Australia edges U.S. for women's 4x200m free title
Australia's women's 4x200m freestyle relay team outlasted the United States at the Pan Pacific Championships thanks to a Championship Record time of 7:42.40.
Video Transcript
Rowdy, so much hardware, most of it golden relay-wise in freestyle for Australia women, but no Molly O'Callaghan, missing with a back injury.
You mentioned the likes of Ariarne Titmus, Shayna Jack, and others retired.
So, great experience for this group against Americans Gemmel and Peplowski, been on relay duty for Team USA the last couple of summers.
The teen phenom, Erismann there, with Ledecky front and center in the last leg.
Certainly some experience for the Americans here.
Three of the four return from that American record just last summer.
That could bode well for them here.
But this race, without a doubt, will come between Australia and the United States.
Canada may be an outside dark horse.
Take your marks.
Whenever you have Summer McIntosh swimming on a relay, you got a chance, but this all boils down to four swimmers coming together.
Well, the veteran Mary-Sophie Harvey for Canada will take the opening leg, trying to see if she can set the table to put Summer McIntosh in good position.
But right now in lane five, Erin Gemmel going for it early.
Again, Maryland native, now a college swimmer at Texas.
Again, part of some great relay squads for the United States at the Olympics and Worlds the last few summers.
I, it, I hope Erin Gemmel realizes this is an 800 free re- free relay and not a 400 free relay.
She is just blasting it out.
And again, when you talk about momentum, everything is such a key here.
But you've gotta swim it now in the back half.
55.4 on the way out.
That is unbelievable.
She was 6 in the 200 freestyle, 1:56 flat.
Basically went that twice in the 200 freestyle.
But Australia, and Ines Miller, who finished 9th, was 1:55 plus.
She's right there just above Gemmel, and now Gemmel's starting to come back.
You can see the turnover starting to slow down just a little bit.
Still having the lead.
She doesn't necessarily have to have the lead here though, Jason, because she finished time-wise behind Miller.
Miller was faster, 1:55.6, but she is hurting right now, and I don't know if that first 50 is really gonna come back and haunt Garin Gemmel, Erin Gemmel.
But right now she is hurting.
Well, Miller blows by her college teammate at Texas, Erin Gemmel.
And Australia gonna have the lead here after the opening 200.
Next up, Lonnie Pallister, again, impressive in the 200 free, and what a massive swim, hanging with Katie Ledecky the majority of the way in the 1500 to snag silver.
Anna Peplowski right there, the Indiana Hoosier great, and another performer for Olympic and world relay silver medal squads for the US the last few summers.
Yeah, Gemmel was 1:57 flat.
That is not what the United States needed to jumpstart a, a great momentum builder for this relay, and now it's gonna have to be coming from behind.
So many times that has happened, and if you wanna start sneaking over there and looking at second place maybe after this leg right here, might end up being Canada.
That's Summer McIntosh, arguably the best swimmer in the world today.
She's up there in lane number two right there.
Way behind, though.
Trying to see if she can get Canada towards the podium.
Brazil had third, not anymore.
McIntosh has moved into third and trying to overtake Peplowski, potentially, for second by the end of this stage.
Well, I said before the race, Jason, that the third leg for both the United States and Australia was the absolute key.
Hannah Casey will go third for Australia.
She won 1:56 in the morning, but 1:58 at night.
If that turns into a 1:58, the United States may have a shot, but boy, they have dug themselves a huge, huge hole right now.
Lonnie Pallister, just so reliable for Australia, delivers the lead here by over three seconds.
The United States down.
17-year-old Riley Erismann hoping to mount a comeback charge for the United States.
Canada, Emma O'Cronin in the third leg here for the Canadians in lane two.
That was pretty good now for the United States.
Peplowski at 1:55.6, that's, that's solid.
She was 1:56 flat, but there is so much room to make up.
And you know, when you lead off with a 1:57 flat, and you got Australia with a 1:55 plus and a 53.4 by Pallister, that is a lot of room to make up.
Now, guess who's coming up on the anchor?
