Tokyo Olympics: Australia smash world record to win women's 4x100m relay gold medal
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Gold medal glory for the Australian relay squad was never in doubt after they qualified for the final nearly two seconds clear of The Netherlands.
Australia shattered the women's 4x100m freestyle world record to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics Sunday, clocking 3mins 29.69 secs to better their own mark set three years ago.
The team of Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris and Bronte Campbell lowered the 3:30.05 Australia set at the 2018 Commonwealth Games to reinforce their dominance of the event.
Canada came second and the United States third.
Gold medal glory for the Australian relay squad was never in doubt after they qualified for the final nearly two seconds clear of The Netherlands.
Since taking nearly a full second off a super-suited world record in 2014, they have been dominant, winning the two previous Olympic golds, the 2019 world championships while setting two more world records in 2016 and 2018.
And they added to their glorious haul Sunday.
Emma McKeon swum the fifth fastest relay split in history over leg three to pull them clear after Bronte Campbell and Meg Harris gave them a decent start.
Sprint veteran Cate Campbell then brought the team home in 3:29.69 secs to better their own mark set three years ago.
Meanwhile, Rio Olympic runner-up Chase Kalisz went one better to claim gold in the men's 400m individual medley for the United States.
He led by a body length after 300 metres and came home strongly in 4mins 09.42secs ahead of second-placed compatriot Jay Litherland (4:10.28) and Australia's Brendon Smith (4:10.38)
"It means the world. This is the last thing I really wanted to accomplish in my swimming career," said Kalisz, who made the most of defending champion Kosuke Hagino opting not to swim the event on home soil.
"It was a dream of mine since as long as I can remember."
Adam Peaty's drive to become the first British swimmer to successfully defend an Olympic title was ramped up a notch when he hit the wall in 57.63 to lead the men into the 100m breaststroke final on Monday.
Dutchman Arno Kamminga was second quickest in 58.19.