Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay

Infobox Olympic event
event = Men's 4×100 metre freestyle relay
games = 2008 Summer


caption = The medal ceremony of the event.
venue = Beijing National Aquatics Center
dates = August 10 (qualification) August 11 (final)
competitors = TBD
nations = 16
gold = flagIOCteam|USA|2008 Summer
Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Nathan Adrian, Matt Grevers, Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner
silver = flagIOCteam|FRA|2008 Summer
Amaury Leveaux, Fabien Gilot, Frederick Bousquet, Alain Bernard, Gregory Mallet, Boris Steimetz
bronze = flagIOCteam|AUS|2008 Summer
Eamon Sullivan, Andrew Lauterstein, Ashley Callus, Matt Targett, Leith Brodie, Patrick Murphy

The Men's 4×100 metre freestyle relay event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 10th (qualification) and 11th August (final) at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre. This swimming event used freestyle as a relay, with swimmers typically using the front crawl. Because an Olympic size swimming pool is 50 metres long, each of the four swimmers completed two lengths of the pool. The first swimmer had to touch the wall before the second could leave the starting block; timing of the starts was thus important.

Two heats were held, with each containing the maximum number of teams (eight). The heat in which a team competed did not formally matter for advancement, as the teams with the top eight times from the entire field qualified for the final; there, they all competed in a single final heat to earn final placements. A team could use different swimmers in the final than had swum in the heats.

There were 16 NOCs competing at this event. These 16 NOCs consisted of the 12 best placed teams at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships plus the 4 best times after the qualifying period.

Medalists

Heats

It is also possible for the swimmers in the first leg to break records for the 100 m freestyle. In the heats, Amaury Leveaux of France broke the Olympic record, while the world record fell to Australian Eamon Sullivan in the final. Split times for swimmers not swimming the first leg are ineligible because the incoming swimmer can lean over in front of the blocks and be diving as the preceding swimmer is coming in, whereas the leadoff swimmer is timed from a stationary start. Thus, the world record was Sullivan's, even though five swimmers in the finals alone had faster times, including Jason Lezak, whose 46.06 seconds is the fastest individual leg in a 100 m freestyle or medley relay in history. Two days later, Alain Bernard reclaimed the record for France, recording a 47.20 time in the first semifinal of the 100m freestyle, only to have Sullivan break the record again, winning the second semifinal in 47.05 seconds.

The final included a dramatic finish with American Jason Lezak swimming the final 50 meters .87 seconds faster than Frenchman Alain Bernard to win the race. He also swam the fastest relay split in history. Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines had the call on NBC:

References