The women's 4×100 metre medley relay event at the 1988 Olympic Games took place on September 24. This swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 event uses medley swimming

Medley swimming

Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley or by four swimmers as a medley relay...

 as a relay. Because an Olympic size swimming pool is 50 metres long, each of the four swimmers completed two lengths of the pool, each using a different stroke. The first on each team used the backstroke

Backstroke

The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...

, the second used the breaststroke

Breaststroke

The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...

, the third used the butterfly stroke

Butterfly stroke

The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...

, and the final swimmer used freestyle

Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

 (restricted to not allow any of the first three strokes to be used, though nearly all swimmers use front crawl

Front crawl

The front crawl, forward crawl, or freestyle is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is nearly universally used during a freestyle swimming competition, hence the synonymously used term "freestyle". It is one of two...

 regardless).

The first swimmer must touch the wall before the next can leave the starting block, and so forth; timing of the starts is thus important.

Medalists

Kristin Otto Kristin Otto Kristin Otto is a German Olympic swimming champion. She is most famous for being the first woman to win six gold medals, doing so at the 1988 Seoul Olympic games... Silke Hörner Silke Hörner Silke Hörner is a German former breaststroke swimmer, a leading member of the 1980s East German swimming team. She won two Olympic gold medals, in the 200 m breaststroke and 4×100 m medley relay at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and set four individual world records... Birte Weigang Birte Weigang Birte Weigang is a former butterfly and backstroke swimmer from East Germany, who won three medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea... Katrin Meißner Katrin Meißner Katrin Meißner, last name alternatively spelled as "Meissner", is a former freestyle swimmer from East Germany, who won three medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea...

Beth Barr Beth Barr Elizabeth Cynthia Barr is a former backstroke swimmer from the United States, who won the silver medal in the 4x100m Medley Relay at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea... Tracey McFarlane Tracey McFarlane Tracey Danielle McFarlane is a former international breaststroke swimmer, who competed for both Canada and the United States. She held the USA Record in the 100 breaststroke from 1988-1992.... Janel Jorgensen Janel Jorgensen Janel Simone Jorgensen is a former butterfly swimmer from the United States, who won the silver medal in the 4x100m Medley Relay at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea... Mary Wayte Mary Wayte Mary Alice Wayte Bradburne is a former American college and international swimmer who was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and television sports commentator.- Early years :...

Lori Melien Lori Melien Lori Melien is a former international backstroke swimmer from Canada, who won the bronze medal with the Women's 4x100 Medley Relay Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, together with Andrea Nugent, Allison Higson and Jane Kerr.On her personal starts on the 100 and 200 metres... Allison Higson Allison Higson Allison Higson now Allison Cavanaugh is a former international breaststroke and freestyle swimmer from Canada, who won the bronze medal with the Women's 4x100 Medley Relay Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, together with Andrea Nugent, Jane Kerr, and Lori Melien.At the 1986... Jane Kerr Jane Kerr Jane Louise Kerr Thompson is a former college and international swimmer from Canada. Kerr was a butterfly and freestyle specialist who was an Olympic bronze medalist.Kerr was born in Mississauga, Ontario.... Andrea Nugent Andrea Nugent Andrea Nugent is a former international butterfly and freestyle swimmer from Canada, who won the bronze medal with the Women's 4x100 Medley Relay Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, together with Allison Higson, Jane Kerr and Lori Melien.-References:*...

Heats

Heat 1
Heat 2
Heat 3