Matthew Sates' lingering slump extends to 200m individual medley at world champs
However, that was quickly gobbled up as Kaylene Corbett, a 200m specialist, was overhauled in the breaststroke leg where most of the other teams opted for men.
The biggest gap between men's and women's 100m world records is in the breaststroke, at 7.25sec, some two seconds more than the others. Backstroke is 5.53, freestyle 5.31 and butterfly 5.15.
Statistically Corbett never stood a chance.
Erin Gallagher swam the third fly leg and Matthew Caldwell, a distance specialist, closed out the race on the freestyle leg with South Africa touching eighth in their heat and 18th overall in 3:52.03.
None of the four matched their personal bests, but even then it probably wouldn't have got the team into the final.
The only South African in action on Wednesday night is 19-year-old Chris Smith in the 50m breaststroke final (2.03pm SA time).
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