The quartet of Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus saluted in seven minutes 38.08 seconds, an Olympic record, to win by 2.78 seconds.

The United States took silver and China claimed the bronze.

O’Callaghan now has three golds in Paris – she featured in the victorious women’s 4x100m freestyle team and won the 200m freestyle – and now has five golds in her Olympic career.

Titmus, who last Saturday night won the 400m freestyle, has two golds in Paris and four gold medals in her Olympic career.

The relay victory is the first Olympic gold for Pallister, who is making her debut at the sporting showpiece and recovered from a bout of COVID-19 which forced her to withdraw from the 1500m freestyle earlier in the Games.

Throssell is now a dual Olympic gold medallist, but this was her first swim in a winning final – she was a heat swimmer in Australia’s triumphant women’s 4x100m medley team at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Australia’s swim team have won five of the nation’s eight golds in Paris.

The 4x200m team join Australia’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relayers,  Titmus (women’s 400m freestyle), O’Callaghan (women’s 200m freestyle) and Kaylee McKeown (women’s 100m backstroke) as swimming gold medallists in Paris.

Hockeyroos stay unbeaten

The Hockeyroos got back into the contest through strikes from Kaitlin Nobbs (37th) and Stephanie Kershaw (45th), only to fall behind again when Argentina made it 3-2 with 10 minutes to play.

But Williams’ late strike from a penalty corner ensured Australia maintained their unbeaten record with one more group game to come against Spain on Saturday.

Courageous bronze walk

Australian Jemima Montag has drawn inspiration from her late grandmother to win a bronze medal in the women’s 20km walk at the Paris Olympics.

Drawing courage from her late grandmother in the city where she sought refuge after World War II, Australian Jemima Montag has overcome a number of setbacks to win brave Olympic bronze in the 20km walk.

Montag was in fifth place with five kilometres to go on a steamy hot Thursday morning in Paris, with a medal seemingly slipping out of her grasp.

But spurred on by her sister, who was shouting herself hoarse on the sidelines, the 26-year-old dug deep, overhauling two other walkers to claim bronze in one hour 26 minutes 25 seconds, breaking her own national record in the process.

Whenever she races, Montag takes inspiration from a bracelet given to her by her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who ended up in Paris after being liberated from Auschwitz.

“I was feeling extra levels of strength and courage and resilience,” said Montag.

“(My grandmother) passed on all those amazing traits to my dad, who’s passed them on to my sisters and I.

“And today took all of those things.

“The course was one kilometre with a dogleg and cobbles, the noise was so loud where the crowd was.

“Different women were making different moves and I needed every bit of courage that I had. It comes from family.”

Chinese world record holder Yang Jiayu took the gold medal in dominant style in 1:25:54, breaking away early in the race and defying the efforts of the field to mow her down.

Maria Perez was second in 1:26:19 with Montag chasing the Spaniard hard all the way to the line, spurred on by Australian officials at the drinks station.

“That was very helpful, because often you start thinking about who is behind, particularly when you’re in a vulnerable position like third and you don’t want to lose that medal,” she said.

“So it was about staying hunting rather than feeling like the hunted.

“That was critical in getting closer and closer to silver and further and further away from fourth.”

The only other Australian women’s walker to secure a podium finish at Olympic level was Jane Saville, who was third in the same event at the 2004 Athens Games.

“It feels like I have made it (into the pantheon of Australian walking greats),” said Montag, a noted big-event performer who also won silver at last year’s world championships in Budapest.

“Saville, (Nathan) Deakes, (Jared) Tallent, (Kerry) Saxby – they are the names you grow up as a little athlete looking up to.

“Never in your wildest dreams would you imagine being up on that podium and at their level.”

Rebecca Hederson was 31st and fellow Australian Olivia Sandery did not finish the race in a difficult Olympic debut.

–  AAP