USA Mixed 4x100M Medley Relay Team Sets New World Record, Clinches Olympic Gold

Gold medals have not been easy to come by for the Americans in the pool, but their latest triumph came in spectacular fashion. On Saturday, the U.S. mixed 4×100 medley relay team captured the gold medal, shattering the world record in the process.

The team, consisting of Ryan Murphy, Gretchen Walsh, Nic Fink, and Torri Huske, delivered a stellar performance, clocking in at 3:37.43. This time edged out the previous world record by 15-hundredths of a second. Despite China’s impressive effort, where they too broke the former world record with a time of 3:37.55, they had to settle for silver.

This victory marked the sixth gold medal for the U.S. in the swimming events at these Olympics, placing them just one gold behind Australia, who has led the swimming medal count. For Torri Huske, this was her second gold of the Games. She had previously claimed the top spot in the women’s 100m butterfly, with her teammate Gretchen Walsh taking silver in that race. Huske has also secured two silver medals, one in the women’s 100m freestyle and another in the 4×100 freestyle relay, where she was again joined by Walsh.

This remarkable achievement came just a day after the U.S. mixed 4×400 relay track team set a world record in their event, only to finish with the silver medal in Saturday’s final. The success of the U.S. swimming team is especially notable considering the debut of the mixed 4×100 medley relay event just a few years ago in Tokyo. Back then, the Americans finished in fifth place, with Great Britain, China, and Australia taking the top three positions. That team featured Murphy, Lydia Jacoby, Huske, and eight-time gold medalist Caeleb Dressel.

The new world record set on Saturday was actually the second gold medal of the day for the Americans in the pool, as just minutes earlier, Katie Ledecky claimed her record-breaking ninth gold medal in the 800m freestyle, further solidifying her status as one of the greatest swimmers in history.

As the Olympic swimming events draw to a close on Sunday, there are still four more medals to be contested in the women’s 50m freestyle, men’s 1500m freestyle, and the men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relays. The U.S. team will be eager to add to their impressive medal tally and close out the competition on a high note.