| | Event type

4 × 100 metres Relay, Women

Date	1 December 1956
Status	Olympic
Location	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria
Participants	36 from 9 countries

Australia had the fastest woman sprinter in the world in Betty Cuthbert, who had won the 100 and 200. She would run the anchor and their team would be started off by Shirley Strickland-de la Hunty, who had defended her 80 metre hurdles gold medal. In the first round, Australia bettered the world record with 44.9. But in the final, the British team had very clean passes, and still held the lead as June Foulds-Paul passed off to Heather Armitage, with Cuthbert a metre in arrears. But Cuthbert, the “Golden Girl,” caught Armitage by 50 metres and won by half a metre.

Pos	Number	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	–	Australia	AUS	44.9 (1 h1)	44.5 (1)	Gold	WR
		Shirley Strickland de la Hunty • Norma Croker • Fleur Mellor • Betty Cuthbert • Gloria Cooke (DNS) • Marlene Mathews (DNS)
2	–	Great Britain	GBR	45.3 (1 h2)	44.7 (2)	Silver
		Anne Pashley • Jean Scrivens • June Paul • Heather Armitage • Thelma Hopkins (DNS) • Sheila Hoskin (DNS) • Carole Quinton (DNS) • Pauline Wainwright (DNS)
3	–	United States	USA	45.4 (2 h2)	44.9 (3)	Bronze
		Mae Faggs • Margaret Matthews • Wilma Rudolph • Isabelle Daniels • Rebecca Ayars (DNS) • Meredith Ellis (DNS) • Barbara Mueller (DNS) • Lucinda Williams (DNS)
4	–	Soviet Union	URS	46.1 (3 h2)	45.6 (4)
		Vera Krepkina • Galina Rezchikova • Mariya Itkina • Irina Bochkaryova • Vera Yugova (DNS) • Nadezhda Dvalishvili (DNS) • Olga Kosheleva (DNS) • Galina Popova (DNS)
5	–	Italy	ITA	45.9 (3 h1)	45.7 (5)
		Letizia Bertoni • Milena Greppi • Giuseppina Leone • Maria Musso • Paola Paternoster (DNS) • Franca Peggion (DNS)
6	–	Unified Team of Germany	GER	44.9 (2 h1)	47.2 (6)
		Maria Sander • Christa Stubnick • Gisela Köhler • Bärbel Mayer • Erika Fisch (DNS) • Inge Fuhrmann (DNS)
4 h1 r1/2	–	France	FRA	46.3 (4 h1)	–
		Catherine Capdevielle • Micheline Fluchot • Simone Henry • Angèle Picado • Marthe Lambert (DNS)
4 h2 r1/2	–	Poland	POL	46.5 (4 h2)	–
		Maria Kusion • Barbara Lerczak • Genowefa Minicka • Halina Richter • Elżbieta Krzesińska (DNS)
5 h1 r1/2	–	Canada	CAN	46.6 (5 h1)	–
		Eleanor Haslam • Dorothy Kozak • Diane Matheson • Maureen Rever • Jackie MacDonald (DNS) • Alice Whitty (DNS)

Round One

Date	1 December 1956 — 15:30
Format	Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Pos	Team	NOC	Time (automatic)	Time (hand)
1	Australia	AUS	45.00	44.9	QWR
2	Unified Team of Germany	GER	45.07	44.9	Q=WR
3	Great Britain	GBR	45.38	45.3	Q
4	United States	USA	45.52	45.4	Q
5	Italy	ITA	45.91	45.9	Q
6	Soviet Union	URS	46.20	46.1	Q
7	France	FRA	46.39	46.3
8	Poland	POL	46.58	46.5
9	Canada	CAN	46.79	46.6

