| Date | 29 July 1992 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Piscinas Bernat Picornell, Barcelona |
| Participants | 81 from 18 countries |
The USA had never lost this event at the Olympics and had won the 1991 Worlds and Pan Pacs, but the remnants of the Soviet Union won the 1991 World Championships, and had already won the 4 x 200 in Barcelona, and qualified first for the final in this event, despite resting their best sprinter, Aleksandr Popov. In the final the Unified Team went ahead on the opener, with Pavlo Khnykin splitting 49.92, but Matt Biondi split 48.69 on the second leg, opening more than a full second lead on the Unifieds. The anchor saw the Unified Team put Popov on the blocks, but the US lead by then was 1.27 seconds. Popov split 47.83 on the anchor, not nearly enough as Jon Olsen came home in 48.28 to win gold for the USA. The final time of 3:16.74 was the second fastest ever, trailing only the winning time from Seoul. This was the first time that the Americans did not set the world record in winning the event at the Olympics.
| Date | 29 July 1992 — 12:30 |
|---|---|
| Format | Fastest eight advanced to the final. |
| Pos | Lane | Team | NOC | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Unified Team | EUN | 3:17.48 | ||
| 2 | – | United States | USA | 3:18.50 | ||
| 3 | – | Sweden | SWE | 3:18.92 | ||
| 4 | – | Germany | GER | 3:19.61 | ||
| 5 | – | Brazil | BRA | 3:20.50 | ||
| 6 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:21.41 | ||
| 7 | – | France | FRA | 3:22.01 | ||
| 8 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:22.24 | ||
| 9 | – | New Zealand | NZL | 3:23.09 | ||
| 10 | – | Italy | ITA | 3:23.43 | ||
| 11 | – | South Africa | RSA | 3:23.53 | ||
| 12 | – | Finland | FIN | 3:25.47 | ||
| 13 | – | Puerto Rico | PUR | 3:30.48 | ||
| 14 | – | Hong Kong | HKG | 3:30.61 | ||
| 15 | – | Bermuda | BER | 3:31.17 | ||
| 16 | – | Guam | GUM | 3:42.31 | ||
| 17 | – | Guatemala | GUA | 3:42.53 | ||
| 18 | – | United Arab Emirates | UAE | 3:51.60 |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | 50 metre Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | United States | USA | 3:18.50 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Joe Hudepohl | – | 23.94 | 49.78 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Shaun Jordan | – | 23.55 | 49.94 (2) | 1:39.72 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Joel Thomas | – | 23.83 | 50.04 (2) | 2:29.76 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Jon Olsen | – | 23.14 | 48.74 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Brazil | BRA | 3:20.50 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | José Carlos Souza | – | 24.35 | 51.24 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Gustavo Borges | – | 23.26 | 49.07 (1) | 1:40.31 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Emanuel Fortes | – | 23.93 | 49.72 (1) | 2:30.03 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Cristiano Michelena | – | 24.22 | 50.47 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Italy | ITA | 3:23.43 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Giorgio Lamberti | – | 24.51 | 51.12 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Emanuele Idini | – | 24.52 | 51.43 (3) | 1:42.55 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Roberto Gleria | – | 24.50 | 50.82 (3) | 2:33.37 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Massimo Trevisan | – | 24.11 | 50.06 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | Puerto Rico | PUR | 3:30.48 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Manuel Guzmán | – | 24.87 | 51.90 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Jorge Herrera | – | 25.82 | 54.62 (4) | 1:46.52 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | David Monasterio | – | 25.08 | 52.77 (4) | 2:39.29 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Ricardo Busquets | – | 24.84 | 51.19 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Guam | GUM | 3:42.31 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Adrian Romero | – | 26.52 | 55.37 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Ray Flores | – | 26.70 | 57.61 (5) | 1:52.98 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Frank Flores | – | 26.96 | 55.69 (5) | 2:48.67 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Patrick Sagisi | – | 25.12 | 53.64 (5) | – (–) |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | 50 metre Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Sweden | SWE | 3:18.92 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Håkan