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The U.S. women powered to a dominant lead early in the 4-by-100 meter medley relay on Sunday. The only real question was whether the swimmers would shatter the world record set by another U.S. American team in 2019.

They never relented, winning gold and beating the record by nearly a second with a time of 3:49.63. The Americans finished more than three seconds ahead of the Australian team that took silver. Chinese women won bronze.

The U.S. team was made up by Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske. The race capped a star-making performance in these Games for Huske, who won three gold and two silver medals.

Smith led off in the backstroke leg, earning a relay gold for the second night in a row after starting her Olympic career with five silvers and a bronze.

Lilly King made up for a disappointing showing in her individual events by powering the Americans to the lead on the breaststroke segment.

Then it was Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske, two of the biggest U.S. stars at these game, bringing it home in 3 minutes, 49.63 seconds to break the record of 3:50.40 set by the U.S. at the 2019 world championships.

Australia, the defending Olympic champion, took the silver this time in 3:53.11. The bronze went to China in 3:53.23.

The victory for the U.S. at the La Defense arena Sunday in the Paris suburbs capped a two-day streak of powerful performances by the American swim team after a slow start here.

 while claiming Olympic gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle final.

In all, U.S. swimmers scooped up eight gold medals, 13 silver and seven bronze.

That makes American athletes the winningest national swim team in the Paris Games, topping rival Australia, which has seven gold, eight silver and three bronze.

In a reminder, however, that international swimming competition has grown tougher, the U.S. men's relay team lost the 4x100 medley relay on Sunday. It's an Olympic event American men have dominated for decades, including a world- and Olympic-record performance at the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021.

China won gold in the final in a tight race. The U.S. team consisting of Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Caeleb Dressel and Hunter Armstrong captured silver. A French team led by star swimmer Léon Marchand took bronze.

Sunday's races cap Olympic pool swimming in Paris. There are still men's and women's outdoor 10,000-meter marathon swimming competitions scheduled for later in the week, to be held in the Seine River.

Brian Mann

Author

The Associated Press

The U.S. women powered to a dominant lead early in the 4-by-100 meter medley relay on Sunday. The only real question was whether the swimmers would shatter the world record set by another U.S. American team in 2019.


Swimming - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 9

Regan Smith leads off for record setting gold race in 4x100-meter medley

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