Record-breaking win for team USA in mixed medley relay

Caeleb Dressel earned his ninth Olympic gold medal as part of the United States team that triumphed in the mixed 4x100 metre medley relay, setting a new world record at the Paris Games on Saturday.

The team’s time of 3 minutes 37.43 seconds broke the previous record of 3:37.58 set by Britain at the Tokyo 2021 Games.

China secured the silver medal, finishing just 0.12 seconds behind the US, while Australia claimed the bronze. France, with Leon Marchand swimming the second leg, came fourth, marking the first time the four-time gold medallist failed to win a final at the La Defense Arena.

Ryan Murphy opened the race for the United States, followed by Nic Fink and Gretchen Walsh, with Torri Huske securing the victory. Regan Smith, Charlie Swanson, Dressel, and Abbey Weitzeil swam in the preliminaries on Friday to qualify for the final and were acknowledged for their contributions despite not appearing on the podium.

"We got the world record, we got number one, we're on the podium with our golds," said Walsh, who achieved a personal best of 55.18 seconds to take the lead from China. "It was a pretty special moment, and shout out to these three teammates. I wouldn't be here without them, so it's a pretty cool experience."

Dressel, who has won gold medals in each of his three Olympic Games appearances, added two more in Paris to the five he earned in Tokyo and two in Rio de Janeiro. However, his individual performance in Paris has been disappointing, as he failed to defend his titles and left the pool in tears after finishing fifth in the 100m butterfly semi-final.

Despite the US team’s victory, Leon Marchand, the Paris poster boy, provided an unforgettable atmosphere at the stadium and impressed fans throughout the Games. Even so, the 22-year-old was unable to achieve the miraculous victory needed against such formidable opponents.

China’s silver medal time of 3:37.55, achieved by Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei, and Yang Junxuan, also surpassed the 2021 world record, while Australia’s team of Kaylee McKeown, Joshua Yong, Matthew Temple, and Mollie O'Callaghan set an Oceanian record with their time of 3:38.76.

"It was cool, I think we enjoyed it, it was a great final," said Marchand.

Britain, competing without their star breaststroke swimmer Adam Peaty, finished in seventh place.