Karlsson | – | 24.31 | 50.20 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Göran Titus | – | 23.63 | 50.54 (4) | 1:40.74 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Fredrik Letzler | – | 23.25 | 49.18 (1) | 2:29.92 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Tom Werner | – | 23.61 | 49.00 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Germany | GER | 3:19.61 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Mark Pinger | – | 23.80 | 49.75 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Andreas Szigat | – | 24.45 | 50.27 (2) | 1:40.02 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Dirk Richter | – | 23.45 | 49.73 (2) | 2:29.75 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Bengt Zikarsky | – | 23.53 | 49.86 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:21.41 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Mike Fibbens | – | 24.86 | 51.23 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Mark Foster | – | 23.19 | 49.93 (1) | 1:41.16 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Paul Howe | – | 24.07 | 50.31 (3) | 2:31.47 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Roland Lee | – | 23.80 | 49.94 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | New Zealand | NZL | 3:23.09 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | John Steel | – | 24.87 | 50.76 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Nick Sanders | – | 23.65 | 50.50 (3) | 1:41.26 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Trent Bray | – | 24.25 | 51.31 (4) | 2:32.57 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Mark Weldon | – | 23.73 | 50.52 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Finland | FIN | 3:25.47 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Jani Sievinen | – | 24.81 | 51.53 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Janne Vermasheinä | – | 25.04 | 51.76 (5) | 1:43.29 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Janne Blomqvist | – | 24.57 | 51.39 (5) | 2:34.68 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Vesa Hanski | – | 24.07 | 50.79 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Hong Kong | HKG | 3:30.61 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Arthur Li | – | 25.12 | 51.93 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Wu Tat Cheung | – | 25.62 | 53.28 (6) | 1:45.21 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Kelvin Li | – | 25.04 | 53.38 (6) | 2:38.59 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Michael Wright | – | 24.72 | 52.02 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | United Arab Emirates | UAE | 3:51.60 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Ahmad Faraj | – | 27.32 | 56.03 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Obaid Al-Rumaithi | – | 28.15 | 59.79 (7) | 1:55.82 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Abdullah Sultan | – | 28.08 | 58.64 (7) | 2:54.46 (7) | |||
| Anchor | – | Mohamed Bin Abid | – | 28.03 | 57.14 (7) | – (–) |
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | 50 metre Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Unified Team | EUN | 3:17.48 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Pavlo Khnykin | – | 24.01 | 49.82 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Vladimir Pyshnenko | – | 23.58 | 49.31 (1) | 1:39.13 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Veniamin Tayanovich | – | 23.52 | 49.52 (1) | 2:28.65 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Iurie Bașcatov | – | 23.26 | 48.83 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | France | FRA | 3:22.01 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Stéphan Caron | – | 24.45 | 50.33 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Frédéric Lefèvre | – | 23.63 | 50.29 (3) | 1:40.62 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Ludovic Dépickère | – | 24.62 | 51.02 (3) | 2:31.64 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Bruno Gutzeit | – | 24.27 | 50.37 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:22.24 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Chris Fydler | – | 24.65 | 50.67 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Andrew Baildon | – | 24.55 | 50.68 (4) | 1:41.35 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Tom Stachewicz | – | 24.48 | 50.56 (2) | 2:31.91 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Darren Lange | – | 23.97 | 50.33 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | South Africa | RSA | 3:23.53 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Darryl Cronje | – | 24.66 | 51.07 