U.S. swimmers win Team USA’s first gold medal of 2024 Olympics in men’s 4×100 relay

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PARIS — Chris Guiliano, Jack Alexy, Hunter Armstrong and Caeleb Dressel combined to win Team USA its first gold medal of the 2024 Olympics in the last race of swimming’s opening night.

The American foursome out-raced Great Britain, Australia and China in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay here at Paris La Défense Arena on Saturday. As they won gold, the four Americans held their hands in the air and flexed their muscles.

The U.S. finished in 3:09.28. Australia took silver (3:10.35), Italy took the bronze (3:10.70).

Their swims yielded Dressel’s eighth Olympic gold. The other three U.S. swimmers in Saturday’s final entered with one combined medal of any color. But this was far from a one-man team, or even a Dressel-led effort.

Guiliano and Alexy, both 21, qualified ahead of Dressel at U.S. trials. Armstrong recalled that his coach had once called Alexy “the next Caeleb.” Dressel, for his part, spoke about the fulfillment he’d find in ushering in the next generation U.S. male sprinters.

And a month later, they teamed up to get the U.S. on the board in the broader Paris Olympics gold medal table.