Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay
| Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the Games of the XXX Olympiad | |||||||
| Venue | London Aquatics Centre | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | August 3, 2012 (heats) August 4, 2012 (final) | ||||||
| Competitors | 84 from 16 nations | ||||||
| Winning time | 3:52.05 WR | ||||||
| Medalists | |||||||
| |||||||
| Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | ||||
| 50 m | men | women | ||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| 800 m | women | |||
| 1500 m | men | |||
| Backstroke | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Breaststroke | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Butterfly | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| Individual medley | ||||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| Freestyle relay | ||||
| 4×100 m | men | women | ||
| 4×200 m | men | women | ||
| Medley relay | ||||
| 4×100 m | men | women | ||
| Marathon | ||||
| 10 km | men | women | ||
The women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on 3–4 August at the London Aquatics Centre in London, United Kingdom.[1]
The U.S. women's team solidified their triumph to demolish a new world record and to recapture their Olympic title after twelve years. Leading from the start, the fearsome foursome of Missy Franklin (58.50), Rebecca Soni (1:04.82), Dana Vollmer (55.48), and Allison Schmitt (53.25) put together a perfect ending with a stunning gold-medal time in 3:52.05 to shave off China's global standard by 14-hundredths of a second from the 2009 World Championships at the peak of the high-tech bodysuit era.[2][3][4]
Australia's Emily Seebohm (59.01), Leisel Jones (1:06.06), Alicia Coutts (56.41), and Melanie Schlanger (52.54) trailed behind their formidable rivals by a couple of seconds, but managed to take home a magnificent silver in 3:54.02.[5] Pulling off a second-place finish, Jones also matched Ian Thorpe for the most medals by an Australian swimmer in her fourth straight Olympics with a remarkable overall tally of nine (three golds, five silver, and one bronze).[6][7]
Japan's Aya Terakawa (58.99), Satomi Suzuki (1:05.96), Yuka Kato (57.36), and Haruka Ueda (53.42) ended on a spectacular fashion with a bronze medal in 3:55.73, holding off the robust Russian quartet of Anastasia Zuyeva (59.13), Yuliya Yefimova (1:04.98), Irina Bespalova (58.59), and Veronika Popova (53.33) by exactly three-tenths of a second (0.30), a fourth-place time in 3:56.03.[8][9]
Outside the podium, China's Zhao Jing (59.86), Ji Liping (1:06.94), Lu Ying (56.80), and Tang Yi (52.81) could not produce a similar stellar performance in the medley relay with a fifth-place finish in 3:56.41, while the Dutch foursome of Sharon van Rouwendaal (1:00.72), Moniek Nijhuis (1:06.74), Inge Dekker (56.91), and star Ranomi Kromowidjojo (52.91), who captured another sprint freestyle title an hour earlier, claimed a distant sixth spot in 3:57.28.[9] Denmark (3:57.76) and Great Britain (3:59.46) rounded out the championship finale.[9][10]
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  China (CHN)Zhao Jing (58.98) Chen Huijia (1:04.12) Jiao Liuyang (56.28) Li Zhesi (52.81) | 3:52.19 | Rome, Italy | 1 August 2009 |
| Olympic record |  Australia (AUS)Emily Seebohm (59.33) Leisel Jones (1:04.58) Jessicah Schipper (56.25) Lisbeth Trickett (52.53) | 3:52.69 | Beijing, China | 17 August 2008 |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Swimmers | Nation | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 4 | Final | Missy Franklin (58.50) Rebecca Soni (1:04.82) Dana Vollmer (55.48) Allison Schmitt (53.25) |  United States | 3:52.05 | WR, OR |
Results
Heats
Final
| Rank | Lane | Nation | Swimmers | Time | Time Behind | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 6 | United States | Missy Franklin (58.50) Rebecca Soni (1:04.82) Dana Vollmer (55.48) Allison Schmitt (53.25) | 3:52.05 | WR | |
 | 4 | Australia | Emily Seebohm (59.01) Leisel Jones (1:06.06) Alicia Coutts (56.41) Melanie Schlanger (52.54) | 3:54.02 | 1.97 | |
 | 5 |  Japan | Aya Terakawa (58.99) Satomi Suzuki (1:05.96) Yuka Kato (57.36) Haruka Ueda (53.42) | 3:55.73 | 3.68 | NR |
| 4 | 8 |  Russia | Anastasia Zuyeva (59.13) Yuliya Yefimova (1:04.98) Irina Bespalova (58.59) Veronika Popova (53.33) | 3:56.03 | 3.98 | NR |
| 5 | 1 | China | Zhao Jing (59.86) Ji Liping (1:06.94) Lu Ying (56.80) Tang Yi (52.81) | 3:56.41 | 4.36 | |
| 6 | 2 |  Netherlands | Sharon van Rouwendaal (1:00.72) Moniek Nijhuis (1:06.74) Inge Dekker (56.91) Ranomi Kromowidjojo (52.91) | 3:57.28 | 5.23 | NR |
| 7 | 3 |  Denmark | Mie Nielsen (59.76) Rikke Pedersen (1:06.77) Jeanette Ottesen (56.83) Pernille Blume (54.40) | 3:57.76 | 5.71 | NR |
| 8 | 7 |  Great Britain | Gemma Spofforth (59.46) Siobhan-Marie O'Connor (1:08.45) Ellen Gandy (57.47) Francesca Halsall (54.08) | 3:59.46 | 7.41 |
References
- ↑ "Swimming: Results & Schedules". London 2012. NBC Olympics. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ↑ Auerbach, Nicole (4 August 2012). "U.S. women set world record, win gold in medley relay". USA Today. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ "Phelps looks to close career with 18th gold medal". London 2012. NBC Olympics. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ Crouse, Karen (5 August 2012). "U.S. Women Set Mark in Medley Relay". New York Times. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ "Aussies get silver behind US medley machine". ABC News Australia. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ Tucker, Jim (5 August 2012). "Leisel Jones and Alicia Coutts enter record books as Australia claims silver in 4×100 medley relay". Herald Sun. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ "Leisel retires from the pool". ABC News Australia. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ Norlander, Matt (5 August 2012). "U.S. women's 4×100 medley team sets world record". CBS Sports. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- 1 2 3 "2012 London Olympics: Team USA Breaks World Record in Women's 400-Meter Medley Relay Victory; Australia, Japan Take Silver-Bronze". Swimming World Magazine. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ Jones, Sam (5 August 2012). "Missy Franklin wins Olympic gold no. 4 but Team GB swimmers flounder". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ "Women's 4×100m Medley Relay – Heats". London 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
External links
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