| Date | 2 August 1984 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Olympic Swim Stadium, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California |
| Participants | 99 from 23 countries |
It had been 1962 since the world records was held by a nation other than the United States. The current world mark was set by the US team that won the 1982 World Championships, and with this history, there was little reason to expect a different conclusion. In the heats the USA sent out their B team, and unlike in other years, when they were good enough to qualify first, this time they placed only second to move on to the final. The Americans won once again, and bettered their own world record with a time of 3:19.03. But it was close this time. Australia placed second, only .65 seconds behind the gold medalists. The American team led through most of the race although Australia edged ahead at the end of the second leg, and on the anchor, Mark Stockwell passed the US’s Rowdy Gaines just before the final turn, forcing Gaines to claw back with a strong second lap to secure the gold.
| Date | 2 August 1984 — 10:45 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Team | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:19.94 | ||
| 2 | – | United States | USA | 3:20.14 | ||
| 3 | – | Sweden | SWE | 3:23.86 | ||
| 4 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:24.59 | ||
| 5 | – | France | FRA | 3:24.68 | ||
| 6 | – | West Germany | FRG | 3:24.69 | ||
| 7 | – | Italy | ITA | 3:25.37 | ||
| 8 | – | Canada | CAN | 3:25.94 | ||
| 9 | – | Switzerland | SUI | 3:26.61 | ||
| 10 | – | Brazil | BRA | 3:27.33 | ||
| 11 | – | Netherlands | NED | 3:27.60 | ||
| 12 | – | Venezuela | VEN | 3:30.24 | ||
| 13 | – | Japan | JPN | 3:30.45 | ||
| 14 | – | Puerto Rico | PUR | 3:30.66 | ||
| 15 | – | People's Republic of China | CHN | 3:30.82 | ||
| 16 | – | Mexico | MEX | 3:33.86 | ||
| 17 | – | Singapore | SGP | 3:34.63 | ||
| 18 | – | Jamaica | JAM | 3:34.87 | ||
| 19 | – | Turkey | TUR | 3:36.54 | ||
| 20 | – | United States Virgin Islands | ISV | 3:43.49 | ||
| 21 | – | Guatemala | GUA | 3:52.18 | ||
| 22 | – | Honduras | HON | 3:55.87 | ||
| – | Egypt | EGY | – |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | West Germany | FRG | 3:24.69 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Dirk Korthals | – | 51.31 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Alexander Schowtka | – | 50.90 (2) | 1:42.21 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Nicolaj Klapkarek | – | 51.27 (1) | 2:33.48 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Andreas Schmidt | – | 51.21 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Switzerland | SUI | 3:26.61 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Dano Halsall | – | 51.68 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Stéfan Voléry | – | 50.24 (1) | 1:41.92 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Thierry Jacot | – | 52.33 (2) | 2:34.25 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Roger Birrer | – | 52.36 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Venezuela | VEN | 3:30.24 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Alberto Mestre | – | 51.18 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Alberto José Umaña | – | 53.13 (5) | 1:44.31 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Rafael Vidal | – | 53.15 (4) | 2:37.46 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Jean-Marie François | – | 52.78 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | People's Republic of China | CHN | 3:30.82 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Mu Lati | – | 52.21 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Feng Dawei | – | 52.81 (4) | 1:45.02 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Chen Qin | – | 53.31 (5) | 2:38.33 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Shen Jianqiang | – | 52.49 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Mexico | MEX | 3:33.86 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | José Medina | – | 54.12 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Ramiro Estrada | – | 52.39 (3) | 1:46.51 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | César Sánchez | – | 54.05 (6) | 2:40.56 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Carlos Romo | – | 53.30 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Jamaica | JAM | 3:34.87 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Andrew Phillips | – | 52.97 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Deryck Marks | – | 54.44 (6) | 1:47.41 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Allan Marsh | – | 52.97 (3) | 2:40.38 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Gordon Scarlett | – | 54.49 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | United States Virgin Islands | ISV | 3:43.49 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Erik Rosskopf | – | 55.40 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Brian Farlow | – | 57.77 (7) | 1:53.17 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Collier Woolard | – | 55.76 (7) | 2:48.93 (7) | |||
| Anchor | – | Scott Newkirk | – | 54.56 (7) | – (–) |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Sweden | SWE | 3:23.86 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Rikard Milton | – | 51.80 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Michael Söderlund | – | 50.98 (2) | 1:42.78 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Mikael Örn | – | 50.89 (1) | 2:33.67 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Per Johansson | – | 50.19 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | France | FRA | 3:24.68 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Stéphan Caron | – | 50.83 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Laurent Neuville | – | 50.84 (1) | 1:41.67 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Dominique Bataille | – | 51.77 (3) | 2:33.44 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Bruno Lesaffre | – | 51.24 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Brazil | BRA | 3:27.33 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Cyro Delgado | – | 52.10 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Jorge Fernandes | – | 51.39 (3) | 1:43.49 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Djan Madruga | – | 52.44 (5) | 2:35.93 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Ronald Menezes | – | 51.40 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | Netherlands | NED | 3:27.60 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Edsard Schlingemann | – | 51.94 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Peter Drost | – | 52.69 (5) | 1:44.63 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Frank Drost | – | 51.59 (2) | 2:36.22 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Hans Kroes | – | 51.38 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Japan | JPN | 3:30.45 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Hiroshi Sakamoto | – | 52.31 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Shigeo Ogata | – | 52.22 (4) | 1:44.53 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Taihei Saka | – | 52.85 (6) | 2:37.38 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Satoshi Sumida | – | 53.07 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Puerto Rico | PUR | 3:30.66 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Fernando Canales | – | 51.90 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Miguel Figueroa | – | 53.63 (6) | 1:45.53 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Tony Portela | – | 51.92 (4) | 2:37.45 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Rafael Gandarillas | – | 53.21 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Honduras | HON | 3:55.87 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Salvador Covelo | – | 58.20 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Juan José Pino | – | 59.92 (7) | 1:58.12 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | David Galo | – | 58.66 (7) | 2:56.78 (7) | |||
