2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, December 13 to Sunday, December 18, 2022
- Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre, Melbourne, Australia
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France’s mixed 4×50 free relay team set a new world record by more than half a second on Friday night, combining for a time of 1:27.33 to take down the United States’ previous mark of 1:27.89 from 2018.
MIXED 4×50 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINALS
World Record: 1:27.89 – United States, 2018- Championship Record: 1:27.89 – United States, 2018
- 2021 Champion: 1:28.55 – Canada
RESULTS:
- GOLD: France – 1:27.33 (World Record)
- SILVER: Australia – 1:28.03
- BRONZE: Netherlands – 1:28.53
- United States – 1:29.18
- Japan – 1:30.05
- China – 1:30.18
- New Zealand – 1:30.38
- Brazil – 1:32.17
Maxime Grousset led off France’s quartet with a new personal best, dipping under 21 seconds for the first time with a 20.92. It was the third-fastest leadoff split in the field behind 23-year-old American Michael Andrew (20.81). Later in the session, the 23-year-old Grousset clocked another sub-21 time as the eighth qualifier in the 50 free semifinal (20.97).
Florent Manaudou swam the second leg for France, posting the fastest split in the field at 20.26. Later in the session, the 32-year-old threw down a time of 20.95 in the 50 free semis to qualify in the seventh spot just a couple hundredths of a second ahead of Grousset. Manaudou is the second-fastest swimmer ever in the event at 20.26, which stood as the world record until Caeleb Dressel reset it in 2020.
Beryl Gastaldello followed next with a 23.00 split featuring a reaction time of just .09. Her teammate, Melanie Henique, was even quicker off the blocks, cutting it close with a reaction time of .01 en route to a 23.15 split that clinched the new world record of 1:27.33.
Splits Comparison, Mixed 4×50 Free Relay Records
| France, 2022 | USA, 2018 | |
| 50 Free | Maxime Grousset, 20.92 | Caeleb Dressel, 20.43 |
| 50 Free | Florent Manaudou, 20.26 | Ryan Held, 20.60 |
| 50 Free | Beryl Gastaldello, 23.00 | Mallory Comerford, 23.44 |
| 50 Free | Melanie Henique, 23.15 | Kelsi Dahlia, 23.42 |
| 4×50 Free Relay Total | 1:27.33 | 1:27.89 |
France is just the second team ever to go sub-1:28 in this event after the U.S.’s former world record in 2018.
Top Mixed 4×50 Free Relay Teams in History
- France – 1:27.33 (2022)
- United States – 1:27.89 (2018)
- Russian Federation – 1:28.31 (2019)
- Netherlands – 1:28.39 (2017)
- Netherlands – 1:28.51 (2018)
Australia wasn’t far behind in 1:28.03 thanks to a 20.97 leadoff by Kyle Chalmers (third-fastest leadoff in the field) and a 22.62 anchor by Emma McKeon, the fastest split in the history of this event.
Fastest Women’s 50 Free Splits Ever
- Emma McKeon – 22.62 (2022)
- Ranomi Kromowidjojo – 22.70 (2009 and 2010)
- Emma McKeon – 22.73 (2022)
- Ranomi Kromowidjojo – 22.73 (2015)
- Kate Douglass – 22.77 (2022)
Netherlands picked up the bronze medal, fueled in large part by a 20.61 split from Thom de Boer. The United States finished just off the podium, swimming a 1:29.18.