This article includes the world record progression for the 4×100 metres medley relay, and it shows the chronological history of world record times in that competitive

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

event. The 4×100 metres medley relay is a medley race in which each of four swimmers on a team swims a 100-metre leg of the relay, each swimming a different

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

, in the following sequence: #

Backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...

(this can only be the first stroke, due to the necessity of starting this leg in the pool rather than by diving in); #

Breaststroke Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be s ...

; #

Butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

; # Freestyle ("freestyle" means any stroke other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly – most swimmers use the

front crawl The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a f ...

). Swimming world records are recognized by and maintained by

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

("Fédération Internationale de Natation"), the international competitive swimming and aquatics federation that oversees the sport in international competition. World records in the medley relay event were first recognized by FINA in 1953. 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. It is possible to set an individual world record in the 100 metres backstroke by swimming the backstroke first leg of the 4×100-metre medley relay, except in the mixed relay. Swimming the other three legs of the medley relay cannot qualify as world records as FINA criteria require a "static start" for world record recognition – swimming relay exchanges are characterized as "dynamic". The first Olympics at which the 4×100 metres medley relay event was contested was the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

in Rome.

Men

Long course

Short course

Women

Long course

Short course

Mixed

FINA recognizes only long-course world records for mixed relays in this event.

All-time top 10 by country

Men long course

*Correct as of June 2022

Men short course

*Correct as of October 2021

Women long course

*Correct as of December 2021

Women short course

*Correct as of December 2021

Mixed long course

*Correct as of July 2021

All-time top 25

Men long course

*Correct as of August 2022

Men short course

*Correct as of October 2021

Women long course

*Correct as of October 2022

Women short course

*Correct as of December 2021.

Mixed long course

*Correct as of August 2022

Mixed short course

*Correct as of December 2021

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:World record progression 4 x 100 metres medley relay Medley relay 4x100 metres 4 × 100 metre medley relay