Paris Olympics: World record in women’s 4×100 medley pulls U.S. ahead of Australia on swimming medal table

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PARIS — In a head-to-head battle for swimming supremacy at the 2024 Olympics, the U.S. topped Australia in the women’s 4×100-meter medley relay, and climbed to the top of the meet’s medal table with gold in the very last race.

And they did it in world-record time.

After Bobby Finke’s gold in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle earlier Sunday, the Americans and Aussies entered the 35th of 35 finals with seven gold medals apiece.

And in that last final, the U.S. foursome of Regan Smith, Lily King, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske outraced Australia to reclaim an Olympic title that the Aussies had stolen by 0.13 seconds three years ago in Tokyo.

The Americans won in a world-record time of 3:49.63. Australia took silver (3:53.11), China took bronze (3:53.23).

The American edge this time around was their completeness. The Aussies lacked an elite breaststroker. The U.S. had Olympic medalists in all four strokes, and one-time world-record holders in three. They outpaced Australia and others to win the last of 35 events here at Paris La Défense Arena. And they helped Smith to her first career Olympic gold medal.