The United States' primacy in the pool is secure for another four years.
Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske combined to win gold in the women's 4x100-meter medley Sunday, the final swimming event of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
With the win, Team USA edged ahead of Australia for the most swimming golds in Paris.
2024 Summer Olympics Medal Count — Swimming
- United States: 28 medals (eight gold, 13 silver, seven bronze)
- Australia: 18 medals (seven gold, eight silver, three bronze)
- France: seven medals (four gold, one silver, two bronze)
- Canada: eight medals (three gold, two silver, three bronze)
- China: 12 medals (two gold, three silver, seven bronze)
- Italy: five medals (two gold, one silver, two bronze)
- Hungary: three medals (two gold, one silver)
- Sweden: two medals (two gold)
Full medal leaderboard is available on the Olympics' official site
The United States tied Australia in the gold medal count earlier in the day thanks to Bobby Finke. The 24-year-old set a world record as he finished the men's 1,500-meter freestyle in 14:30.67.
That helped to set up the 4x100 relay as the decisive battle between the U.S. and Australia. The matchup proved to be thoroughly one-sided as the Americans finished 3.48 seconds ahead of the Aussies and set a new record (3:49.63) in the process.
Early into the Paris Games, it looked like Australia was coming for the United States' throne.
Ariarne Titmus won the women's 400-meter freestyle and watched her compatriots relegate Team USA to a silver medal in the women's 4x100-meter freestyle later that evening. Then came a stretch of three straight golds across Thursday and Friday in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle, men's 50-meter freestyle (Cameron McEvoy) and women's 200-meter backstroke (Kaylee McKeown).
In the end, though, the United States wasn't to be denied. Katie Ledecky beat Titmus in the women's 800-meter freestyle Saturday before Team USA earned a sixth swimming gold in the mixed 4x100-meter medley relay.
Ledecky became the most decorated American female Olympian ever in the process with nine golds and 14 total medals.
In terms of the 2024 Summer Olympics as a whole, the United States is on pace to blow away the competition in overall medals. Team USA has 69 so far, well ahead of China in second place with 45.
China does have one more gold than the U.S., however, so that fight might go down to the wire.
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