The United States’ first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics went to the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team after a thrilling race.
When anchor four-man Caleb Dressel touched the wall, the U.S. had a final time of 3 minutes 9.28 seconds, beating rival Australia by more than a second.
Australia took the silver medal in a time of 3:10.05, while Italy narrowly edged out China for the bronze medal in a time of 3:10.70.
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Caleb Dressel of the United States competes in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay qualifying event during the first day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Paris-La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
It’s Dressel’s eighth Olympic gold medal, but he wouldn’t have been able to claim it without the efforts of Chris Juliano, Jack Alexie and Hunter Armstrong, who were in the pool on Saturday and combined to win one Olympic medal.
Alexie, 21, is considered one of the next great swimmers and set the tone for the U.S. by swimming the first leg of the relay.
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Gold medalists Caleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong, Chris Juliano and Jacques Alexie of the United States celebrate after the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay final at Paris-La Defense Arena in Nanterre, Paris on July 27, 2024. (Sebastian Bozzoni/AFP via Getty Images)
Giuliano, also 21, followed him and began to gain an advantage before Armstrong opened up a gap between himself and his competitors.
When Armstrong hit the wall, veteran Dressel jumped into the pool and took the lead in the race. Australia, Italy and China all tried to catch up, but Dressel denied them the chance.
Gold medalists Caleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong, Chris Juliano and Jacques Alexie of the United States celebrate after the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay swimming final at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre on July 27, 2024 in Paris. (Sebastian Bozzoni/AFP via Getty Images)
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The win will set the tone for the rest of the men’s swimming competition, with Australia and China rivaling the U.S. for the world aquatics crown.
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