Australia set world record, win women’s 4×200 freestyle gold

Gwangju, South Korea An American team bolstered by the return of superstar Katie Ledecky threw the kitchen sink at Australia in the women's 4x200m relay.

Incredibly, it would not be enough.

Anchored by a genuine blood and guts swim from Emma McKeon, the Australians held on to take another world championship gold medal in a world record time on a night where breastroker Matt Wilson also lowered the world mark in his 200m semi-final.

Australia’s women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team celebrate after wining the final at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.Credit:ap

The racing in Gwangju has been pulsating from night one and this was up with the best. The Dolphins squad of Ariarne Titmus, Madi Wilson, Brianna Throssell and McKeon and the American team of Simone Manuel, Ledecky, Melanie Margalis and Katie McLoughlin were at each other the whole way.

Titmus lead off with a thumping 1:54.27s split to hand over to Wilson with clear water but Ledecky, who returned from illness after skipping the 1500m and 200m free individual, closed the gap and took over going into the second change.

Throssell and Margalis locked horns in a draining battle with the American handing giving McLaughlin a 0.09s lead as McKeon took to the water.

Australia’s women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team celebrate after wining the final at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.Credit:AP

Like Ledecky, McKeon missed the individual 200m through illness but would not give it away, edging clear in the final metres to win in a time of 7:41.5s, beating the old supersuit mark set by the Chinese in 2009 (7:42.08s).

America's time of 7:41.87s would have also beaten the old mark.

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