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Peter Williams | – | 23.47 | 50.06 (2) | 1:41.13 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Seddon Keyter | – | 24.69 | 51.12 (4) | 2:32.25 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Craig Jackson | – | 24.09 | 51.28 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Bermuda | BER | 3:31.17 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Ian Raynor | – | 25.23 | 53.07 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Mike Cash | – | 25.05 | 52.35 (5) | 1:45.42 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Craig Morbey | – | 25.25 | 53.51 (5) | 2:38.93 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Geri Mewett | – | 24.88 | 52.24 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Guatemala | GUA | 3:42.53 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Andrés Sedano | – | 26.75 | 55.51 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Roberto Bonilla | – | 26.56 | 55.68 (6) | 1:51.19 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Helder Torres | – | 27.13 | 56.95 (6) | 2:48.14 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Gustavo Búcaro | – | 26.18 | 54.39 (6) | – (–) |
| Date | 29 July 1992 — 20:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Competitors | NOC | Time | 50 metre Time | Split | Exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | United States | USA | 3:16.74 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Joe Hudepohl | – | 24.09 | 50.05 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Matt Biondi | – | 22.82 | 48.69 (1) | 1:38.74 (1) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Tom Jager | – | 23.24 | 49.72 (1) | 2:28.46 (1) | |||
| Anchor | – | Jon Olsen | – | 22.86 | 48.28 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2 | – | Unified Team | EUN | 3:17.56 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Pavlo Khnykin | – | 23.99 | 49.92 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Gennady Prigoda | – | 22.55 | 50.05 (7) | 1:39.97 (4) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Iurie Bașcatov | – | 23.87 | 49.76 (2) | 2:29.73 (3) | |||
| Anchor | – | Aleksandr Popov | – | 22.98 | 47.83 (1) | – (–) | |||
| 3 | – | Germany | GER | 3:17.90 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Christian Tröger | – | 24.26 | 49.97 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Dirk Richter | – | 23.51 | 49.35 (3) | 1:39.32 (2) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Steffen Zesner | – | 23.83 | 49.78 (3) | 2:29.10 (2) | |||
| Anchor | – | Mark Pinger | – | 22.95 | 48.80 (4) | – (–) | |||
| 4 | – | France | FRA | 3:19.16 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Christophe Kalfayan | – | 24.41 | 50.21 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Franck Schott | – | 23.96 | 49.83 (4) | 1:40.04 (5) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Frédéric Lefèvre | – | 24.12 | 50.47 (6) | 2:30.51 (6) | |||
| Anchor | – | Stéphan Caron | – | 23.27 | 48.65 (3) | – (–) | |||
| 5 | – | Sweden | SWE | 3:20.10 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Tom Werner | – | 24.44 | 49.93 (2) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Håkan Karlsson | – | 23.78 | 49.88 (5) | 1:39.81 (3) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Fredrik Letzler | – | 24.26 | 50.60 (7) | 2:30.41 (5) | |||
| Anchor | – | Anders Holmertz | – | 23.75 | 49.69 (5) | – (–) | |||
| 6 | – | Brazil | BRA | 3:20.99 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | José Carlos Souza | – | 25.00 | 51.15 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Gustavo Borges | – | 23.35 | 48.90 (2) | 1:40.05 (6) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Emanuel Fortes | – | 23.81 | 50.01 (4) | 2:30.06 (4) | |||
| Anchor | – | Cristiano Michelena | – | 24.11 | 50.93 (8) | – (–) | |||
| 7 | – | Great Britain | GBR | 3:21.75 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Roland Lee | – | 24.79 | 50.97 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Mark Foster | – | 23.01 | 50.00 (6) | 1:40.97 (7) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Mike Fibbens | – | 23.83 | 50.45 (5) | 2:31.42 (7) | |||
| Anchor | – | Paul Howe | – | 24.11 | 50.33 (7) | – (–) | |||
| 8 | – | Australia | AUS | 3:22.04 | – | – (–) | – (–) | ||
| Lead-off | – | Chris Fydler | – | 24.65 | 50.38 (6) | – (–) | |||
| 2nd Leg | – | Andrew Baildon | – | 23.94 | 50.70 (8) | 1:41.08 (8) | |||
| 3rd Leg | – | Tom Stachewicz | – | 24.35 | 50.65 (8) | 2:31.73 (8) | |||
| Anchor | – | Darren Lange | – | 24.23 | 50.31 (6) | – (–) |