| | Event type

4 × 100 metres Relay, Women

Date	2 – 3 August 1996
Status	Olympic
Location	Centennial Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Participants	93 from 22 countries

The United States was the heavy favorite in this race. They had won the last three Olympic gold medals, and the World Championships in 1993 and 1995. With no GDR to worry about by 1996, only Russia, second in both World Championships, was considered a challenger. But the final was much closer than expected. Russia’s Yekaterina Leshchova led on the opening leg. The 100 metre gold medalist, Gail Devers, ran the second leg but could not get ahead of Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas. On the third leg, Inger Miller pulled ahead and Gwen Torrence anchored the US home to the gold medal. Miller was the daughter of Jamaican sprinter, Lennox Miller, who had won Olympic medals in the 1968 and 1972 100 metres.

Pos	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	United States	USA	42.49 (1 h1)	41.95 (1)	Gold
	Chryste Gaines • Gail Devers • Inger Miller • Gwen Torrence • Carlette Guidry-White
2	The Bahamas	BAH	43.14 (2 h1)	42.14 (2)	Silver
	Eldece Clarke • Chandra Sturrup • Savatheda Fynes • Pauline Davis • Debbie Ferguson
3	Jamaica	JAM	43.36 (1 h2)	42.24 (3)	Bronze
	Michelle Freeman • Juliet Cuthbert • Nikole Mitchell • Merlene Ottey • Andria Lloyd • Gillian Russell
4	Russian Federation	RUS	43.00 (1 h3)	42.27 (4)
	Yekaterina Leshchova • Galina Malchugina • Nataliya Pomoshchnikova-Voronova • Irina Privalova
5	Nigeria	NGR	43.54 (2 h2)	42.56 (5)
	Chioma Ajunwa • Mary Tombiri-Shirey • Christy Opara-Thompson • Mary Onyali
6	France	FRA	43.09 (2 h3)	42.76 (6)
	Sandra Citté • Odiah Sidibé • Patricia Girard-Léno • Marie-José Pérec • Delphine Combe
7	Australia	AUS	43.75 (3 h1)	43.70 (7)
	Sharon Cripps • Kylie Hanigan • Lauren Hewitt • Jodi Lambert
8	Great Britain	GBR	43.88 (3 h2)	43.93 (8)
	Angie Thorp • Marcia Richardson • Simmone Jacobs • Katharine Merry
3 h3 r1/2	Bulgaria	BUL	44.19 (3 h3)	–
	Desislava Dimitrova • Petya Pendareva • Zlatka Georgieva • Monika Gachevska
4 h1 r1/2	Colombia	COL	44.16 (4 h1)	–
	Mirtha Brock • Felipa Palacios • Patricia Rodríguez • Zandra Borrero
4 h2 r1/2	Thailand	THA	45.62 (4 h2)	–
	Sunisa Kawrungruang • Kwuanfah Inchareon • Savitree Srichure • Supaporn Hubson
4 h3 r1/2	Finland	FIN	44.21 (4 h3)	–
	Johanna Manninen • Sanna Hernesniemi • Heidi Suomi • Anu Pirttimaa
5 h1 r1/2	Cuba	CUB	44.32 (5 h1)	–
	Idalia Hechevarría • Aliuska López • Dainelky Pérez • Liliana Allen
5 h3 r1/2	Canada	CAN	44.34 (5 h3)	–
	Katie Anderson • Tara Perry • LaDonna Antoine • Lesley Tashlin
6 h1 r1/2	United States Virgin Islands	ISV	46.09 (6 h1)	–
	Maria Noel • Ameerah Bello • Jilma Patrick • Rochelle Thomas
AC h1 r1/2	Antigua and Barbuda	ANT	45.09 (DNF h1)	–
	Sonia Williams • Dine Potter • Charmaine Thomas • Heather Samuel
AC h1 r1/2	Cameroon	CMR	– (DNF h1)	–
	Myriam Mani • Georgette N'Koma • Edwige Abéna Fouda • Sylvie Mballa Éloundou
AC h2 r1/2	Germany	GER	– (DNF h2)	–
	Andrea Philipp • Silke Lichtenhagen • Melanie Paschke • Silke Knoll
AC h2 r1/2	Lesotho	LES	[49.52] (DQ h2)	–
	Sebongile Sello • M'apotlaki Ts'elho • Nteboheleng Koaeana • Lineo Shoai
AC h2 r1/2	Madagascar	MAD	– (DNF h2)	–
	Lantoniaina Ramalalanirina • Hanitriniaina Rakotondrabé • Nicole Ramalalanirina • Lalao Ravaoniriana
AC h3 r1/2	Saint Kitts and Nevis	SKN	– (DNF h3)	–
	Bernadeth Prentice • Bernice Morton • Elricia Francis • Valma Bass
AC h3 r1/2	Sierra Leone	SLE	[47.10] (DQ h3)	–
	Eunice Barber • Sia Kamanor • Sama Fornah • Melrose Mansaray

