U.S. wins first gold medal of Paris Olympics at men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay

The United States won its first gold medal at the Paris Olympics after a strong showing in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay on Saturday.

The team — made up of Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, and Caeleb Dressel — finished 1.07 seconds before the silver medal team, Australia. Italy won bronze.

Team USA has won gold in this event in 10 of the last 13 Olympics. It is also Dressel’s eighth Olympic gold.

Earlier Saturday, the U.S. won its first medal in Paris when Sarah Bacon, 27, and Kassidy Cook, 29, won silver in the 3-meter synchronized springboard competition. The American duo scored 314.64 points, which put them firmly in second place behind Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen of China.

Katie Ledecky wins bronze in women’s 400-meter freestyle

Katie Ledecky came up short to reclaim gold in the women’s 400-meter freestyle on Saturday after Australian Ariarne Titmus defended her Olympic title.

Titmus, known as “The Terminator” handed Ledecky a second straight defeat at the Paris La Défense Arena in the event that the 27-year-old American won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

With her fingernails painted Aussie yellow, Titmus led from start to finish. She faced her stiffest challenge from Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh but won comfortably in 3 minutes, 57.49 seconds.

McIntosh claimed the silver in 3:58.37. Ledecky was left in their wake and got the bronze in 4:00.86.

After Saturday’s race, the highly decorated Ledecky remains at six individual gold medals – still the most of any female swimmer in Olympic history. The third-place prize is her 11th overall Olympic medal.

Titmus now has three individual Olympic victories on her growing resume. She swept the 200 and 400 free in Tokyo, beating Ledecky, and is favored to pull off the same double in Paris.

Ledecky isn’t done yet. She skipped a chance to face Titmus again in the 200 free, but the American is favored to take gold in both the 800 and 1,500 races.

U.S. wins silver in women’s relay

Team USA won the silver medal in the 4×100-meter swimming relay, losing to Australia. China won bronze.

The U.S. relay team, which included Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Simone Manuel, set a new American record in the event with a time of 3:30.20. The time was just under 2 seconds shy of Australia’s 3:28.92, which is a new Olympic record and the country’s fourth straight Olympic title in the event.

The Aussies, who hold the world record in the event, also held the previous Olympic record time of 3:29.69 which they set in Tokyo.

So far, the U.S. has won five medals: one gold, two silver and two bronze. American cyclist Chloe Dygert won bronze in the women’s individual time trial in road cycling.