| | Event type

4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women

Date	16 September 2000
Status	Olympic
Location	Sydney International Aquatic Centre, Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales
Participants	61 from 13 countries

By the standard of previous years, the winning United States team were positively geriatric – they were on average 27-years-old. They were also on a completely different level to their competition. The US lead was half-a-second on the first changeover and they stretched their lead through the race. Their winning time of 3:36.51 smashed the world record set by China as they won the world title in 1998. In Sydney the Chinese team, who had been dogged by drug allegations and loss of form, failed to reach the final. The silver medal was only decided on the last leg with Inge de Bruijn producing a virtuoso performance to bring the Netherlands up from sixth to second ahead of Sweden.

Pos	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	United States	USA	3:40.88 (1 h2)	3:36.61 (1)	Gold
	Amy Van Dyken		–	–
	Dara Torres		–	–
	Courtney Shealy		–	–
	Jenny Thompson		–	–
	Erin Phenix		–	–
	Ashley Tappin		–	–
2	Netherlands	NED	3:42.32 (2 h2)	3:39.83 (2)	Silver
	Manon van Rooijen		–	–
	Wilma van Rijn		–	–
	Thamar Henneken		–	–
	Inge de Bruijn		–	–
	Chantal Groot		–	–
3	Sweden	SWE	3:43.77 (2 h1)	3:40.30 (3)	Bronze
	Louise Jöhncke		–	–
	Therèse Alshammar		–	–
	Johanna Sjöberg		–	–
	Anna-Karin Kammerling		–	–
	Josefin Lillhage		–	–
	Malin Svahnström		–	–
4	Germany	GER	3:43.22 (3 h2)	3:40.31 (4)
	Antje Buschschulte		–	–
	Katrin Meißner		–	–
	Franziska van Almsick		–	–
	Kerstin Kielgaß		–	–
	Daniela Samulski		–	–
	Britta Steffen		–	–
	Sandra Völker		–	–
5	Great Britain	GBR	3:42.47 (1 h1)	3:40.54 (5)
	Karen Pickering		–	–
	Alison Sheppard		–	–
	Rosalind Brett		–	–
	Sue Rolph		–	–
6	Australia	AUS	3:43.56 (4 h2)	3:40.91 (6)
	Susie O'Neill		–	–
	Sarah Ryan		–	–
	Elka Graham		–	–
	Giaan Rooney		–	–
	Mel Dodd		–	–
7	Canada	CAN	3:43.82 (3 h1)	3:42.92 (7)
	Marianne Limpert		–	–
	Shannon Shakespeare		–	–
	Laura Nicholls		–	–
	Jessica Deglau		–	–
8	Italy	ITA	3:43.97 (4 h1)	3:44.49 (8)
	Cecilia Vianini		–	–
	Luisa Striani		–	–
	Sara Parise		–	–
	Cristina Chiuso		–	–
9	People's Republic of China	CHN	3:46.62 (5 h2)	–
	Han Xue		–	–
	Li Jin		–	–
	Sun Dan		–	–
	Yang Yu		–	–
10	Russian Federation	RUS	3:46.79 (5 h1)	–
	Marina Chepurkova		–	–
	Yekaterina Kibalo		–	–
	Inna Yaitskaya		–	–
	Lyubov Yudina		–	–
11	Belgium	BEL	3:46.91 (6 h2)	–
	Tine Bossuyt		–	–
	Liesbet Dreesen		–	–
	Sofie Goffin		–	–
	Nina Van Koeckhoven		–	–
12	Romania	ROU	3:48.78 (6 h1)	–
	Lorena Diaconescu		–	–
	Carmen Herea		–	–
	Diana Mocanu		–	–
	Camelia Potec		–	–
13	Ukraine	UKR	3:49.11 (7 h2)	–
	Nadiya Beshevli		–	–
	Olena Lapunova		–	–
	Olha Mukomol		–	–
	Valentyna Trehub		–	–

Round One

Date	16 September 2000
Format	Fastest 8 advanced to the final round.

