(Fukuoka = Yonhap) By Lee Dae-ho = Australia has won the men’s and women’s 400-meter freestyle relay at the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
The Australian women were the first to claim gold.
The Australian team of Molly O’Callaghan, Shana Jack, Meg Harrison and Emma McKeon swam a world record time of 3:27.96 to win the women’s 400-meter medley relay final at Fukuoka Hall, Marine Messe Fukuoka, Japan, on Wednesday.
The new world record is 1.73 seconds faster than the 3:29.69 set by Team Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021.
McKeon and Harrison, who were part of the gold medal team at the Tokyo Olympics, also broke the world record in Fukuoka and stood atop the podium.
The Australian women’s team won their third straight title in the event.
The United States, who finished in 3:31.93, was second, while China took third with an Asian record of 3:32.40 (previously 3:34.76 China). China, which won the title in Rome in 1994, won its first women’s 400-meter medal in 29 years.
The men’s 400-meter freestyle relay final followed, with Australia’s team of Jack Cartwright, Flynn Southam, Kai James Taylor and Kyle Chalmers winning in 3:10.16.
It was the first time in 12 years that the Australian men’s relay team has won the world title in the event since Shanghai 2011.
Italy was second in 3:10.49, followed by the United States, which was looking to win its fourth straight title, in third in 3:10.81.
Despite not winning a medal, 스포츠토토 China also did well to finish fourth with an Asian record of 3:11.38 (previously set by Japan in 3:12.54).