World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
Pos Time Swimmer Nationality Date Venue
1 3:08.24 Michael Phelps ( 47.51 ) Garrett Weber-Gale ( 47.02 ) Cullen Jones ( 47.65 ) Jason Lezak ( 46.06 ) United States 11 August 2008 China
2 3:08.32 Amaury Leveaux ( 47.91 ) Fabien Gilot ( 47.05 ) Frédérick Bousquet ( 46.63 ) Alain Bernard ( 46.73 ) France 11 August 2008 China
3 3:09.52 Yevgeny Lagunov ( 47.90 ) Andrey Grechin ( 47.00 ) Danila Izotov ( 47.23 ) Alexander Sukhorukov ( 47.39 ) Russia 26 July 2009 Italy
4 3:09.91 Eamon Sullivan ( 47.24 ) Andrew Lauterstein ( 47.87 ) Ashley Callus ( 47.55 ) Matt Targett ( 47.25 ) Australia 11 August 2008 China
5 3:10.34 Gabriel Santos ( 48.30 ) Marcelo Chierighini ( 46.85 ) César Cielo ( 48.01 ) Bruno Fratus ( 47.18 ) Brazil 23 July 2017 Hungary
6 3:11.39 Santo Condorelli ( 48.72 ) Manuel Frigo ( 47.29 ) Luca Dotto ( 47.81 ) Alessandro Miressi ( 47.57 ) Italy 21 July 2019 South Korea
7 3:11.62 Adam Brown ( 49.01 ) Simon Burnett ( 47.57 ) Liam Tancock ( 47.74 ) Ross Davenport ( 47.30 ) Great Britain 26 July 2009 Italy
8 3:11.92 Petter Stymne ( 49.17 ) Lars Frölander ( 48.02 ) Stefan Nystrand ( 47.25 ) Jonas Persson ( 47.48 ) Sweden 11 August 2008 China
9 3:11.93 Lyndon Ferns ( 48.32 ) Graeme Moore ( 48.05 ) Darian Townsend ( 48.05 ) Roland Schoeman ( 47.51 ) South Africa 26 July 2009 Italy
10 3:11.99 Dominik Kozma ( 48.26 ) Nándor Németh ( 48.04 ) Péter Holoda ( 48.48 ) Richárd Bohus ( 47.21 ) Hungary 23 July 2017 Hungary
All-time top 10 by country -- Men
Correct as of December 2019
This article includes the world record progression for the 4×100 metres freestyle relay, and it shows the chronological history of world record times in that competitive swimming event. The 4×100 metres freestyle relay is a relay event in which each of four swimmers on a team swims a 100-metre freestyle leg in sequence. The world records are recognized by and maintained by FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation), the international competitive swimming and aquatics federation that overseas the sport in international competition. World records in swimming were first recognized by FINA in 1908. The long course (50-metre pool) world records are historically older than the short course (25-metre pool) records. FINA amended its regulations governing the recognition of world records in 1956; specifically, FINA mandated that only record times that were contested in 50-metre (or 55-yard) pools were eligible for recognition after that time. The short-course world records have been separately recognized since 1991. On July 25, 2013 FINA Technical Swimming Congress voted to allow world records in the long course mixed 400 free relay and mixed 400 medley relay, as well as in six events in short course meters: the mixed 200 medley and 200 free relays, as well as the men's and women's 200 free relays and the men's and women's 200 medley relays. In October 2013 FINA decided to establish standards before something can be recognized as the first world record in these events. But later on March 13, 2014 FINA has officially ratified the eight world records set by Indiana University swimmers at the IU Relay Rally held on September 26, 2013 in Bloomington. The women's 4×100-metre event was first contested at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, but the men's 4×100-metre event did not appear until the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Prior to 1964, the longer 4×200-metre freestyle relay was the only men's relay event staged.