Pos	Lane	Team	NOC	Time
1	4	United States	USA	3:40.88	Q
2	6	Netherlands	NED	3:42.32	Q
3	4	Great Britain	GBR	3:42.47	Q
4	5	Germany	GER	3:43.22	Q
5	3	Australia	AUS	3:43.56	Q
6	5	Sweden	SWE	3:43.77	Q
7	3	Canada	CAN	3:43.82	Q
8	6	Italy	ITA	3:43.97	Q
9	7	People's Republic of China	CHN	3:46.62
10	7	Russian Federation	RUS	3:46.79
11	2	Belgium	BEL	3:46.91
12	2	Romania	ROU	3:48.78
13	1	Ukraine	UKR	3:49.11

Heat #1

Time	12:18

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time	Reaction Time	50 m Time	Split	Exchange
1	4	Great Britain	GBR	3:42.47	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Alison Sheppard		–	0.82	27.14	56.16 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Rosalind Brett		–	0.27	26.34	55.63 (1)	1:51.79 (2)
3rd Leg	–	Karen Pickering		–	0.27	26.63	55.29 (1)	2:47.08 (1)
Anchor	–	Sue Rolph		–	0.22	26.19	55.39 (2)	– (–)
2	5	Sweden	SWE	3:43.77	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Louise Jöhncke		–	0.81	26.61	56.27 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Josefin Lillhage		–	0.24	26.83	57.00 (5)	1:53.27 (4)
3rd Leg	–	Malin Svahnström		–	0.33	26.78	56.73 (5)	2:50.00 (4)
Anchor	–	Therèse Alshammar		–	0.18	25.75	53.77 (1)	– (–)
3	3	Canada	CAN	3:43.82	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Marianne Limpert		–	0.81	27.01	55.87 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Shannon Shakespeare		–	0.21	27.08	55.80 (2)	1:51.67 (1)
3rd Leg	–	Jessica Deglau		–	0.36	27.18	56.23 (4)	2:47.90 (2)
Anchor	–	Laura Nicholls		–	0.27	26.47	55.92 (4)	– (–)
4	6	Italy	ITA	3:43.97	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Cecilia Vianini		–	0.87	26.92	56.10 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Luisa Striani		–	0.29	27.76	56.29 (3)	1:52.39 (3)
3rd Leg	–	Sara Parise		–	0.35	26.90	55.73 (2)	2:48.12 (3)
Anchor	–	Cristina Chiuso		–	0.12	26.53	55.85 (3)	– (–)
5	7	Russian Federation	RUS	3:46.79	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Lyubov Yudina		–	0.88	27.87	57.74 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Marina Chepurkova		–	0.40	26.77	56.79 (4)	1:54.53 (5)
3rd Leg	–	Yekaterina Kibalo		–	0.14	26.38	56.02 (3)	2:50.55 (5)
Anchor	–	Inna Yaitskaya		–	0.16	26.73	56.24 (5)	– (–)
6	2	Romania	ROU	3:48.78	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Carmen Herea		–	0.82	27.52	57.28 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Lorena Diaconescu		–	0.36	27.87	57.77 (6)	1:55.05 (6)
3rd Leg	–	Diana Mocanu		–	0.66	28.02	57.26 (6)	2:52.31 (6)
Anchor	–	Camelia Potec		–	0.37	27.26	56.47 (6)	– (–)

Heat #2

Time	12:25

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time	Reaction Time	50 m Time	Split	Exchange
1	4	United States	USA	3:40.88	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Ashley Tappin		–	0.72	26.98	55.47 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Erin Phenix		–	0.41	27.09	56.02 (3)	1:51.49 (2)
3rd Leg	–	Courtney Shealy		–	0.33	26.74	54.99 (=1)	2:46.48 (1)
Anchor	–	Amy Van Dyken		–	0.43	26.21	54.40 (1)	– (–)
2	6	Netherlands	NED	3:42.32	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Manon van Rooijen		–	0.83	27.18	56.15 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Chantal Groot		–	0.25	26.37	56.07 (4)	1:52.22 (4)
3rd Leg	–	Thamar Henneken		–	0.22	26.29	54.99 (=1)	2:47.21 (3)
Anchor	–	Wilma van Rijn		–	0.41	25.99	55.11 (2)	– (–)
3	5	Germany	GER	3:43.22	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Katrin Meißner		–	0.82	26.78	55.22 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Britta Steffen		–	0.64	26.94	55.77 (2)	1:50.99 (1)
3rd Leg	–	Daniela Samulski		–	0.26	26.74	56.18 (3)	2:47.17 (2)
Anchor	–	Kerstin Kielgaß		–	0.35	27.38	56.05 (5)	– (–)
4	3	Australia	AUS	3:43.56	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	Q
Lead-off	–	Elka Graham		–	0.85	27.23	56.81 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Sarah Ryan		–	0.23	26.16	54.94 (1)	1:51.75 (3)
3rd Leg	–	Mel Dodd		–	0.47	27.15	56.31 (4)	2:48.06 (4)
Anchor	–	Giaan Rooney		–	0.28	26.30	55.50 (=3)	– (–)
5	7	People's Republic of China	CHN	3:46.62	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Han Xue		–	0.71	27.07	56.99 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Li Jin		–	0.20	27.20	56.88 (6)	1:53.87 (6)
3rd Leg	–	Sun Dan		–	0.26	27.77	57.25 (6)	2:51.12 (6)
Anchor	–	Yang Yu		–	0.27	26.64	55.50 (=3)	– (–)
6	2	Belgium	BEL	3:46.91	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Nina Van Koeckhoven		–	0.81	27.46	56.62 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Liesbet Dreesen		–	0.06	26.55	56.69 (5)	1:53.31 (5)
3rd Leg	–	Sofie Goffin		–	0.08	27.26	56.72 (5)	2:50.03 (5)
Anchor	–	Tine Bossuyt		–	0.17	26.59	56.88 (7)	– (–)
7	1	Ukraine	UKR	3:49.11	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Nadiya Beshevli		–	0.78	27.72	57.68 (7)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Valentyna Trehub		–	0.34	26.98	57.39 (7)	1:55.07 (7)
3rd Leg	–	Olena Lapunova		–	0.30	27.47	57.60 (7)	2:52.67 (7)
Anchor	–	Olha Mukomol		–	0.48	26.70	56.44 (6)	– (–)

