| | Event type

4 × 100 metres Relay, Women

Date	19 – 20 October 1968
Status	Olympic
Location	Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Ciudad de México
Participants	60 from 15 countries

In the rarified air of Ciudad de México, the United States and the Netherlands broke the world record in the heats with 43.4. But the Americans had the fastest runners, led by anchor runner Wyomia Tyus, who had earlier defended her 100 metre gold medal. Despite mediocre exchanges the US won the gold medal with Tyus crossing the line five metres ahead.

Pos	Number	Competitors	NOC	R1	Final
1	–	United States	USA	43.4 (1 h1)	42.8 (1)	Gold	WR
		Barbara Ferrell • Margaret Bailes • Mildrette Netter • Wyomia Tyus • Iris Davis (DNS) • Willye White (DNS)
2	–	Cuba	CUB	44.1 (4 h2)	43.3 (2)	Silver
		Marlene Elejalde • Fulgencia Romay • Violeta Quesada • Miguelina Cobián • Marcia Garbey (DNS) • Cristina Hechavarría (DNS) • Aurelia Pentón (DNS)
3	–	Soviet Union	URS	43.6 (2 h2)	43.4 (3)	Bronze
		Lyudmila Zharkova • Galina Bukharina • Vera Popkova • Lyudmila Samotesova • Lyudmila Golomazova (DNS) • Liliya Tkachenko (DNS)
4	–	Netherlands	NED	43.4 (1 h2)	43.4 (4)
		Wilma van den Berg • Mieke Sterk • Truus Hennipman-Cruiming • Corrie Bakker • Hilly Gankema (DNS) • Lia Louer (DNS)
5	–	Australia	AUS	43.7 (2 h1)	43.4 (5)
		Jennifer Lamy • Joyce Bennett • Raelene Boyle • Dianne Burge
6	–	West Germany	FRG	44.1 (3 h1)	43.6 (6)
		Renate Meyer • Jutta Stöck • Rita Jahn • Ingrid Becker • Halina Herrmann (DNS) • Karin Reichert (DNS)
7	–	Great Britain	GBR	43.9 (3 h2)	43.7 (7)
		Anita Neil • Maureen Tranter • Janet Simpson • Lillian Board • Della James (DNS) • Val Peat (DNS)
8	–	France	FRA	44.3 (4 h1)	44.2 (8)
		Michèle Alayrangues • Gabrielle Meyer • Nicole Montandon • Sylviane Telliez • Colette Besson (DNS) • Monique Noirot (DNS)
5 h1 r1/2	–	Canada	CAN	44.7 (5 h1)	–
		Debbie Miller • Stephanie Berto • Joan Hendry • Irene Piotrowski • Joan Fisher (DNS) • Jenny Meldrum (DNS)
5 h2 r1/2	–	Hungary	HUN	44.6 (5 h2)	–
		Etelka Kispál • Margit Markó-Nemesházi • Györgyi Balogh • Annamária Kovács-Tóth • Mária Kiss (DNS) • Judit Szabó (DNS)
6 h1 r1/2	–	Nigeria	NGR	45.2 (6 h1)	–
		Olajumoke Bodunrin • Janet Omorogbe • Mairo Jinadu • Oyeronke Akindele • Ashanti Obi (DNS)
6 h2 r1/2	–	Taiwan	TPE	47.2 (6 h2)	–
		Chi Cheng • Yeh Chu-Mei • Lin Chun-Yu • Tien Ah-Mei
7 h1 r1/2	–	Mexico	MEX	47.0 (7 h1)	–
		Alma Rosa Martínez • Mercedes Román • Enriqueta Basilio • Esperanza Girón • Teresa Gorospe (DNS)
7 h2 r1/2	–	Poland	POL	53.0 (7 h2)	–
		Danuta Straszyńska • Mirosława Sarna • Urszula Jóźwik • Irena Szewińska • Elżbieta Żebrowska (DNS)
AC h1 r1/2	–	Jamaica	JAM	[44.8] (DQ h1)	–
		Adlin Mair-Clarke • Carmen Smith • Una Morris • Vilma Charlton • Audrey Reid (DNS)
DNS	–	Sweden	SWE	–	–
		Gunilla Cederström • Elisabeth Östberg • Karin Wallgren • Ulla-Britt Wieslander

Round One

Date	19 October 1968 — 15:30
Format	Top 4 in each heat advanced to the final.

