* Runners who participated in the heats only and received medals.
**Original medalists Russia forfeited results and medals as a result of disqualification of Kapachinskaya[1].
Prior to the competition, the following records were as follows.
| World record
|
 Soviet Union (URS)
Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina
|
3:15.17
|
Seoul, South Korea
|
1 October 1988
|
| Championship record
|
 United States (USA)
Gwen Torrence, Jearl Miles Clark, Natasha Kaiser-Brown, Maicel Malone-Wallace
|
3:16.71
|
Stuttgart, Germany
|
22 August 1993
|
| World Leading
|
United States (USA)
Monica Hargrove, Natasha Hastings, Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards
|
3:23.08
|
Philadelphia, United States
|
25 April 2009
|
| African Record
|
 Nigeria (NGR)
Falilat Ogunkoya, Fatima Yusuf, Olabisi Afolabi, Charity Opara
|
3:21.04
|
Atlanta, United States
|
3 August 1996
|
| Asian Record
|
 China (CHN)
An Xiaohong, Bai Xiaoyun, Cao Chunying, Ma Yuqin
|
3:24.28
|
Beijing, China
|
13 September 1993
|
| North American Record
|
United States (USA)
Denean Howard-Hill, Diane Dixon, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Florence Griffith Joyner
|
3:15.51
|
Seoul, South Korea
|
1 October 1988
|
| South American record
|
 Brazil (BRA)
Lucimar Teodoro, Geisa Aparecida Coutinho, Maria Laura Almirão, Josiane Tito
|
3:26.82
|
Helsinki, Finland
|
13 August 2005
|
| European Record
|
Soviet Union (URS)
Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina
|
3:15.17
|
Seoul, South Korea
|
1 October 1988
|
| Oceanian Record
|
 Australia (AUS)
Cathy Freeman, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Tamsyn Lewis, Nova Peris
|
3:23.81
|
Sydney, Australia
|
30 September 2000
|
No new world or championship record was set during this competition.
Qualification standards
edit
| Date
|
Time
|
Round
|
| August 22, 2009 |
20:15 |
Heats
|
| August 23, 2009 |
17:50 |
Final
|
Qualification: First 3 of each heat (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) advance to the final.
| Rank |
Heat |
Nation |
Athletes |
Time |
Notes
|
| 1 |
2 |
 Russia (RUS) |
Natalya Nazarova, Tatyana Firova, Natalya Antyukh, Lyudmila Litvinova |
3:23.80 |
Q, SB
|
| 2 |
2 |
 Jamaica (JAM) |
Kaliese Spencer, Shereefa Lloyd, Rosemarie Whyte, Novlene Williams-Mills |
3:24.72 |
Q
|
| 3 |
2 |
 Germany (GER) |
Fabienne Kohlmann, Sorina Nwachukwu, Esther Cremer, Claudia Hoffmann |
3:25.08 |
Q, SB
|
| 4 |
2 |
 Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) |
Nicola Sanders, Vicki Barr, Jenny Meadows, Lee McConnell |
3:25.23 |
q, SB
|
| 5 |
2 |
 Cuba (CUB) |
Susana A. Clement, Daisurami Bonne, Zulia Calatayud, Indira Terrero |
3:27.36 |
q, SB
|
| 6 |
2 |
 Canada (CAN) |
Esther Akinsulie, Adrienne Power, Jenna Martin, Carline Muir |
3:29.17 |
SB
|
| 7 |
1 |
 United States (USA) |
Debbie Dunn, Natasha Hastings, Jessica Beard, Sanya Richards |
3:29.31 |
Q
|
| 8 |
1 |
 Nigeria (NGR) |
Endurance Abinuwa, Muizat Ajoke Odumosu, Josephine Ehigie, Folashade Abugan |
3:29.60 |
Q, SB
|
| 8 |
1 |
 France (FRA) |
Virginie Michanol, Aurélie Kamga, Symphora Béhi, Solen Désert-Mariller |
3:29.60 |
Q, SB
|
| 10 |
2 |
 Ukraine (UKR) |
Yuliya Baraley, Tetiana Petlyuk, Anastasiya Rabchenyuk, Antonina Yefremova |
3:30.76 |
|
| 11 |
1 |
 Australia (AUS) |
Pirrenee Steinert, Madeleine Pape, Caitlin Willis-Pincott, Tamsyn Lewis |
3:30.80 |
|
| 12 |
1 |
 Italy (ITA) |
Marta Milani, Daniela Reina, Maria Enrica Spacca, Libania Grenot |
3:31.05 |
|
| 13 |
1 |
Brazil (BRA) |
Geisa Aparecida Coutinho, Emmilly Pinheiro, Sheila Ferreira, Jailma de Lima |
3:31.42 |
|
| 14 |
2 |
 Japan (JPN) |
Sayaka Aoki, Asami Tanno, Mayu Sato, Satomi Kubokura |
3:34.46 |
|
| 15 |
1 |
 Mexico (MEX) |
Alejandra Cherizola, Nallely Vela, Ruth Grajeda, Karla Dueñas |
3:40.03 |
|
|
1 |
 Bahamas (BAH) |
Sasha Rolle, Shakeitha Henfield, Rashan Brown, Katrina Seymour |
|
DQ
|
Key: DQ = Disqualified, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best
| Rank |
Nation |
Athletes |
Time |
Notes
|
|
United States (USA)
|
Debbie Dunn, Allyson Felix, Lashinda Demus, Sanya Richards
|
3:17.83
|
WL
|
|
Jamaica (JAM)
|
Rosemarie Whyte, Novlene Williams-Mills, Shereefa Lloyd, Shericka Williams
|
3:21.15
|
SB
|
3
|
Russia (RUS)
|
Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, Tatyana Firova, Lyudmila Litvinova, Antonina Krivoshapka
|
3:21.64
|
Doping
|
|
Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
|
Lee McConnell, Christine Ohuruogu, Vicki Barr, Nicola Sanders
|
3:25.16
|
SB[2]
|
| 4
|
Germany (GER)
|
Fabienne Kohlmann, Sorina Nwachukwu, Esther Cremer, Claudia Hoffmann
|
3:27.61
|
|
| 5
|
Nigeria (NGR)
|
Endurance Abinuwa, Muizat Ajoke Odumosu, Josephine Ehigie, Folasade Abugan
|
3:28.55
|
SB
|
| 6
|
France (FRA)
|
Virginie Michanol, Aurélie Kamga, Symphora Béhi, Solen Désert-Mariller
|
3:30.16
|
|
| 7
|
Cuba (CUB)
|
Diosmely Peña, Daisurami Bonne, Zulia Calatayud, Indira Terrero
|
3:36.99
|
|
Key: SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season)
United States (USA)
Jamaica (JAM)
Russia (RUS)
Great Britain & N.I. (GBR)
Germany (GER)
Nigeria (NGR)
France (FRA)
Cuba (CUB)