The United States swim team wrapped up the final day of competition in the pool with a pair of gold medals and world records to go with them.
Long-distance freestyler Bobby Finke delivered the first of the two gold medals in the 1500-meter freestyle — the only individual gold medal earned by a male swimmer on Team U.S.A. — and a new world record of 14:30.67.
BOBBY FINKE HAS DONE IT. 🫡
With a WORLD RECORD time, he successfully defends his Olympic title in the men’s 1500m free!
📺 #ParisOlympics on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/MBmwL7reEp
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
Katie Ledecky — whose prowess in the long distance races across four Olympic Games has made her the most decorated American female Olympian in history — couldn’t contain her excitement as Finke, who trains with her under coach and former Olympian Anthony Nesty, swam to victory.
Deranged Katie Ledecky cheering Bobby Finke’s 1500 win, wielding a cowbell like a weapon, is giving me life pic.twitter.com/rmwolR9Ub9
— Steve Cavendish (@scavendish) August 4, 2024
The men’s 4×100 medley relay team took the silver medal — the only time other than the 1980 boycott of the Moscow Olympics that a U.S. men’s team has not taken the gold in that event.
The team lost to China in a major upset despite an impressive split from Caeleb Dressel in his butterfly leg — 49.41, four hundredths of a second under his own world record in the 100-meter butterfly, which was set in Tokyo in 2021.
🇺🇸 Caeleb Dressel turning on the turbo for the team🚀 #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/8lnxhc3zlj
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) August 4, 2024
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The games concluded on another high for Team U.S.A. as the women’s medley relay team — Regan Smith (backstroke), Lilly King (breaststroke), Gretchen Walsh (butterfly), and Torri Huske (freestyle) — took the gold by a decisive margin and set another world record in the process.
TEAM USA CLOSES IT OUT WITH A GOLD. 🥇👏
In the final swim of the #ParisOlympics, the United States DOMINATES the women’s 4x100m medley relay! pic.twitter.com/ISAvsNwyef
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
