Swimming at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games:

The United States were hot favourites for this event with only Japan considered to be a threat. The Japanese team applied a tactical approach to the final and put their fastest swimmer on the opening leg and held back their slowest man until the final leg. With the Americans choosing the more common approach of using their faster men over the last two legs, Japan took an early lead and then increased it over the second leg. Ford Konno closed the gap on leg three but it was not until the final leg that the American team, in the form of Jimmy McLane took the lead that they were to maintain to the finish. The battle for bronze mirrored the battle for gold with France overhauling Sweden in the latter stages.