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Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay

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Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay
at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad
VenueOlympic Aquatic Centre
DatesAugust 20, 2004 (heats)
August 21, 2004 (final)
Competitors77 from 16 nations
Winning time3:57.32 WR
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Australia (AUS)
Giaan Rooney, Leisel Jones, Petria Thomas, Jodie Henry, Brooke Hanson*, Alice Mills*, Jessicah Schipper*
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  United States (USA)
Natalie Coughlin, Amanda Beard, Jenny Thompson, Kara Lynn Joyce, Haley Cope*, Tara Kirk*, Rachel Komisarz*, Amanda Weir*
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

 Germany (GER)
Antje Buschschulte, Sarah Poewe, Franziska van Almsick, Daniela Götz


*Indicates the swimmer only competed in the preliminary heats.
← 2000
2008 →

The women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay took place on 20–21 August at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece.[1]

The Australians reinforced their claim to become the strongest women's team in the world with a convincing triumph over their American rivals in the event. Giaan Rooney, Leisel Jones, Petria Thomas, and Jodie Henry broke almost a full second off the world record set by Team USA in 2000, stopping the clock at 3:57.32. At the start of the race, the U.S. team got off to a flying start in the backstroke, until the Australians reeled them in on the butterfly leg. Thomas blasted a remarkable split of 56.67, the fastest of all-time in Olympic history, to overhaul Jenny Thompson of the U.S. team, and eventually move the Aussies in front of the race. The anchor freestyle leg left Henry to go up against Kara Lynn Joyce, and the Australians looked unbeatable with Henry, touching the wall first in 52.97, the second-fastest split of all-time.[2][3]

Meanwhile, the U.S. team of Thompson, Joyce, Natalie Coughlin, and Amanda Beard settled only for the silver in 3:59.12, almost two seconds behind the Aussies. The Germans maintained their pace to earn a bronze, and finished in a European record of 4:00.72.[2][4]

Competing in her fourth Olympics for Team USA, Thompson became the most decorated American athlete in history with her twelfth career medal, including 10 from the relays.[4]

Records

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Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

World record  United States (USA)
Barbara Bedford (1:01.39)
Megan Quann (1:06.29)
Jenny Thompson (57.25)
Dara Torres (53.37)
3:58.30 Sydney, Australia 23 September 2000
Olympic record  United States (USA)
Barbara Bedford (1:01.39)
Megan Quann (1:06.29)
Jenny Thompson (57.25)
Dara Torres (53.37)
3:58.30 Sydney, Australia 23 September 2000

The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.

Date Event Swimmers Nationality Time Record
August 21 Final Giaan Rooney (1:01.18)
Leisel Jones (1:06.70)
Petria Thomas (56.67)
Jodie Henry (52.97)
 Australia 3:57.32 WR