Pos	Team	NOC	Time (automatic)	Time (hand)
1	Netherlands	NED	43.49	43.4	Q=WR
2	United States	USA	43.50	43.4	QWR
3	Soviet Union	URS	43.67	43.6	Q
4	Australia	AUS	43.77	43.7	Q
5	Great Britain	GBR	43.98	43.9	Q
6	Cuba	CUB	44.15	44.1	Q
7	West Germany	FRG	44.18	44.1	Q
8	France	FRA	44.32	44.3	Q
9	Hungary	HUN	44.65	44.6
10	Canada	CAN	44.73	44.7
11	Nigeria	NGR	45.23	45.2
12	Mexico	MEX	47.09	47.0
13	Taiwan	TPE	47.24	47.2
14	Poland	POL	53.02	53.0
DQ	Jamaica	JAM	[44.82]	[44.8]

Heat #1

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	7	United States	USA	43.4	43.50	QWR
Lead-Off	93	Barbara Ferrell		–	–
2nd Leg	84	Margaret Bailes		–	–
3rd Leg	100	Mildrette Netter		–	–
Anchor	105	Wyomia Tyus		–	–
2	4	Australia	AUS	43.7	43.77	Q
Lead-Off	38	Jennifer Lamy		–	–
2nd Leg	32	Joyce Bennett		–	–
3rd Leg	33	Raelene Boyle		–	–
Anchor	35	Dianne Burge		–	–
3	1	West Germany	FRG	44.1	44.18	Q
Lead-Off	9	Renate Meyer		–	–
2nd Leg	14	Jutta Stöck		–	–
3rd Leg	7	Rita Jahn		–	–
Anchor	1	Ingrid Becker		–	–
4	3	France	FRA	44.3	44.32	Q
Lead-Off	114	Michèle Alayrangues		–	–
2nd Leg	120	Gabrielle Meyer		–	–
3rd Leg	121	Nicole Montandon		–	–
Anchor	123	Sylviane Telliez		–	–
5	6	Canada	CAN	44.7	44.73
Lead-Off	60	Debbie Miller		–	–
2nd Leg	53	Stephanie Berto		–	–
3rd Leg	57	Joan Hendry		–	–
Anchor	61	Irene Piotrowski		–	–
6	2	Nigeria	NGR	45.2	45.23
Lead-Off	193	Olajumoke Bodunrin		–	–
2nd Leg	197	Janet Omorogbe		–	–
3rd Leg	194	Mairo Jinadu		–	–
Anchor	192	Oyeronke Akindele		–	–
7	5	Mexico	MEX	47.0	47.09
Lead-Off	189	Alma Rosa Martínez		–	–
2nd Leg	190	Mercedes Román		–	–
3rd Leg	185	Enriqueta Basilio		–	–
Anchor	187	Esperanza Girón		–	–
DQ	8	Jamaica	JAM	[44.8]	[44.82]
Lead-Off	178	Adlin Mair-Clarke		–	–
2nd Leg	182	Carmen Smith		–	–
3rd Leg	180	Una Morris		–	–
Anchor	177	Vilma Charlton		–	–

