2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
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- Day 5 Prelims Heat Sheet
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- Full 800 free relay prelims results
The Australian Olympic Committee has revealed that the country will unroll an entirely new foursome for finals of the women’s 800 free relay on Thursday morning.
According to the Australian Olympic Committee’s recap:
Intriguingly, McKeon scratched from the 200m freestyle at Tokyo but with it was revealed after Australia blitzed all opposition in the 4x200m freestyle relay heats that the Dolphins will field a completely new quartet for the final. That is an extraordinary demonstration of depth but with Ariarne Titmus winning the individual 200m freestyle here, Madi Wilson placing eighth in the final, McKeon holding the seventh fastest time in the event, 1:54.55, and – presumably either Cate Campbell or Leah Neale to be called upon, Australia looks like selecting an awesome quartet to race for gold.
Still, spare a thought for 17-year-old Molly O’Callaghan who posted a 1:55.11 in the lead-off leg, a time which knocked Bronte Barratt out of the 18th fastest time in history. After O’Callaghan the strong performances kept coming with Meg Harris (1.57.01), Brianna Throssell (1.56.46) and Tasmin Cook (1.56.03) all swam their hearts out, knowing that none of them would swim for gold on.
As pointed out in our relay substitutions breakdown here, O’Callaghan’s 1:55.11 leadoff leg gave the Australians a really difficult choice to make. Their hand is forced to use Leah Neale on the relay, because it’s the only event on her schedule, and Madi Wilson swam the event individually for Australia, and so there is some pressure to use her as well.
Emma McKeon and Ariarne Titmus are the country’s two best in the event, and so they’ll be added to the finals relay as well.
So even though O’Callaghan’s leadoff leg is faster than what we’ve seen from Neale or Wilson, they’ll both get the nod in the finals heat as the Australians race for gold. Technically, Australia did not name the finals group, but there are no obvious options beyond the four listed as substitutions below.
Australia (1st seed)
| AUSTRALIA PRELIMS | SUBSTITUTIONS |
| Mollie O’Callaghan – 1:55.11 |
Ariarne Titmus – 1:53.09
|
| Meg Harris – 1:57.01 |
Emma McKeon – 1:54.74
|
| Brianna Throssell – 1:56.46 |
Madi Wilson – 1:55.68
|
| Tamsin Cook – 1:56.03 |
Leah Neale – 1:56.08
|
| Time – 7:44.61 |
That probably doesn’t impact their chances at winning – they were 3 seconds ahead of the field in prelims, and the addition of McKeon and Titmus is far better than any other country has in reserve. It might, however, impact their chase for the World Record that Australia set at the 2019 World Championships.
That record-setting quartet was:
- Ariarne Titmus – 1:54.27
- Madi Wilson – 1:56.73
- Brianna Throssell – 1:55.60
- Emma McKeon – 1:54.90
- Final Time – 7:41.50
Thursday morning’s finals relay then will essentially swap in Neale (who swam a prelims leg at Worlds) for Throssell.
We don’t yet know Neale’s form at this meet, so she could come through and do her bit to still chase that record, but it’s going to be hard for her or Wilson to do better than O’Callaghan’s split from prelims.
All that and third place.
Should of put Neale in the heats instead of Throssel so she could rest for her 200 fly final then O’Callaghan could of got her spot in the final that she actually earned instead of Neale who’s been given a free pass and has a checkered history with relays 🙁
Couldn’t agree more a WJR to lead off was an amazing swim and she even out swam Wilson’s lifetime best she is well deserving of a final spot. I can still see Australia winning gold but I don’t see the WR going down anymore smh 😔
I agree that Neale should have swam the heats, but it’s pretty harsh to say Neale didn’t earn a spot. She qualified fourth in trials. To take her off the team now would basically be stealing a gold medal off her that she earned and should have got by doing the heats.
It’s a sucky situation but Neale has done nothing wrong. At least Mollie gets a medal either way. Neale could end up with nothing while four people who qualified below her get golds if they remove her.
Neale can’t be removed, she has to swim at least once, the heat was a far better option
I believe they can throw her on another relay heat instead? Just has to swim in at least one relay.
I agree she earned her spot that’s why I think she should swim the heats to fight for her final spot instead of having a free pass to the final. It’s her first race let’s hope she isn’t off her game
What’s happened has happened. They’ll probably still win gold and probably still break the world record. Yes, it may not have been the best decision, but no one could have predicted how fast O’Callaghan was going to swim that heat.
If the girls do lose gold and it’s because of the coaching decision, then let loose with your anger, but for now let’s just see what happens.