| Anchor | – | Rodolfo Torres | – | 59.09 (7) | – (–) | |||
| – | Egypt | EGY | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Lead-off | – | Mohamed Youssef | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Sharif Nour | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Ahmed Ibrahim | – | – (–) | – (–) | |||
| Anchor | – | Ahmed Said | – | – (–) | – (–) |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:19.94 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Neil Brooks | – | 50.36 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Greg Fasala | – | 50.35 (2) | 1:40.71 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Michael Delany | – | 50.03 (2) | 2:30.74 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Mark Stockwell | – | 49.20 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | United States | USA | 3:20.14 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Matt Biondi | – | 50.50 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Chris Cavanaugh | – | 49.94 (1) | 1:40.44 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Tom Jager | – | 49.89 (1) | 2:30.33 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Robin Leamy | – | 49.81 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:24.59 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | David Lowe | – | 51.51 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Roland Lee | – | 51.37 (4) | 1:42.88 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Paul Easter | – | 51.03 (4) | 2:33.91 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Richard Burrell | – | 50.68 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | Italy | ITA | 3:25.37 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Marcello Guarducci | – | 51.49 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Raffaele Franceschi | – | 51.51 (5) | 1:43.00 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Metello Savino | – | 51.00 (3) | 2:34.00 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Marco Colombo | – | 51.37 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Canada | CAN | 3:25.94 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Sandy Goss | – | 51.82 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Alex Baumann | – | 51.14 (3) | 1:42.96 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Blair Hicken | – | 51.23 (5) | 2:34.19 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Levente Mady | – | 51.75 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Singapore | SGP | 3:34.63 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Ang Peng Siong | – | 51.18 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Oon Jin Teik | – | 54.53 (7) | 1:45.71 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | David Lim | – | 54.70 (7) | 2:40.41 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Oon Jin Gee | – | 54.22 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Turkey | TUR | 3:36.54 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Kemal Sadri Özün | – | 53.50 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | İhsan Sabri Özün | – | 53.94 (6) | 1:47.44 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Ahmet Nakkaş | – | 54.59 (6) | 2:42.03 (7) | |||
| Anchor | – | Gökhan Attaroğlu | – | 54.51 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | – | Guatemala | GUA | 3:52.18 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Rodrigo Leal | – | 58.39 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Fernando Marroquín | – | 58.33 (8) | 1:56.72 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Roberto Granados | – | 58.56 (8) | 2:55.28 (8) | |||
| Anchor | – | Ernesto José Degenhart | – | 56.90 (8) | – (–) |
| Date | 2 August 1984 — 17:15 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | United States | USA | 3:19.03 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Chris Cavanaugh | – | 50.83 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Mike Heath | – | 49.60 (2) | 1:40.43 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Matt Biondi | – | 49.67 (1) | 2:30.10 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Rowdy Gaines | – | 48.93 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:19.68 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Greg Fasala | – | 51.00 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Neil Brooks | – | 49.36 (1) | 1:40.36 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Michael Delany | – | 50.26 (2) | 2:30.62 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Mark Stockwell | – | 49.06 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Sweden | SWE | 3:22.69 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Thomas Lejdström | – | 51.29 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Bengt Baron | – | 50.83 (3) | 1:42.12 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Mikael Örn | – | 51.28 (=6) | 2:33.40 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Per Johansson | – | 49.29 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | West Germany | FRG | 3:22.98 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Dirk Korthals | – | 51.11 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Andreas Schmidt | – | 51.48 (8) | 1:42.59 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Alexander Schowtka | – | 50.91 (4) | 2:33.50 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Michael Groß | – | 49.48 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:23.61 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | David Lowe | – | 51.38 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Roland Lee | – | 51.17 (5) | 1:42.55 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Paul Easter | – | 50.82 (3) | 2:33.37 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Richard Burrell | – | 50.24 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | France | FRA | 3:24.63 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Stéphan Caron | – | 51.03 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Laurent Neuville | – | 51.38 (7) | 1:42.41 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Dominique Bataille | – | 51.17 (5) | 2:33.58 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Bruno Lesaffre | – | 51.05 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Canada | CAN | 3:24.70 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Dave Churchill | – | 51.73 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Blair Hicken | – | 51.13 (4) | 1:42.86 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Alex Baumann | – | 51.28 (=6) | 2:34.14 (7) | |||
| Anchor | – | Sandy Goss | – | 50.56 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | – | Italy | ITA | 3:24.97 | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Marcello Guarducci | – | 51.53 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Marco Colombo | – | 51.21 (6) | 1:42.74 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Metello Savino | – | 51.54 (8) | 2:34.28 (8) | |||
| Anchor | – | Fabrizio Rampazzo | – | 50.69 (7) | – (–) |