Rome 2009, Day 7

Women's 4x100m medley heats

The USA is out. A 3:59.01 was a pretty decent time not that long ago (Britain became the first Europeans inside 4mins in March last year, for example) but in Rome this morning it gets you 10th. 

First through: China in 3:56.14, then Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Canada, Australia (Olympic champs, different quartet of course, but just through by 0.57sec, phew!) and Brazil, whose Gabriella Silva clocked 56.25 on the 'fly leg.

All of which meant that Elizabeth Pelton, Kasey Carlson, Christine Magnuson and Julia Smit will watch with the US A team from the stands tonight as  the world record attack unfolds without them.

The silver-medal time won by the US in Melbourne 2007 would only just have scraped into the final in Rome.

Rome 2009

• Top 16 through: 3:56.14 - 3:58.49
• Inside 4:00: 10
• Inside 4:05: 14
• Inside 4:10: 21

Melbourne 2007

• Top 16 through: 4:01.10 - 4:05.85
• Inside 4:00: 0
• Inside 4:05: 5
• Inside 4:10: 15