Round One

Date	2 August 1996
Format	Top 3 in each heat and next two fastest advanced to the final.

Pos	Team	NOC	Time (automatic)	Reaction Time
1	United States	USA	42.49	0.269	Q
2	Russian Federation	RUS	43.00	0.236	Q
3	France	FRA	43.09	0.231	Q
4	The Bahamas	BAH	43.14	0.327	Q
5	Jamaica	JAM	43.36	0.293	Q
6	Nigeria	NGR	43.54	0.270	Q
7	Australia	AUS	43.75	0.300	q
8	Great Britain	GBR	43.88	0.336	q
9	Colombia	COL	44.16	0.366
10	Bulgaria	BUL	44.19	0.342
11	Finland	FIN	44.21	0.201
12	Cuba	CUB	44.32	0.168
13	Canada	CAN	44.34	0.255
14	Thailand	THA	45.62	–
15	United States Virgin Islands	ISV	46.09	0.372
DNF	Cameroon	CMR	–	0.239
DNF	Antigua and Barbuda	ANT	45.09	0.210
DNF	Germany	GER	–	0.246
DNF	Madagascar	MAD	–	0.291
DNF	Saint Kitts and Nevis	SKN	–	0.378
DQ	Sierra Leone	SLE	[47.10]	[0.252]
DQ	Lesotho	LES	[49.52]	[0.435]

Heat #1

Time	10:00

Pos	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time	Split	Exchange
1	United States	USA	42.49	0.269	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	Chryste Gaines		–	–	11.63 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Carlette Guidry-White		–	–	10.28 (1)	21.91 (1)
3rd Leg	Inger Miller		–	–	10.27 (1)	32.18 (1)
Anchor	Gwen Torrence		–	–	10.31 (2)	– (–)
2	The Bahamas	BAH	43.14	0.327	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	Eldece Clarke		–	–	11.81 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Savatheda Fynes		–	–	10.31 (2)	22.12 (2)
3rd Leg	Debbie Ferguson		–	–	10.73 (4)	32.85 (2)
Anchor	Pauline Davis		–	–	10.29 (1)	– (–)
3	Australia	AUS	43.75	0.300	– (–)	– (–)	q
Lead-Off	Sharon Cripps		–	–	12.22 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Kylie Hanigan		–	–	10.52 (3)	22.74 (3)		1
3rd Leg	Lauren Hewitt		–	–	10.42 (2)	33.16 (3)		2
Anchor	Jodi Lambert		–	–	10.59 (4)	– (–)
4	Colombia	COL	44.16	0.366	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Mirtha Brock		–	–	12.11 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Felipa Palacios		–	–	10.79 (5)	22.90 (5)
3rd Leg	Patricia Rodríguez		–	–	10.59 (3)	33.49 (4)
Anchor	Zandra Borrero		–	–	10.67 (5)	– (–)
5	Cuba	CUB	44.32	0.168	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Idalia Hechevarría		–	–	11.67 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Aliuska López		–	–	11.10 (7)	22.77 (4)
3rd Leg	Dainelky Pérez		–	–	10.77 (5)	33.54 (5)
Anchor	Liliana Allen		–	–	10.78 (6)	– (–)
6	United States Virgin Islands	ISV	46.09	0.372	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Maria Noel		–	–	12.48 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Ameerah Bello		–	–	10.70 (4)	23.18 (6)
3rd Leg	Jilma Patrick		–	–	11.40 (6)	34.58 (6)
Anchor	Rochelle Thomas		–	–	11.51 (7)	– (–)
DNF	Cameroon	CMR	–	0.239	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Myriam Mani		–	–	11.78 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Georgette N'Koma		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
3rd Leg	Edwige Abéna Fouda		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	Sylvie Mballa Éloundou		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
DNF	Antigua and Barbuda	ANT	45.09	0.210	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Sonia Williams		–	–	11.96 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Dine Potter		–	–	11.00 (6)	22.96 (6)
3rd Leg	Charmaine Thomas		–	–	11.72 (7)	34.68 (7)
Anchor	Heather Samuel		–	–	10.41 (3)	– (–)