Final Round

Date	16 September 2000 — 20:05

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time	Reaction Time	50 m Time	Split	Exchange
1	4	United States	USA	3:36.61	–	–	– (–)	– (–)	OR
Lead-off	–	Amy Van Dyken		–	0.73	26.75	55.08 (2)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Dara Torres		–	0.20	25.66	53.51 (1)	1:48.59 (1)
3rd Leg	–	Courtney Shealy		–	0.24	26.17	54.40 (1)	2:42.99 (1)
Anchor	–	Jenny Thompson		–	0.31	25.98	53.62 (2)	– (–)
2	5	Netherlands	NED	3:39.83	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Manon van Rooijen		–	0.83	27.14	56.35 (8)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Wilma van Rijn		–	0.27	26.11	55.19 (7)	1:51.54 (7)
3rd Leg	–	Thamar Henneken		–	0.17	25.89	54.88 (2)	2:46.42 (6)
Anchor	–	Inge de Bruijn		–	0.22	25.23	53.41 (1)	– (–)
3	7	Sweden	SWE	3:40.30	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Louise Jöhncke		–	0.83	27.09	55.93 (4)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Therèse Alshammar		–	0.28	25.94	53.78 (2)	1:49.71 (3)
3rd Leg	–	Johanna Sjöberg		–	0.26	25.98	55.06 (5)	2:44.77 (2)
Anchor	–	Anna-Karin Kammerling		–	0.32	26.16	55.53 (5)	– (–)
4	6	Germany	GER	3:40.31	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Antje Buschschulte		–	0.85	26.93	55.67 (3)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Katrin Meißner		–	0.33	26.45	54.92 (4)	1:50.59 (4)
3rd Leg	–	Franziska van Almsick		–	0.27	26.67	55.02 (4)	2:45.61 (4)
Anchor	–	Sandra Völker		–	0.07	25.32	54.70 (4)	– (–)
5	3	Great Britain	GBR	3:40.54	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Karen Pickering		–	0.77	27.18	56.01 (6)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Alison Sheppard		–	0.16	25.71	54.95 (5)	1:50.96 (5)
3rd Leg	–	Rosalind Brett		–	0.17	25.52	54.92 (3)	2:45.88 (5)
Anchor	–	Sue Rolph		–	0.23	26.03	54.66 (3)	– (–)
6	2	Australia	AUS	3:40.91	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Susie O'Neill		–	0.75	26.32	54.79 (1)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Sarah Ryan		–	0.19	25.96	54.80 (3)	1:49.59 (2)
3rd Leg	–	Elka Graham		–	0.20	26.44	55.57 (7)	2:45.16 (3)
Anchor	–	Giaan Rooney		–	0.34	26.70	55.75 (6)	– (–)
7	1	Canada	CAN	3:42.92	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Marianne Limpert		–	0.82	26.90	56.32 (7)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Shannon Shakespeare		–	0.20	26.31	55.10 (6)	1:51.42 (6)
3rd Leg	–	Laura Nicholls		–	0.28	26.33	55.30 (6)	2:46.72 (7)
Anchor	–	Jessica Deglau		–	0.25	27.09	56.20 (7)	– (–)
8	8	Italy	ITA	3:44.49	–	–	– (–)	– (–)
Lead-off	–	Cecilia Vianini		–	0.84	27.14	55.96 (5)	– (–)
2nd Leg	–	Luisa Striani		–	0.25	27.56	56.22 (8)	1:52.18 (8)
3rd Leg	–	Sara Parise		–	0.16	26.96	55.88 (8)	2:48.06 (8)
Anchor	–	Cristina Chiuso		–	0.21	27.12	56.43 (8)	– (–)