Australia Sets Olympic Record to gold medal in Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay
28 July 2024, Paris, France – Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team clinched a gold medal and set an Olympic record at the Paris 2024 Games with a time of 3:28.92. The victory marks Australia’s fourth consecutive gold in this event and their fifth in the last six Olympics.
The Australian team, composed of Emma McKeon, Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris, and Shayna Jack, outpaced their competitors in a thrilling race held at Paris La Défense Arena. The United States secured the silver with an America’s record time of 3:30.20, while China took the bronze, finishing at 3:30.30.
McKeon, O’Callaghan, and Harris repeated their success from the Tokyo 2020 Games, while Jack made a triumphant Olympic debut. This win was particularly momentous for the 30-year-old McKeon, as it brought her total to six career Olympic golds and twelve Olympic medals overall, tying her with American swimmers Jenny Thompson, Natalie Coughlin, and Dara Torres for the most Olympic medals by a female swimmer.
The race saw intense competition, with the American team, featuring Simone Manuel, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, and Kate Douglass, narrowly edging out China for the silver. Manuel, the only returning member from the 2020 relay team, now boasts six Olympic medals, while Walsh, Huske, and Douglass celebrated their first relay medals.
For China, the bronze marked a significant achievement as it was their first medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay since 1996.
Australia’s dominance in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay continues to solidify their legacy in Olympic swimming, inspiring future generations and setting a high standard for competitors worldwide.