So many things wrong with this.
its hard to believe they didnt back the swimmers and leave the opportunity for the fastest to make the final.
Yes it looks like everyone gets a medal.
Obviously no faith in the rookie swimmers. Unfortunately they dont get the glory on the podium and they get half the cash ..O’Callaghan was robbed twice.
Yet she still ends up with two Olympic (probably gold) medals. How so many would kill to be robbed like that.
My god I hate the negativity that is often displayed on this site.
LETS GO LEAH
Australian coaches:
“We want to hand out an extra relay gold medal, so we’ll do a complete swap of the women’s 4×200 relay, leaving us no room to put in one of our heat swimmers if she pops. One of the swimmers we’re putting on our finals relay has a notoriously bad relay track record and hasn’t swum yet, so we have no idea what form she’s in. What could possibly go wrong?”
Pretty sure this is a direct quote from the discussion they were having about this.
two of our heat swimmers popped off in the 4×100, but they won’t be needed in the final
thanks bairnowl on your comment
I definitely agree that it was a mistake after all, but…
So O’Callaghan is more unlucky than she was rigged in any way, to 1) improve her PB in heat swim; 2) to be a part of the most stacked team in the world.
You’re clearly overreacting if you think that having Neale will impact anything more than how much they’ll improve a… Read more »
neale hasn’t swum this week, she’s a detriment to the relay when she is in the final and we have better options. she can swim any round of any relay to fulfill the above rule. put titmus/ocallaghan/wilson/mckeon in the 4×200, then put neale in the mixed medley relay heat
Neale is 54.3 on 100m, isn’t more risky than putting her on relay here?
What would you choose as O’Callaghan – additional medley/mixed relay swim (shot for another medal) or a place in the finals (shot for more ”worthy” medal)?
Relating to “health,” since there is less-than-zero transparency in those decisions, it’s hard to point to examples, but the sense you get from talking to coaches and athletes is that it’s not hard to sort of…find a reason. Especially for the bigger nations that are more adept at navigating the bureaucratic framework of these things.
hi coach, never and ever put madi wilson and neale, oz will lost gold medal then, it should be molly, harris, mckeon and titmus
“Never ever” is going too far, but Neale should’ve been tested in the heats.
yes correct sir
i really want molly, harris, mc keon and titmus in final
I can understand wanting Mollie O’Callaghan, but Wilson is faster than Harris, and has swam 3×200’s faster than Harris swam this morning. Harris was the slowest swimmer this morning. She swam slower in the 4×100 final than in the heat. No way Harris swims over Wilson.
Tasim Cook faster then Wilson, but only just.
I’m pretty sure that Neale hasn’t swum faster than 1:57:95 on a finals relay before and she is known to underperform on those. Her current form is also unknown.
Wilson also hasn’t been swimming great besides her individual 200m heat swim.
Maybe there is some margin for error, but they really shouldn’t play with fire like this. Not at the Olympics.
With that being said, I hope Neale has a good swim and shows us that all our concerns were for naught.
She’s have liked to have swam faster but I wouldn’t classify Wilson’s 200 free outings as sub-standard. She still made the final and 1.56 lowish is still very reputable. That would still equate to 1.55 middish flying start. No issues with her swimming finals.
Neale has only ever been entrusted with a finals swim twice; 2015 Worlds (1.58.29) and Rio (1.57.95). Her only “respectable” intl outing was Rio heats (1.57.06). Here’s hoping she WILL prove us wrong but its a risk that should not have been taken. Quite simply she should have swum the heats and justified her finals selection via being one of the 2 fastest legs.
She, herself, is not to blame for this but rather the committee… Read more »
Agree!!!
Is the Australian Olympic Committee playing mind games and messing with us? Cate Campbell’s 200m PB is 1:58:21 and she almost never swims that race. Thorpe raised the possibility of subbing in C1 too during the commentary. What is going on here.
from 4 years ago too. for a good in season swimmer, her best time this year is a 2:01 from march. never mind that she has a 100 free semi earlier in the session too
If Cate Campbell was able to swim a 1:57.5, Titmus split a 1:53.5, McKeon split a 1:54.5 and Wilson split a 1:55.8 they would still break the world record with a 7:40+ and these splits are arguably very conservative.
sure they maybe COULD, but I don’t see why that would even be on the table considering all 4 of the prelims swimmers have better times than Campbell unless she’s been going crazy at practice and the coaches are saving her as a trump card or something
no madi wilson and neale at all, oz will lost, why coach like to see this quartet from gold medal, stupid
Interesting note they did the exact same thing in Beijing when they shocked he Americans, did a complete swap (but in Beijing they were all the way in Lane 8 in the finals)