The Chinese team won the women’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay swimming with a world record.
Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan, Zhang Yufei, and Li Bingjie stunned the US and Australia and clock incredible 7:41.29 to snatch gold from favorites – a new world and Olympic record. Thus, they improved by more than a second the old top achievement in the discipline of the world champions from Australia of 7:41.50 minutes from July 25, 2019.
Yang led the way with a quick-fire 1:54.37 in the leadoff before Tang clocked in 1:55.00 after the first change. Zhang swam third and could be forgiven for her 1:55.66, the slowest leg, as she had just won the women’s 200m butterfly gold in a world record time. Li brought it home in 1:55.30 to beat the Americans by 0.40 seconds.
Alison Schmitt, the London 2012 200m champion, led off for the US before Paige Madden and Katie McLaughlin set it up for Ledecky
The silver went to US quartet Alison Schmitt, Paige Madden, Katie McLaughlin and Kathleen Ledecky with a time of 7:40.73 minutes. The US relay failed to defend its title from Rio 2016 in the discipline, but the star of the quartet Katie Ledecky still fought for second place.
The Australian team of Ariarne Titmus, Emma McKeon, Madison Wilson and Leah Neale finished third with a time of 7:41.29 minutes. The two-time Olympic champion in Tokyo from the individual competitions Ariarne Titmus and another medalist from the Games in the Japanese capital Emma McKeon swam for Australia.
All three teams broke the previous world record, set by the Australians in 2019, of 7:41.50.
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Swimming:
1. China – 7:40.33 minutes – world record (WR)
2. USA – 7:40.73
3. Australia – 7:41.29
