Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
| Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Sydney International Aquatic Centre | |||||||||
| Dates | September 20, 2000 (heats & final) | |||||||||
| Competitors | 69 from 15 nations | |||||||||
| Winning time | 7:57.80 OR | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Swimming at the 2000 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 |
The women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay event and place at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on 20 September at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia.[1]
The U.S. women's team established a new Olympic record to defend their title with the help of a sterling anchor leg from Jenny Thompson. Throughout most of the race, the Americans were trailing slightly behind the host nation Australia until Thompson dived into the pool at the final exchange. Thompson held off a sprint battle from Petria Thomas on the final stretch until she touched the wall by seven-tenths of a second (0.70) with a remarkable split of 1:59.35 to deliver the foursome of Samantha Arsenault (1:59.92), Diana Munz (1:59.19), and Lindsay Benko (1:59.34) a gold-medal time in 7:57.80.[2] As the Americans celebrated their triumph in the pool, Thompson picked up her ninth career medal to break a tie with former East Germany's Kristin Otto for the most golds, a total of seven, and to maintain her position as the most successful woman in Olympic history.[3][4][5][6]
After leading three-fourths of the race, Australia's Thomas (2:00.32), Susie O'Neill (1:58.70), Giaan Rooney (1:59.37), and Kirsten Thomson (2:00.13) powered home with a silver in 7:58.52. Meanwhile, Germany's Franziska van Almsick (1:59.51), Antje Buschschulte (2:00.35), and Sara Harstick (2:00.88) helped their teammate Kerstin Kielgass produce a striking anchor of 1:57.90 to capture the bronze medal in 7:58.64. For the first time in Olympic history, all three teams finished the race under an eight-minute barrier.[7][8]
Outside the club, Romania's Camelia Potec (1:59.10), Simona Păduraru (2:01.52), Ioana Diaconescu (2:01.47), and Beatrice Câșlaru (1:59.54) missed the podium with a fourth-place time of 8:01.63, worthy enough for a national record. Canada (8:02.65), Great Britain (8:03.69), Italy (8:04.68), and France (8:05.99) rounded out the championship finale.[8]
Records
[edit]Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  East Germany (GDR)Manuela Stellmach (2:00.23) Astrid Strauss (1:58.90) Anke Möhring (1:58.73) Heike Friedrich (1:57.61) |
7:55.47 | Strasbourg, France | 18 August 1987 | [9] |
| Olympic record |  United States (USA)Trina Jackson (1:59.71) Cristina Teuscher (1:58.86) Sheila Taormina (2:01.29) Jenny Thompson (2:00.01) |
7:59.87 | Atlanta, United States | 25 July 1996 | [9] |
The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.
| Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | Final | Samantha Arsenault (1:59.92) Diana Munz (1:59.19) Lindsay Benko (1:59.34) Jenny Thompson (1:59.35) |
United States |
7:57.80 | OR |
Results
[edit]Heats
[edit]
Final
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Swimming schedule". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 September 2000. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ Longman, Jere (21 September 2000). "Sydney 2000: Swimming; Thompson Delivers Another Victory". New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Frank (21 September 2000). "Misty Hops Up A Golden Mountain Hyman Tops Aussie Icon In Butterfly". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Dillman, Lisa (21 September 2000). "Surprise! Hyman Stuns O'Neill in 200 Butterfly; De Bruijn Smashing Again; Thompson Wins 7th Career Gold". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "U.S. relay team sets Olympic record". ESPN. 20 September 2000. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Thompson Wins Seventh Swimming Gold". ABC News. 20 September 2000. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ^ "Seventh heaven: Thompson leads U.S. relay to gold, wins her seventh gold". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 20 September 2000. Archived from the original on June 18, 2001. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ a b Whitten, Phillip (20 September 2000). "Olympic Day 5 Finals (200 Breast, 100 Free, 200 Fly, 800 Free Relay)". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 4×200m Freestyle Relay Heats" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. pp. 360–361. Retrieved 29 June 2013.