It's Katie Ledecky, but boy, she's gonna have a lot of room to have to make up.
Erismann still charging.
World junior gold last summer, the 50 and 100 free.
Silver in the 200 free.
Still swimming hard here, trying to continue to just whittle this down and hopefully give Katie Ledecky a manageable margin.
Right now, Hannah Casey doing what she needs to do and try to protect as much of this sizable advantage for the anchor, Milla Jansen for Australia I, I, I think she needs to be a body length down for Katie Ledecky to have a chance, and right now she's two body lengths down.
She's picked up 2/3 tenths with each 50, closing the gap a little bit.
Here goes a body and a half length behind.
If she can just get to her feet by the wall, that will give Katie Ledecky a chance.
Now she's at the feet Erisman with a strong effort here to set the table for Ledecky.
Jansen in first for Australia.
She took about half of that lead down for Australia, 1.6 seconds and 200 meters for Katie Ledecky to work with Well, Erisman did her job.
She picked up a second and a half on Casey, and Casey ended up going 1:57.8, so she wasn't much faster than she went in the finals earlier in the 200 freestyle.
But again, it's so much room.
I mean, I said a body length.
It And, and you've got Jansen, who was fifth in the 200 freestyle in the individual event, an event that Katie Ledecky did not swim Yeah, Ledecky doesn't swim it internationally anymore, still domestically for the US, in part to set herself up to work on relays for Team USA.
But Jansen looking super strong here.
She's built the lead back up to about two and a half seconds as the Americans still fighting hard here to try to counter back.
Canada right now in control for bronze, and Australia has looked stout here as usual in the 4x200 free relay She actually beat Ledecky by a full second that first 100.
Katie's gonna have to be some sort of miracle here the last 50.
Just don't think it's possible Inez Miller, Lonnie Pallister, Hannah Casey, Milla Jansen.
Ledecky coming on, but she'll end up being a little bit short.
The names may change for Australia in the 4x200 free relay, but the result remains the same.
Gold here for Australia.
Ledecky charging hard at the end, bringing it home quickly in that final 50 to take silver.
Look at the race for bronze.
Canada just gonna hang on here over China by about two-tenths to get on the podium 1:54.3 on Katie Ledecky.
She did her job.
They all had to be on.
They all had to be on, and that's what a relay is all about.
It's about consistency, it's about depth.
And Australia with four new swimmers on this relay, brand new swimmers from that world record relay, still get the job done.
Riley Erisman, the youngster, she'll have more bright days ahead.
Ledecky trying to She outsplit Jansen at the end by a full second.
She was charging.
Give her another 15, 20 meters might be difference, but this is not 815 meter relay.
It's an 800 relay Ledecky had the second fastest 200 of anyone in the race at 1:54.3.
The fastest, Lonnie Pallister in that second 200 for Australia, 1:53.46.
That was the difference maker.
Australia had a lead at that point that it never relinquished en route to the gold here in the 4x200 free relay in championship record time.
Australia gold, United States silver, Canada nipping China for the bronze Team Australia, congratulations.
A new championship record.
Lonnie, 1:53.46.
Girl, you were moving.
Can you talk about what it's like to go second in this quartet, and what these relays mean to you?
Yeah, I think the biggest thing that the four of us came into this, we kind of feel like underdogs a little bit.
We're missing Mollie, obviously, and we wish she was here.
But wishing her all the best with her back, and excited to go home and see her.
But, the girls swam so well, you know.
Inez had a wicked lead off, and everyone did their job.
So it's, it's really incredible to be part of this legacy Amazing.
And Hannah, you guys have been on the road for a really long time.
How sweet is it that you guys can come in here and get this championship?
You guys have probably built so much team camaraderie over the past month and a half.
Can you talk a little bit about that?
Yeah, I mean, just so stoked to be a part of this relay again.
We had so much fun at Commies, and then so much fun here again.
So to come home with a gold, there's not much m- more we could ask for There's not much more you could ask for.
Everybody, give it up for Team Australia, your Pan Pac champion.
