyle to win silver, and swam the fastest split (flying start) for the US women’s 4×100 free relay on night 1 with a 52.06.
Can you add Canada to this?
Not surprised they didn’t. So annoying
I don’t really like bringing up this hypothetical situation where Huske somehow drops 4 seconds from her best time in the 200, because it implies that someone that qualified to be on the relay is doing badly this week, but that’s not really true. Ledecky is clearly on, Weinstein went a PB, and both Gemmell and Madden were right on their PBs in their events. I think it takes away from one of them to suddenly suggest that Huske will do better than them because of her form this week, which don’t get me wrong, it’s been fantastic, but I think it’s pretty much a no-brainer to go Ledecky, Weinstein, Gemmell, and Madden in some order, and let Huske have… Read more »
Manuel and Shackel dig a hole.
Manuel even did not qualify for this relay..if they both collectively went another 2 min slower in prelims..the USA would not have a lane for the finale…
Huske has a 1.58 pb..and she is a great 200 IMer..I guarantee she has 1.55 split..
How can you guarantee that? She never swims this we don’t want another Apple situation
FYI. Gemmel LTB is 1:55.9 FLAT start. Not really close. I think she will be on it but if she goes out to fast like this morning, she will be trouble. Hard not to go out too fast on this really!
Is there a way USA could run a lineup of Katie Ledecky, Erin Gemmell, Page Madden, and Latie Kedecky?
They would get silver either way
Unless something goes awfully wrong tonight the order will be 1. Australia, 2. USA, 3. Canada. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is whether Australia break their world record of 7.37.50. If Pallister and Throssell reproduce their heat times and if O’Callaghan and Titmus reproduce their times from the individual event and you take off .5 from each for takeovers, it comes to 7.37.6.
Canada?
Will be tight with China, but potential 7 second drop switching O’Croinin’s 2:00 with a 1.53 from McIntosh
Huske would likely have needed to show something at training camp and explicitly ask for it for her to be considered here.
I’d love to feed her a medal to really elevate her tally, but this would be pretty reckless. Australia is gonna win. So add her is purely for stat padding and/or a hail-marry play.
Grimes is a reasonable option as well.
Id – go, Ledecky, Gemmel, Weinstein, Madden
Beyond that, you gotta know something regular ‘joes’ that have switched every public swim dont.
Coaches should have use grimes …on prelims
Actually the women’s 4×100 medley relay maybe a bigger headache… Kate Douglas won the 100 free at trials. Gretchen Walsh is the 100fly WR holder but Huske won the Olympic gold. Huske won 100free silver and 100fly gold and is an optin for either leg
Best line up
Backstroke – Regan Smith
Breaststroke- Lily King
Fly- Gretchen Walsh
Free- Torri Huske
…with Kate Douglas swimming freestyle legs in the prelims??? Or Gretchen swims fly leg in the prelims session and Huske swims fly in the final with Kate Douglas on freestyle anchor leg… Gonna be an interesting selection thats for sure (free/fly legs will be hot picks!!!!)
Throw Kate on mixed medley to see how her free split could look.
She has 200 IM before the relay
I’m inclined to say the prelims relay should be berkoff-weber-shackell-douglass.
I think shackell is doing great so far. I’m inclined to say even, that after watching her morning 200 free swim in that relay, that they put her last on purpose so she could cruise the last 50 and rest for her 200 fly tonight.
She had a great 200 fly in semis last night – less than half a second off her PB from trials, and she went and raced for it next to Zhang. She could probably split somewhere around a 56.5, which is a very solid prelims split.
If we’re going for resting the entire finals relay, I think shackell on fly is honestly the best bet.… Read more »
Huske is a lock for free now..for free leg..Douglas can do prelim duties..buuuttt if Douglas wins 200 breast within OR..I can see the coaches put her on breast..
Her 100 breast is not on the level of the 200 breast. Her PB is a second slower than what King put up this week. If she’s on form for the sprints, she has a half second on Walsh in the free and Walsh has a .4 on Huske in the fly.. so it seems pretty equal to do Smith/king/Huske/Douglass as it is Smith/King/Walsh/Huske
I think no matter how slice it huske is on this relay. Either Douglass or Walsh will end up disappointed.
The best for the American woman on paper is Weinstein, gemmell, Madden and Ledecky
It’s even want to keep it even close they need to swim with there best times/splits
Also, I think everything is gonna depend on how Weinstein swim And if she can keep close with Molly O’Callaghan
their personal bests add up to like a 7:39.0 which is slower than even just the top 4 aussie times from here
Weinstein would have to have the swim of her life and MOC have some kind of major disaster happen to make that close. Their PBs are 3 seconds apart.
Think there’s a chance Torri could try to add the 200 to her trials line-up in the future. She’s got the fitness for a great 200 IM, so I don’t think that aspect of it would be an issue. Her focus for this meet has just been on the 100 FL and FR though, I don’t think even Meehan would suggest using her right now in this race. It also doesn’t change their ceiling and if it goes wrong it could really cost them.
It would not go wrong. It could have no impact, but Queen TH is on fire. If you’ve ever had a meet like she is having comparable to your own ability, you know from the physical feeling you had yourself that an exceptional and value-added 200 free is within her.