Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay
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Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad | ||||||||||
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Venue | Olympic Aquatic Centre | |||||||||
Dates | August 14, 2004 (heats & final) | |||||||||
Competitors | 72 from 16 nations | |||||||||
Winning time | 3:35.96 WR | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
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The women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay took place on 14 August at the Olympic Aquatic Centre of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece.[1]
For the first time in 48 years, the Australians (Alice Mills, Lisbeth Lenton, Petria Thomas, and Jodie Henry) overhauled the Team USA on the final leg to win a gold medal in the event. When Henry touched the wall at 3:35.94, the Australians broke a new world record under a 0.06-second mark set by the Germans in 2002 (3:36.00). Henry also unleashed a remarkable relay split of 52.95, the fastest of all-time in Olympic history.[2][3][4]
The U.S. team of Kara Lynn Joyce, Natalie Coughlin, Amanda Weir, and Jenny Thompson finished out an American record of 3:36.39 to earn a silver medal, while the Dutch took home the bronze in 3:37.59, after Inge de Bruijn swam a split of 53.37 to hold off the Germans anchored by Franziska van Almsick.[2][5]