{"id":325056,"date":"2018-08-10T04:49:47","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T11:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=325056"},"modified":"2019-06-06T09:59:09","modified_gmt":"2019-06-06T16:59:09","slug":"maddie-groves-holds-off-katie-ledecky-australia-seals-4x200-free-relay-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/maddie-groves-holds-off-katie-ledecky-australia-seals-4x200-free-relay-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Maddie Groves Holds Off Katie Ledecky; Australia Seals 4×200 Free Relay Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia got off to a fast start. The United States did not. At the halfway point, the Australians were under world record pace and the Americans were in last. It was slightly misleading because Canada and Japan put their best swimmers in the second spot while Australians led off with their best two, leaving the Americans with their best swimmer on the anchor leg.<\/p>\n

Australia’s\u00a0Ariarne Titmus\u00a0<\/strong>(1:55.27)\u00a0and\u00a0Emma McKeon<\/strong>\u00a0(1:55.66)\u00a0put Australia in great position up front, leaving the rest of the field to try and catch up. The Americans almost did with\u00a0Katie Ledecky\u00a0<\/strong>charging home at 1:53.84, but it was not enough as anchor leg\u00a0Maddie Groves<\/strong>\u00a0(1:56.47)\u00a0held on to give Australia its third gold medal of the night at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

Ledecky has been faster in a relay, going 1:53.74 to anchor Team USA in Rio two years ago. It is still one of the fastest splits of all-time, not far behind the quickest ever in\u00a0Federica Pellegrini’s\u00a0<\/strong>1:53.45 from 2009.<\/p>\n

Titmus, McKeon,\u00a0Mikkayla Sheridan\u00a0<\/strong>(1:56.72) and Groves took home the gold medal at 7:44.12, breaking the meet record from 2014 set by the Americans.<\/p>\n

The United States was second with\u00a0Allison Schmitt\u00a0<\/strong>(1:58.62),\u00a0Leah Smith\u00a0<\/strong>(1:56.44),\u00a0Katie McLaughlin\u00a0<\/strong>(1:55.47) and Ledecky at 7:44.37. This is also the first time the Americans have been beaten in this relay since the 2009 World Championships when they were second.<\/p>\n

Canada’s\u00a0Kayla Sanchez\u00a0<\/strong>(1:58.37),\u00a0Taylor Ruck\u00a0<\/strong>(1:54.08),\u00a0Rebecca Smith\u00a0<\/strong>(1:58.08) and\u00a0Mackenzie Padington\u00a0<\/strong>(1:56.75) finished with the bronze at 7:47.28.<\/p>\n

Japan put up a good fight for fourth at 7:48.96 for a new Japanese record, lowering their 7:50.43 from last year’s Worlds.\u00a0Rikako Ikee\u00a0<\/strong>notably split a 1:54.69 on their relay.<\/p>\n

The top four teams would have finished well ahead of everyone at the European Championships<\/a> earlier this week as Great Britain won that title with a 7:51.<\/p>\n

2018 World Rankings:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Australia, 7:44.12<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. United States, 7:44.37<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Canada, 7:47.28<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Japan, 7:48.96<\/em><\/li>\n
  5. Great Britain, 7:51.65<\/li>\n
  6. Russia, 7:52.87<\/li>\n
  7. Germany, 7:53.76<\/li>\n
  8. France, 7:53.86<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"4x200-free-relay-women\"

    Photo Courtesy:<\/p><\/div>\n