# Swimming at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay

The women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay was a swimming event held as part of the swimming at the 1936 Summer Olympics programme. It was the sixth appearance of the event, which was established in 1912. The competition was held on Wednesday and Friday, 12 and 14 August 1936.
The United States and Germany both replaced one swimmer between the semi-finals and the final. Thirty-eight swimmers from nine nations competed.

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Netherlands (NED) Rie Mastenbroek Willy den Ouden Jopie Selbach Tini Wagner | Germany (GER) Gisela Arendt Ruth Halbsguth Leni Lohmar Ingeborg Schmitz | United States (USA) Mavis Freeman Bernice Lapp Olive McKean Katherine Rawls |
Note: The International Olympic Committee medal database shows only these swimmers as medalists. Ursula Pollack swam for Germany in the semi-finals but is not credited with a silver medal. Also the American Elizabeth Ryan who swam in the semi-finals is not listed as bronze medalist.

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in minutes) prior to the 1936 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 4:32.8 | Jopie Selbach Rie Mastenbroek Tini Wagner Willy den Ouden | Rotterdam (NED) | 24 May 1936 |
| Olympic Record | 4:38.0 | Josephine McKim Helen Johns Eleanor Saville Helene Madison | Los Angeles (USA) | 12 August 1932 |
In the final the Netherlands set a new Olympic record with 4:36.0 minutes.

## Results
### Semifinals

Wednesday, 12 August 1936: The fastest three in each semi-final and the fastest fourth-placed advanced to the final.
Semifinal 1
| Place | Swimmers | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Mavis Freeman, Bernice Lapp, Olive McKean, and Elizabeth Ryan (USA) | 4:47.1 | QQ |
| 2 | Zilpha Grant, Edna Hughes, Margaret Jeffery, and Olive Wadham (GBR) | 4:47.2 | QQ |
| 3 | Phyllis Dewar, Mary McConkey, Irene Pirie-Milton, and Margaret Stone (CAN) | 4:49.7 | QQ |
| 4 | Ilona Ács, Ágnes Bíró, Vera Harsányi, and Magda Lenkei (HUN) | 4:50.6 | qq |
| 5 | Roma Wagner, Franziska Mally, Grete Ittlinger, and Elli von Kropiwnicki (AUT) | 5:16.6 | |
Semifinal 2
| Place | Swimmers | Time | Qual. |
| 1 | Rie Mastenbroek, Willy den Ouden, Jopie Selbach, and Tini Wagner (NED) | 4:38.1 | QQ |
| 2 | Ruth Halbsguth, Leni Lohmar, Ursula Pollack, and Ingeborg Schmitz (GER) | 4:40.5 | QQ |
| 3 | Eva Arndt, Tove Bruunstrøm, Ragnhild Hveger, and Elvi Svendsen (DEN) | 4:46.2 | QQ |
| 4 | Tsuneko Furuta, Kazue Kojima, Hatsuko Morioka, and Rei Takemura (JPN) | 4:58.1 | NR |

### Final

Friday, 14 August 1936:
| Place | Swimmers | Time |
| 1 | Jopie Selbach, Tini Wagner, Willy den Ouden, and Rie Mastenbroek (NED) | 4:36.0 OR |
| 2 | Ruth Halbsguth, Leni Lohmar, Ingeborg Schmitz, and Gisela Arendt (GER) | 4:36.8 |
| 3 | Katherine Rawls, Bernice Lapp, Mavis Freeman, and Olive McKean (USA) | 4:40.2 |
| 4 | Ilona Ács, Ágnes Bíró, Vera Harsányi, and Magda Lenkei (HUN) | 4:48.0 |
| 4 | Mary McConkey, Irene Pirie-Milton, Margaret Stone, and Phyllis Dewar (CAN) | 4:48.0 |
| 6 | Margaret Jeffery, Zilpha Grant, Edna Hughes, and Olive Wadham (GBR) | 4:51.0 |
| 7 | Ragnhild Hveger, Tove Bruunstrøm, Elvi Svendsen, and Eva Arndt (DEN) | 4:51.4 |