Heat #2

Time	10:05

Pos	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time	Split	Exchange
1	Jamaica	JAM	43.36	0.293	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	Michelle Freeman		–	–	11.73 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Gillian Russell		–	–	10.51 (3)	22.24 (2)
3rd Leg	Nikole Mitchell		–	–	10.62 (2)	32.86 (1)
Anchor	Andria Lloyd		–	–	10.50 (2)	– (–)
2	Nigeria	NGR	43.54	0.270	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	Chioma Ajunwa		–	–	11.64 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Mary Tombiri-Shirey		–	–	10.38 (2)	22.02 (1)
3rd Leg	Christy Opara-Thompson		–	–	11.16 (4)	33.18 (2)
Anchor	Mary Onyali		–	–	10.36 (1)	– (–)
3	Great Britain	GBR	43.88	0.336	– (–)	– (–)	q
Lead-Off	Angie Thorp		–	–	11.93 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Marcia Richardson		–	–	10.91 (5)	22.84 (3)
3rd Leg	Simmone Jacobs		–	–	10.45 (1)	33.29 (3)
Anchor	Katharine Merry		–	–	10.59 (3)	– (–)
4	Thailand	THA	45.62	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Sunisa Kawrungruang		–	–	12.57 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Kwuanfah Inchareon		–	–	10.88 (4)	23.45 (4)
3rd Leg	Savitree Srichure		–	–	10.92 (3)	34.37 (4)
Anchor	Supaporn Hubson		–	–	11.25 (4)	– (–)
DNF	Germany	GER	–	0.246	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Andrea Philipp		–	–	11.74 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Silke Lichtenhagen		–	–	10.36 (1)	22.10 (2)
3rd Leg	Melanie Paschke		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	Silke Knoll		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
DNF	Madagascar	MAD	–	0.291	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Lantoniaina Ramalalanirina		–	–	11.88 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Hanitriniaina Rakotondrabé		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
3rd Leg	Nicole Ramalalanirina		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Anchor	Lalao Ravaoniriana		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
DQ	Lesotho	LES	[49.52]	[0.435]	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Sebongile Sello		–	–	[13.18] ([7])	– (–)
2nd Leg	M'apotlaki Ts'elho		–	–	[12.33] ([6])	[25.51] ([6])
3rd Leg	Nteboheleng Koaeana		–	–	[12.18] ([5])	[37.69] ([5])
Anchor	Lineo Shoai		–	–	[11.83] ([5])	– (–)

