Aussies settle for bronze as United States dominates men’s 4x100m freestyle relay

TACTICALLY, physically and mentally the Australian team were beaten but this time it was a result far easier to stomach than four years ago.

Kyle Chalmers, James Roberts, James Magnussen, and Cameron McEvoy with their bronze medals. Picture: Alex Coppel

TACTICALLY, physically and mentally the Australian team were beaten but this time it was a result far easier to stomach than four years ago.

A bronze medal was actually a success and not a failure for the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team because so much was stacked against this team from the outset simply beating Russia to the third place was a victory in itself.

The order was wrong, the execution was just slightly off and the team were still not quite physically ready to take on the world with two members not back to 100 per cent fitness from shoulder surgeries.

Phelps dominates, Aussies take bronze

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That Australia started favourites was a falsehood in itself. It was a rating based on reputation not form, hope rather than intellect.

Michael Phelps and Caeleb Dressel celebrate after winning the men's 4x100m freestyle final.

Australia may boast two of the world’s fastest swimmers in Cameron McEvoy and super-teen Kyle Chalmers, but just as they learnt four years ago in London a relay victory is built on four great swims not two.

It didn’t help that the two fastest men in the world from 2012 — James Magnussen and James Roberts — had dubbed themselves the “bandage bears”.

Magnussen admitted he was “six months” short of getting back to his best form, while Roberts also needs more time after two shoulder surgeries in recent years. He hadn’t raced internationally since 2013, he was thrown to the wolves by being asked to lead.

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The order caught Roberts by surprise. He admitted he’d not done as many starts in recent weeks under the misguided belief he would have a “fly start” racing in the middle of the team.

The result was a catastrophe. He touched the wall in dead-last place, eighth. No team can ever win from that far back, not swimming through the washing-machine chop of seven teams ahead.

Chalmers almost pulled off a Houdini rescue act, going from seventh to second, but Michael Phelps and USA had bolted. Magnussen and McEvoy would both have needed career-best swims to catch the US from there but instead Magnussen surfaced further back and never got closer than fourth.

Michael Phelps won his 19th gold medal.

If the US had not won by such a healthy margin questions may have been rightly asked if Australia messed it up with their order.

McEvoy got them a reward, but maybe they should’ve put the heat on everyone else from the outset rather than trying to come from behind.

The simple fact is, however, that Olympic bronze is exactly where this team ranks in the world right now.

No higher, no lower, they are worthy bronze medallists.

There is no shame in getting what they deserved because this time, both in their behaviour and performance, they’ve delivered all that Australia could possibly ask for from men wearing the gold cap.

Originally published as Aussies settle for bronze as United States dominates men’s 4x100m freestyle relay