Olympic Summer Games 2012 / Swimming - 4 × 100 m freestyle (women)

sport	swim
discipline	4 x 100 meter freestyle
gender	Women
place	London Aquatics Center
Attendees	84 athletes in 16 relays
Competition phase	July 28, 2012

The relay race over 4 times 100 meters freestyle of women in the 2012 Olympic Games in London , on 28 July 2012 at the London Aquatics Center held. 16 relays with a total of 84 athletes took part.

There were two preliminary runs. The eight fastest seasons of all heats qualified for the final, which was held on the same day.

Abbreviations: WR = world record, OR = Olympic record, NR = national record, PB = personal best, JWB = annual world record

Existing records

World record	Netherlands ( Inge Dekker , Ranomi Kromowidjojo , Femke Heemskerk , Marleen Veldhuis )	3: 31.72 min	Rome , Italy	July 26, 2009
Olympic record		3: 33.76 min	Beijing , People's Republic of China	August 10, 2008

Title holder

Olympic champion	Netherlands ( Inge Dekker , Ranomi Kromowidjojo , Femke Heemskerk , Marleen Veldhuis )	3: 33.76 min	Beijing 2008
World Champion	Netherlands ( Inge Dekker , Ranomi Kromowidjojo , Marleen Veldhuis , Femke Heemskerk )	3: 33.96 min	Shanghai 2011
European champion	Germany ( Britta Steffen , Silke Lippok , Lisa Vitting , Daniela Schreiber )	3: 37.98 min	Debrecen 2012

leader

Forward 1

July 28, 2012

space	nation	occupation	time	annotation
1	United States	Lia Neal Amanda Weir Natalie Coughlin Allison Schmitt	3: 36.53 min
2	People's Republic of China	Tang Yi Qiu Yuhan Wang Haibing Wang Shijia	3: 37.91 min
3	Japan	Haruka Ueda Yayoi Matsumoto Miki Uchida Hanae Ito	3: 38.06 min	NO
4th	United Kingdom	Amy Smith Jess Lloyd Caitlin McClatchey Rebecca Turner	3: 38.21 min
4th	Sweden	Sarah Sjöström Michelle Coleman Ida Marko-Varga Gabriella Fagundez	3: 38.21 min
6th	Russia	Veronika Popowa Natalja Lowzowa Viktoria Andrejewa Margarita Nesterowa	3: 39.59 min
7th	Belarus	Aljaksandra Herassimenja Svetlana Koklowa Aksana Dzjamidawa Julija Khitraja	3: 40.67 min	NO
8th	Hungary	Ágnes Mutina Evelyn Verrasztó Éva Risztov Eszter Dara	3: 44.79 min

Forward 2

July 28, 2012

space	nation	occupation	time	annotation
1	Australia	Emily Seebohm Brittany Elmslie Yolane Kukla Lisbeth Trickett	3: 36.34 min
2	Netherlands	Marleen Veldhuis Inge Dekker Hinkelien Schreuder Femke Heemskerk	3: 37.76 min
3	Denmark	Pernille Blume Mie Østergaard Nielsen Lotte Friis Jeanette Ottesen Gray	3: 38.09 min	NO
4th	Germany	Britta Steffen Silke Lippok Lisa Vitting Daniela Schreiber	3: 39.16 min
5	Canada	Victoria Poon Julia Wilkinson Samantha Cheverton Heather Maclean	3: 39.60 min
6th	Italy	Alice Mizzau Federica Pellegrini Laura Letrari Erika Ferraioli	3: 39.74 min	NO
7th	New Zealand	Natasha Hind Penelope Marshall Amaka Gessler Hayley Palmer	3: 42.55 min
8th	Greece	Theodora Drakou Nery Mantey Niangkouara Theodora Giareni Kristel Vourna	3: 45.55 min

final

July 28, 2012 at 8:43 p.m. CET

space	nation	occupation	time	annotation
1	Australia	Alicia Coutts Cate Campbell Brittany Elmslie Melanie Schlanger	3: 33.15 min	OR
2	Netherlands	Inge Dekker Marleen Veldhuis Femke Heemskerk Ranomi Kromowidjojo	3: 33.79 min
3	United States	Missy Franklin Jessica Hardy Lia Neal Allison Schmitt	3: 34.24 min	NO
4th	People's Republic of China	Tang Yi Qiu Yuhan Wang Haibing Pang Jiaying	3: 36.75 min
5	United Kingdom	Amy Smith Francesca Halsall Jess Lloyd Caitlin McClatchey	3: 37.02 min
6th	Denmark	Pernille Blume Mie Østergaard Nielsen Lotte Friis Jeanette Ottesen Gray	3: 37.45 min	NO
7th	Japan	Haruka Ueda Yayoi Matsumoto Miki Uchida Hanae Ito	3: 37.96 min	NO
-	Sweden	Michelle Coleman Sarah Sjöström Ida Marko-Varga Gabriella Fagundez	DSQ	Early start from Fagundez

After 2004 and 2008 it was the third time in a row that Australia, the Netherlands and the USA came on the podium.

Natalie Coughlin, who was placed in the run-up and was awarded a medal, is, together with her compatriots Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson, the swimmer with the most medals (12).

Lia Neal is the first African-American female swimmer in an Olympic final.

Web links

• Olympic Summer Games 2012 / Swimming - 4 × 100 m freestyle in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence