The U.S. swimmers won a silver medal on Day 7
The American swimmer who won gold in the 200 meter backstroke and 800 meter medley at the X-ray London Olympics on Friday
Leon Marchand, the French swimmer who lives and trains in the US, won his fourth gold medal at these Summer Games on Friday.
While there have been stand-out moments, there have also been growing indications star U.S. athletes are now matched — and often outpaced — by a rising class of swimmers from Australia, Canada and France.
Katie Ledecky also dominated the women’s 1500 meter freestyle final, her signature event, and achieved a new milestone with 13 total medals — including gold, silver and bronze.
Finke came into the Paris Olympics the defending gold medal winner in the men’s 800-meter freestyle, after a breakout performance three years ago at the Tokyo Games.
Carson Foster, another American considered a strong medal contender in Paris, finished in fourth place Friday, out of medal contention in the men’s 200-meter individual medley, an event combining freestyle, back, breaststroke and butterfly.
Dressel and Smith both spoke of shifting their approach to competition, prioritizing mental health and enjoyment of sport over winning gold. In 2022, Dressel took eight months away from the sport.
Asked if she was disappointed by the lack of a gold medal finish, Smith said, “I have absolutely no control over what my competitors are doing. I think that was a damn good swim on my part.”
There was only one American that won a medal on Friday. She finished a half-second behind Australia’s Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 200-meter backstroke final, picking up a silver medal for the U.S.
Caeleb Dressel slicing into the water at La Defense on Friday night and winning the Olympic gold medal for the U.S.
Dressel said his work was not his best. I don’t need to shy away from that, it hasn’t been my best week. Yeah, it’s tough, a little heartbreaking.”
NANTERRE, France — When Caeleb Dressel sliced into the water Friday night at La Defense arena, he carried the mantle of America’s long-dominant swimming program.
During this race, Titmus pulled within a couple of strokes of Ledecky, but each time the American did not give up and powered through. Ledecky beat the Australian by a margin of more than two seconds with a time of 8:00.06.
Douglass fell in the final stretch to Canadian powerhouse Summer McIntosh, who set a new Olympic record in the event and captured her fourth medal of the Paris Games, three of them gold.
Tonight’s haul of medals was a rebound for the U.S. after days of near-misses where athletes from other countries have fought to the wall first. Team USA now has six swimming medals. The US usually makes at least ten claims during the Summer Olympics.
The French swimmer who lives and trains in the US, Leon Marchand, has won his fourth gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Katie Ledecky also dominated the women’s 1500-metre freestyle final, her signature event, and achieved a new milestone with 13 total medals. Ledecky came into the Paris Olympics the defending gold medal winner in the men’s 800-meter freestyle.