Heat #3

Time	10:10

Pos	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time	Split	Exchange
1	Russian Federation	RUS	43.00	0.236	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	Yekaterina Leshchova		–	–	11.74 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Galina Malchugina		–	–	10.61 (=4)	22.35 (3)
3rd Leg	Nataliya Pomoshchnikova-Voronova		–	–	10.43 (1)	32.78 (2)
Anchor	Irina Privalova		–	–	10.22 (1)	– (–)
2	France	FRA	43.09	0.231	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-Off	Sandra Citté		–	–	11.77 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Odiah Sidibé		–	–	10.47 (2)	22.24 (2)
3rd Leg	Delphine Combe		–	–	10.46 (2)	32.70 (1)
Anchor	Patricia Girard-Léno		–	–	10.39 (3)	– (–)
3	Bulgaria	BUL	44.19	0.342	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Desislava Dimitrova		–	–	12.38 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Petya Pendareva		–	–	10.61 (=4)	22.99 (5)
3rd Leg	Zlatka Georgieva		–	–	10.87 (3)	33.86 (5)
Anchor	Monika Gachevska		–	–	10.33 (2)	– (–)
4	Finland	FIN	44.21	0.201	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Johanna Manninen		–	–	11.73 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Sanna Hernesniemi		–	–	10.41 (1)	22.14 (1)
3rd Leg	Heidi Suomi		–	–	10.99 (5)	33.13 (3)
Anchor	Anu Pirttimaa		–	–	11.08 (6)	– (–)
5	Canada	CAN	44.34	0.255	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Katie Anderson		–	–	11.85 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Tara Perry		–	–	10.56 (3)	22.41 (4)
3rd Leg	LaDonna Antoine		–	–	10.90 (4)	33.31 (4)
Anchor	Lesley Tashlin		–	–	11.03 (4)	– (–)
DNF	Saint Kitts and Nevis	SKN	–	0.378	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Bernadeth Prentice		–	–	12.06 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Bernice Morton		–	–	10.63 (6)	22.69 (5)
3rd Leg	Elricia Francis		–	–	11.78 (7)	34.47 (6)
Anchor	Valma Bass		–	–	– (–)	– (–)
DQ	Sierra Leone	SLE	[47.10]	[0.252]	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Eunice Barber		–	–	[12.44] ([7])	– (–)
2nd Leg	Sia Kamanor		–	–	[11.85] ([7])	[24.29] ([7])
3rd Leg	Sama Fornah		–	–	[11.77] ([6])	[36.06] ([7])
Anchor	Melrose Mansaray		–	–	[11.04] ([5])	– (–)

Final Round

Date	3 August 1996 — 19:00

Pos	Competitors	NOC	Time (Automatic)	Reaction Time	Split	Exchange
1	United States	USA	41.95	0.292	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Chryste Gaines		–	–	11.57 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Gail Devers		–	–	10.03 (2)	21.60 (2)
3rd Leg	Inger Miller		–	–	10.38 (3)	31.98 (1)
Anchor	Gwen Torrence		–	–	9.97 (3)	– (–)
2	The Bahamas	BAH	42.14	0.166	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Eldece Clarke		–	–	11.56 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Chandra Sturrup		–	–	10.02 (1)	21.58 (1)
3rd Leg	Savatheda Fynes		–	–	10.46 (4)	32.04 (2)
Anchor	Pauline Davis		–	–	10.10 (5)	– (–)
3	Jamaica	JAM	42.24	0.337	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Michelle Freeman		–	–	11.72 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Juliet Cuthbert		–	–	10.11 (3)	21.83 (3)
3rd Leg	Nikole Mitchell		–	–	10.58 (6)	32.41 (4)
Anchor	Merlene Ottey		–	–	9.83 (1)	– (–)
4	Russian Federation	RUS	42.27	0.297	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Yekaterina Leshchova		–	–	11.52 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Galina Malchugina		–	–	10.34 (4)	21.86 (4)
3rd Leg	Nataliya Pomoshchnikova-Voronova		–	–	10.26 (1)	32.12 (3)
Anchor	Irina Privalova		–	–	10.15 (6)	– (–)
5	Nigeria	NGR	42.56	0.398	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Chioma Ajunwa		–	–	11.61 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Mary Tombiri-Shirey		–	–	10.42 (6)	22.03 (5)
3rd Leg	Christy Opara-Thompson		–	–	10.63 (7)	32.66 (5)
Anchor	Mary Onyali		–	–	9.90 (2)	– (–)
6	France	FRA	42.76	0.264	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Sandra Citté		–	–	11.78 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Odiah Sidibé		–	–	10.39 (5)	22.17 (6)
3rd Leg	Patricia Girard-Léno		–	–	10.50 (5)	32.67 (6)
Anchor	Marie-José Pérec		–	–	10.09 (4)	– (–)
7	Australia	AUS	43.70	0.336	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Sharon Cripps		–	–	12.11 (8)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Kylie Hanigan		–	–	10.61 (7)	22.72 (8)
3rd Leg	Lauren Hewitt		–	–	10.35 (2)	33.07 (7)
Anchor	Jodi Lambert		–	–	10.63 (8)	– (–)
8	Great Britain	GBR	43.93	0.170	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-Off	Angie Thorp		–	–	11.85 (7)	– (–)
2nd Leg	Marcia Richardson		–	–	10.82 (8)	22.67 (7)
3rd Leg	Simmone Jacobs		–	–	10.70 (8)	33.37 (8)
Anchor	Katharine Merry		–	–	10.56 (7)	– (–)