Sydney 2000: Remembering the exhilarating 4x100m Freestyle final at the Sydney Olympics

Lachlan McKirdy

Sydney 2000: Remembering the exhilarating 4x100m Freestyle final at the Sydney Olympics image

The first night of swimming at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games featured one of the most iconic swimming races of all-time, the 4x100 metres Men's Freestyle final.

It had it all. 

A late arrival. A dramatic comeback. A World Record. Air guitars. Yes, air guitars. 

If there was any doubt that the Sydney 2000 Olympics weren't going to be the best Games ever, they disappeared on night one of competition. 

MORE: John Coates has provided a strong indication that the Tokyo 2021 Olympics will proceed

Sporting News is going to look back on the 2000 Olympics and pick one moment from each day of competition to celebrate the 20th anniversary. 

American Gary Hall Jr. lit the flames for the battle well before the fight. 

"My biased opinion says that we will smash them (Australia) like guitars," Hall wrote on his blog.

"Historically the U.S. has always risen to the occasion.

"But the logic in that remote area of my brain says it won't be so easy for the United States to dominate the waters this time."

gary hall jr

In the three heats in the morning, the United States recorded the fastest time. 

3:15.43. Almost two seconds faster than the Australians. 

But the Australians were keeping their cards close to their chest.

In the heat, Ian Thorpe and Michael Klim both did not swim. Instead, Todd Pearson and Adam Pyne took their place.

Both would be forced to look on from the stands as the Australians went on to create history.

The Australian team was set for the final. Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus teamed up with Thorpe and Klim. 

Thorpe had just won the 400 metres freestyle in a world-record time, had been presented his medal and returned to get changed for the relay with plenty of time to spare. 

Or so he thought. 

In a recent documentary on Channel 7, Thorpe spoke about the added and unexpected drama leading into the relay final. 

"I've got to put a swimsuit on before the next race," Thorpe said.

"I was putting it on and I heard a snap. The snap was the zipper breaking.

"We had timed how long I had to go from medal presentation, get ready for the next race and it was timed to the minute. 

"I had about eight people around me trying to pull this wet swimsuit back onto me."

Three of Thorpe's spare swimsuits broke. He was given no other option than putting on the wet suit that he had used in the 400m freestyle final. 

It was an unnecessary spanner in the works for a final that already had plenty of pressure applied. 

Then the teams emerge and Thorpe wasn't there. 

4x100 m relay olympics

"It (swimsuit) was at my hips and I hear one of our team managers say 'Thorpey is on his way down to marshalling, he's on his way'," Thorpe said. 

"And I'm like, 'I'm not on my way, I'm not even close'."

Australia were in lane five, meaning Thorpe still had time to make it to the pool deck. 

One by one, the first four lanes get called and still no Thorpe. 

Eventually, as Australia are announced, Thorpe emerges, without his team tracksuit on, and is there to hear the roar of the Sydney crowd. 



All of this drama and the race still hadn't even begun.

The Americans were coming into the race as the World Record and Olympic Record holders. 

They had never lost the event at the Olympics.

Michael Klim entered the pool first for Australia. Anthony Ervin was first for the U.S.A. 

Klim didn't just get Australia off to a flying start. He set a 100m freestyle World Record. 

His split of 48.18 was the fastest time in the world. 

"It was one of those swims I never repeated again," Klim said.

It also gave Australia a 0.7 second lead over the Americans. 

Over the next two legs, the Americans slowly worked away at the gap. 

Both Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus swam sub-49 second times. 

But Americans Neil Walker and Jason Lezak were quicker. 

It came down to Thorpe vs Hall Jr. Australia had a 0.25-second lead. 

The American swam a near-perfect first 50 metres. He took a lead going into the final turn. 

But Thorpe's strength was always in the second-half of a race. That's when he hunted down his opponents and kicked into the next gear.

Thorpe was 17 at the time. Had just won his first Olympic gold medal and now the hopes of a country rested on his shoulders. 

"I knew that weight of expectation would fall on me," Thorpe said. 

"By halfway down the pool, he's (Hall Jr.) already in front.

"I turned and I had a good turn and it was the first time I went 'wow, something's gone right for me'. 

"I was catching Gary hall Jr. and at 25 (metres) the crowd really started to build up again."

The dulcet sounds of Dennis Cometti echoed around the nation as collectively we held our breath.  

20 metres. 15 metres. 10 metres. 

Thorpe. Hall Jr. Thorpe. Hall Jr. It was neck and neck all the way to the wall. 

"Thorpe is overhauling him," Cometti exclaimed. 

"Thorpe's in front.

"Thorpe and Hall. 

"Thorpe goes in. Australia win."

It all came down to the reach and with that last lurch, Thorpe broke the Americans' stranglehold on that race. 

They also broke their World Record, finishing with an incredible time of 3:13.67. A whole second and a half faster than any Men's 4x100 freestyle relay team had ever swum before. 

Then came one of the most iconic photos of the games. 

Michael Klim pulled out the air guitar. Gary Hall Jr. would not be smashing them today. 

air guitar klim

"I realised how bad my air guitar skills actually are," Thorpe said.



While it was an extra bit of vindication for the Australians, Klim confirmed that the first person to shake their hand after the swim was the vocal American. 

It was an incredible moment in the pool that gave the Australian Swim Team belief they could compete with the very best.

Most Australians can pinpoint where they were when Thorpe touched the wall. 

Twenty years on, it still remains one of the greatest achievements in Australian sporting history.

And to think, this was only night one of the Sydney Olympics. 

You can watch all the action of the final lap of the Men's 4x100m Freestyle relay in the video below. 



You can also watch an entire lookback at the event by the Olympic Channel here

Stay tuned over the coming fortnight as we look back at memorable moments from the Sydney Olympic Games. Tomorrow we'll be celebrating Michael Diamond's gold medal. 

 

Lachlan McKirdy

Lachlan McKirdy Photo