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Olympics: Australia’s Dolphins Storming Toward Gold and World Record in 400 Freestyle Relay
Barring an unforeseen disaster, Australia is staring at a coronation when the final of the women’s 400 freestyle relay is held on Sunday morning at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. The Dolphins’ prelim squad of Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris, Madison Wilson and Bronte Campbell easily bested the opposition, a performance of 3:31.73 good for the top seed for the championship race by nearly two seconds.
And, Australia has its biggest weapons to come.
The Aussies headed into these Games as the overwhelming favorites for gold, and their opening-round squad did nothing to change that opinion. After O’Callaghan led off in a split of 53.08, Harris popped a mark of 52.73, with Wilson going 53.10 and Campbell closing out the session with an anchor of 52.82. The lineup only gets stronger in the morning, when Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell are added to the mix.
While McKeon owns the top time in the world this year at 52.19, Campbell is one of the greatest relay sprinters in history, always reliable and prepared to unleash race-changing effort. Provided Australia is clean on its relay starts, it will capture gold in the first relay of the Tokyo Games, with a world record highly likely. The global mark currently stands to Australia at 3:30.05, and the first sub-3:30 showing seems hours away.
The battle for the other podium places is jumbled, although the Netherlands earned the second seed after producing a prelim time of 3:33.51. The difference-making leg on that relay was Femke Heemskerk’s anchor of 51.90. Meanwhile, Canada was third in 3:33.72, with Penny Oleksiak closing in 52.38. Fourth went to Great Britain in 3:34.03, with the United States in fifth at 3:34.80 and in need of some answers.
“We just went out there and did our best to get to the final,” Oleksiak said. “It wasn’t supposed to be anything major, and I think we all definitely have a bit more speed going into tomorrow, full night’s sleep, all that.”
Team USA field a squad of Olivia Smoliga (54.06), Catie DeLoof (53.42), Allison Schmitt (54.04) and Natalie Hinds (53.28), and only Hinds put together a time that might earn consideration for a return to the final. The U.S. coaching staff will have to consider who to match with Abbey Weitzeil and Erika Brown in the final, with options figuring to be Torri Huske, Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky.
Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay
World Record: Australia (Shayna Jack, Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon, Cate Campbell), 3:30.05 (2018)
Olympic Record: Australia (Emma McKeon, Brittany Elmslie, Bronte Campbell, Cate Campbell), 3:30.65 (2016)
Finalists
1. Australia, 3:31.73
2. Netherlands, 3:33.51
3. Canada, 3:33.72
4. Great Britain, 3:34.03
5. United States, 3:34.80
6. China, 3:35.07
7. Denmark, 3:35.56
8. Sweden, 3:35.93