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	–	Australia	AUS	44.9	45.00	QWR
Lead-Off	469	Shirley Strickland de la Hunty		–	–
2nd Leg	511	Norma Croker-Fleming		–	–
3rd Leg	–	Fleur Mellor		–	–
Anchor	468	Betty Cuthbert		–	–
2	–	Unified Team of Germany	GER	44.9	45.07	Q=WR
Lead-Off	526	Maria Sander		–	–
2nd Leg	484	Christa Stubnick		–	–
3rd Leg	482	Gisela Köhler-Birkemeyer		–	–
Anchor	–	Bärbel Mayer		–	–
3	–	Italy	ITA	45.9	45.91	Q
Lead-Off	514	Letizia Bertoni		–	–
2nd Leg	529	Milena Greppi		–	–
3rd Leg	491	Giuseppina Leone		–	–
Anchor	492	Maria Musso		–	–
4	–	France	FRA	46.3	46.39
Lead-Off	479	Catherine Capdevielle		–	–
2nd Leg	480	Micheline Fluchot		–	–
3rd Leg	512	Simone Henry		–	–
Anchor	524	Angèle Picado		–	–
5	–	Canada	CAN	46.6	46.79
Lead-Off	472	Eleanor Haslam		–	–
2nd Leg	541	Dorothy Kozak		–	–
3rd Leg	473	Diane Matheson		–	–
Anchor	474	Maureen Rever		–	–

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	–	Great Britain	GBR	45.3	45.38	Q
Lead-Off	485	Anne Pashley		–	–
2nd Leg	513	Jean Scrivens		–	–
3rd Leg	486	June Foulds-Paul		–	–
Anchor	487	Heather Armitage		–	–
2	–	United States	USA	45.4	45.52	Q
Lead-Off	504	Mae Faggs		–	–
2nd Leg	549	Margaret Matthews		–	–
3rd Leg	517	Wilma Rudolph		–	–
Anchor	503	Isabelle Daniels		–	–
3	–	Soviet Union	URS	46.1	46.20	Q
Lead-Off	507	Vera Kalashnikova-Krepkina		–	–
2nd Leg	506	Galina Rezchikova		–	–
3rd Leg	518	Mariya Itkina		–	–
Anchor	–	Irina Turova-Bochkaryova		–	–
4	–	Poland	POL	46.5	46.58
Lead-Off	499	Maria Kusion-Bibro		–	–
2nd Leg	500	Barbara Lerczak-Janiszewska-Sobotta		–	–
3rd Leg	515	Genowefa Minicka		–	–
Anchor	498	Halina Richter-Górecka-Herrmann		–	–

Final Round

Date	1 December 1956 — 16:50

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	–	Australia	AUS	44.5	44.65	WR
Lead-Off	469	Shirley Strickland de la Hunty		–	–
2nd Leg	511	Norma Croker-Fleming		–	–
3rd Leg	–	Fleur Mellor		–	–
Anchor	468	Betty Cuthbert		–	–
2	–	Great Britain	GBR	44.7	44.70
Lead-Off	485	Anne Pashley		–	–
2nd Leg	513	Jean Scrivens		–	–
3rd Leg	486	June Foulds-Paul		–	–
Anchor	487	Heather Armitage		–	–
3	–	United States	USA	44.9	45.04
Lead-Off	504	Mae Faggs		–	–
2nd Leg	549	Margaret Matthews		–	–
3rd Leg	517	Wilma Rudolph		–	–
Anchor	503	Isabelle Daniels		–	–
4	–	Soviet Union	URS	45.6	45.81
Lead-Off	507	Vera Kalashnikova-Krepkina		–	–
2nd Leg	506	Galina Rezchikova		–	–
3rd Leg	518	Mariya Itkina		–	–
Anchor	–	Irina Turova-Bochkaryova		–	–
5	–	Italy	ITA	45.7	45.90
Lead-Off	514	Letizia Bertoni		–	–
2nd Leg	529	Milena Greppi		–	–
3rd Leg	491	Giuseppina Leone		–	–
Anchor	492	Maria Musso		–	–
6	–	Unified Team of Germany	GER	47.2	47.29
Lead-Off	526	Maria Sander		–	–
2nd Leg	484	Christa Stubnick		–	–
3rd Leg	482	Gisela Köhler-Birkemeyer		–	–
Anchor	–	Bärbel Mayer		–	–