Paris Olympics, Day 1 Finals: Australia with a Quad Stomp in Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay; U.S and China Set National Marks
Few events on the Olympic schedule are ever foregone conclusions. Such is the nature of a sport in which the difference between a gold medal and missed podium can be hundredths of a second. And if you trawl through history, even the great ones – including Phelps, Spitz and Evans – have experienced Olympic defeats.
But when Australia was introduced ahead of the women’s 400-meter freestyle relay on Saturday night, there was a consensus among knowledgeable fans: This thing is over. Really, only a disqualification was going to keep the Aussies from making history, and that doom-and-gloom scenario was averted.
Although pressed a bit more than initially anticipated, Australia stormed to gold in the first relay of the Games, prevailing in 3:28.92. The foursome of Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris logged the No. 2 time in history and Australia became just the second nation in Olympic swimming history to win the same relay at four consecutive Games, its reign spanning 2012-2024. Previously, only the United States, which has accomplished the feat in several relays, was a member of the distinct club.
The battle for the silver medal came down to the touch, with the United States grabbing second place in an American-record time of 3:30.20. That swim just clipped the 3:30.30 of China, which set an Asian record en route to the bronze medal.
How much of a favorite was Australia? Try odds of -550. For those with a lack of gambling knowledge, that means the following: A Bettor would have to wager $550 to merely win $100. Obviously, that type of proposition offers minimal value, but it also validates Australia’s dominance over the rest of the world.
The relay Australia sent to the starting blocks at the La Defense Arena had no weak links. All four women rank among the top-11 performers in the history of the 100 freestyle, signifying power and depth. More, experience was a strength, as the foursome set a world record at last summer’s World Championships, and McKeon and Harris boosted the Aussies to gold at the Tokyo Games.
O’Callaghan got Australia off to a strong start with a leadoff split of 52.24 while Jack handled the second leg and covered her two laps in 52.35, leading to McKeon and a third-leg split of 52.39. McKeon significantly elevated her performances from last month’s Olympic Trials. In Brisbane, McKeon finished sixth in the 100 freestyle, an effort that denied the 30-year-old the chance to defend her Olympic title, and narrowly enabled her to qualify as a member of the relay.
Yet, when the opportunity to shine on the biggest stage arrived, McKeon was prepared. During the morning prelims, she dropped a split of 51.94 to secure her place on the evening squad. This latest gold medal moved McKeon’s career total to 12 Olympic medals – six gold, two silver and four bronze. That tally is the most by an Aussie Olympian, and is tied for the most by a female swimmer from any country, equaling Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin. McKeon’s six golds are also the most by an Australian.
“Wow,” McKeon said. “I don’t keep track of those sort of stats. I hear them from you guys, to be honest.”
The opportunity to punctuate another gold medal was handed to Harris, and she got the job done in emphatic fashion. Harris recorded a split of 51.94 for her anchor leg to give the Dolphins a comfortable margin. Australia now owns nine of the 11-fastest times in the history of the 400 freestyle relay.
For Jack, there is a measure of redemption after she was denied the chance to compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo following a two-year ban for testing positive for Ligandrol. Jack was initially suspended for four years, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced the ban to two years when Jack proved she unknowingly ingested the substance.
“For me it’s definitely about getting up there and doing my country proud,” Jack said. “It’s a really special moment to stand on the podium with the other three girls, and represent the other two girls from our heat swim. I’m really proud of myself and how far I’ve come, but I definitely missed that opportunity in 2021. I already proved my redemption by coming here, so this is all fun and games for me. I’m just enjoying the experience.”
The United States set an American record in its silver-medal performance, thanks to the quartet of Kate Douglass (52.98), Gretchen Walsh (52.55), Torri Huske (52.06) and Simone Manuel (52.61). The balance flashed by Team USA was equaled by China also placing four athletes under the 53-second threshold. China’s Asian record was fueled by Yang Junxuan (52.48), Cheng Yujie (52.76), Zhang Yufei (52.75) and Wu Qingfeng (52.31).
Breaking the American record, which had stood since 2019, has been on the Team USA agenda. It’s a topic that was broached by head women’s coach Todd DeSorbo.
“Todd put that in our minds at the beginning of training camp and actually really coming off 2021 for those of us who were there,” Manuel said. “So it was a goal of ours to break the American record and get as close to the Australians as we could. We’re really happy with that performance…I didn’t really know where the Chinese were. The only person I could see was (Harris), so it was really just about trying to put together the best possible race that I could.”
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