Results

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Heats

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Rank Heat Lane Nation Swimmers Time Notes
1 2 5  Australia Giaan Rooney (1:01.99)
Brooke Hanson (1:07.55)
Jessicah Schipper (58.09)
Alice Mills (53.54)
4:01.17 Q
2 1 4  United States Haley Cope (1:01.96)
Tara Kirk (1:07.08)
Rachel Komisarz (58.75)
Amanda Weir (55.03)
4:02.82 Q
3 1 5  Germany Antje Buschschulte (1:02.47)
Sarah Poewe (1:07.31)
Franziska van Almsick (59.77)
Daniela Götz (54.61)
4:04.16 Q
4 2 6  Great Britain Sarah Price (1:01.90)
Kirsty Balfour (1:09.19)
Georgina Lee (59.56)
Melanie Marshall (54.98)
4:05.63 Q
5 2 4  China Zhan Shu (1:01.92)
Qi Hui (1:09.90)
Zhou Yafei (59.13)
Zhu Yingwen (55.02)
4:05.97 Q
6 1 3  Japan Noriko Inada (1:02.14)
Masami Tanaka (1:09.17)
Junko Onishi (59.45)
Tomoko Nagai (55.23)
4:05.99 Q
7 2 7  Spain Nina Zhivanevskaya (1:01.08)
Sara Pérez (1:10.52)
María Peláez (1:00.34)
Tatiana Rouba (54.96)
4:06.90 Q
8 2 2  Netherlands Stefanie Luiken (1:04.13)
Madelon Baans (1:09.53)
Chantal Groot (1:00.51)
Marleen Veldhuis (54.55)
4:08.72 Q
9 1 1  Denmark Louise Ørnstedt (1:02.71)
Majken Thorup (1:11.46)
Mette Jacobsen (59.21)
Jeanette Ottesen (55.51)
4:08.89
10 1 6  Ukraine Kateryna Zubkova (1:03.66)
Svitlana Bondarenko (1:09.36)
Yana Klochkova (1:00.16)
Olga Mukomol (56.61)
4:09.79
11 2 1  Canada Erin Gammel (1:02.57)
Lauren van Oosten (1:09.57)
Jennifer Fratesi (1:01.60)
Brittany Reimer (56.10)
4:09.84
12 2 8  Russia Oxana Verevka (1:05.09)
Elena Bogomazova (1:08.51)
Natalya Sutyagina (58.98)
Nataliya Shalagina (57.60)
4:10.18
13 1 7  New Zealand Hannah McLean (1:02.40)
Annabelle Carey (1:11.98)
Elizabeth Coster (1:00.38)
Alison Fitch (55.61)
4:10.37
14 2 3  France Alexandra Putra (1:04.81)
Laurie Thomassin (1.12.16)
Aurore Mongel (1:00.40)
Malia Metella (54.05)
4:11.42
15 1 8  Switzerland Dominique Diezi (1:04.06)
Carmela Schlegel (1:12.04)
Carla Stampfli (1:03.37)
Nicole Zahnd (56.07)
4:15.54
1 2  Italy Alessandra Cappa (1:03.11)
Chiara Boggiatto (1:09.66)
Ambra Migliori
Federica Pellegrini
DSQ

Final

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Rank Lane Nation Swimmers Time Time behind Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) 4  Australia Giaan Rooney (1:01.18) OC
Leisel Jones (1:06.50)
Petria Thomas (56.67)
Jodie Henry (52.97)
3:57.32 WR
2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5  United States Natalie Coughlin (59.68) OR
Amanda Beard (1:06.32)
Jenny Thompson (58.81)
Kara Lynn Joyce (54.31)
3:59.12 1.80
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3  Germany Antje Buschschulte (1:00.72)
Sarah Poewe (1:07.08)
Franziska van Almsick (58.54)
Daniela Götz (54.38)
4:00.72 3.40 EU
4 2  China Chen Xiujun (1:02.00)
Luo Xuejuan (1:08.82)
Zhou Yafei (58.10)
Zhu Yingwen (54.43)
4:03.35 6.03
5 7  Japan Reiko Nakamura (1:01.05)
Masami Tanaka (1:09.09)
Junko Onishi (59.14)
Tomoko Nagai (55.55)
4:04.83 7.51
6 8  Netherlands Stefanie Luiken (1:04.83)
Madelon Baans (1:09.55)
Inge de Bruijn (58.85)
Marleen Veldhuis (54.13)
4:07.36 10.04
7 1  Spain Nina Zhivanevskaya (1:01.29)
Sara Pérez (1:10.62)
María Peláez (1:00.74)
Tatiana Rouba (54.96)
4:07.61 10.29
6  Great Britain Katy Sexton (1:02.36)
Kirsty Balfour (1:07.98)
Georgina Lee (59.63)
Kathryn Evans
DSQ

References

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  1. ^ "Swimming schedule". BBC Sport. 5 August 2004. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, Stephen (21 August 2004). "Aussie Women Smash the World Record in the 400m Medley Relay". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Australia win sprint medley". BBC Sport. 21 August 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Records tumble at last day in pool". CNN. 21 August 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
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