Heat #2

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	6	Netherlands	NED	43.4	43.49	Q=WR
Lead-Off	153	Wilma van den Berg		–	–
2nd Leg	152	Mieke Sterk		–	–
3rd Leg	149	Truus Hennipman-Cruiming		–	–
Anchor	146	Corrie Bakker		–	–
2	2	Soviet Union	URS	43.6	43.67	Q
Lead-Off	250	Lyudmila Zharkova		–	–
2nd Leg	227	Galina Bukharina		–	–
3rd Leg	239	Vera Popkova		–	–
Anchor	242	Lyudmila Samotesova		–	–
3	7	Great Britain	GBR	43.9	43.98	Q
Lead-Off	132	Anita Neil		–	–
2nd Leg	143	Maureen Tranter		–	–
3rd Leg	141	Janet Simpson		–	–
Anchor	126	Lillian Board		–	–
4	1	Cuba	CUB	44.1	44.15	Q
Lead-Off	66	Marlene Elejalde		–	–
2nd Leg	71	Fulgencia Romay		–	–
3rd Leg	70	Violeta Quesada		–	–
Anchor	65	Miguelina Cobián		–	–
5	5	Hungary	HUN	44.6	44.65
Lead-Off	159	Etelka Kispál		–	–
2nd Leg	165	Margit Markó-Nemesházi		–	–
3rd Leg	157	Györgyi Balogh		–	–
Anchor	170	Annamária Kovács-Tóth		–	–
6	3	Taiwan	TPE	47.2	47.24
Lead-Off	223	Chi Cheng		–	–
2nd Leg	226	Yeh Chu-Mei		–	–
3rd Leg	224	Lin Chun-Yu		–	–
Anchor	225	Tien Ah-Mei		–	–
7	6	Poland	POL	53.0	53.02
Lead-Off	205	Danuta Straszyńska		–	–
2nd Leg	204	Mirosława Sarna		–	–
3rd Leg	202	Urszula Jóźwik		–	–
Anchor	207	Irena Szewińska		–	–

Final Round

Date	20 October 1968 — 16:30

Pos	Lane	Competitors	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	4	United States	USA	42.8	42.88	WR
Lead-Off	93	Barbara Ferrell		–	–
2nd Leg	84	Margaret Bailes		–	–
3rd Leg	100	Mildrette Netter		–	–
Anchor	105	Wyomia Tyus		–	–
2	6	Cuba	CUB	43.3	43.36
Lead-Off	66	Marlene Elejalde		–	–
2nd Leg	71	Fulgencia Romay		–	–
3rd Leg	70	Violeta Quesada		–	–
Anchor	65	Miguelina Cobián		–	–
3	7	Soviet Union	URS	43.4	43.41
Lead-Off	250	Lyudmila Zharkova		–	–
2nd Leg	227	Galina Bukharina		–	–
3rd Leg	239	Vera Popkova		–	–
Anchor	242	Lyudmila Samotesova		–	–
4	3	Netherlands	NED	43.4	43.44
Lead-Off	153	Wilma van den Berg		–	–
2nd Leg	152	Mieke Sterk		–	–
3rd Leg	149	Truus Hennipman-Cruiming		–	–
Anchor	146	Corrie Bakker		–	–
5	8	Australia	AUS	43.4	43.50
Lead-Off	38	Jennifer Lamy		–	–
2nd Leg	32	Joyce Bennett		–	–
3rd Leg	33	Raelene Boyle		–	–
Anchor	35	Dianne Burge		–	–
6	2	West Germany	FRG	43.6	43.70
Lead-Off	9	Renate Meyer		–	–
2nd Leg	14	Jutta Stöck		–	–
3rd Leg	7	Rita Jahn		–	–
Anchor	1	Ingrid Becker		–	–
7	5	Great Britain	GBR	43.7	43.78
Lead-Off	132	Anita Neil		–	–
2nd Leg	143	Maureen Tranter		–	–
3rd Leg	141	Janet Simpson		–	–
Anchor	126	Lillian Board		–	–
8	1	France	FRA	44.2	44.30
Lead-Off	114	Michèle Alayrangues		–	–
2nd Leg	120	Gabrielle Meyer		–	–
3rd Leg	121	Nicole Montandon		–	–
Anchor	123	Sylviane Telliez		–	–