On a wild final night of swimming, U.S. sets two world records, edges Australia in gold-medal race

final night of swimming at Paris Olympics stirred a wide range of emotions for an American team that longer rules world.

A world record from Bobby Finke.

Elation.

A historic loss that reignited gripes about Chinese doping.

Stunning.

Finally, ar world record for women’s 4x100-meter medley relay team to edge out rival Australia for top spot in gold-medal table.

Whew!

“Just an awesome way to cap off meet,” said Lilly King of winning relay team, who joined her teammates in strolling around deck holding up stars and stripes as crowd filed out La Defense Arena.

Finke set his new standard in 1,500 freestyle before American women closed a thrilling nine days of swimming in style.

U.S. finished with eight gold medals to top Australia, which won seven events. Still, it was lowest victory total for Americans since 1988 Seoul Games, when y were beaten by a doping-tainted East German program.

y finished with 28 medals overall, two shy of ir total three years ago in Tokyo. In all, 13 countries won at least one gold — French star Léon Marchand was essentially a country unto himself — and 19 teams me medal podium.

After a bevy of disappointing performances by some of its biggest names, U.S. team was very much aware of its gold-medal battle with Aussies.

“I knew Bobby h tied it up,” King said. “Bobby’s swim was electric. That was amazing. He definitely got my energy going for relay. I was pumped to hopefully assert that le and get gold.”

That’s just what she did.

King, whose third Olympics will be her last, me up for a disappointing showing in her individual events by powering to le on breaststroke segment.

n it was Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske, two of biggest U.S. stars at se games, bringing it home in 3 minutes, 49.63 seconds to break record of 3:50.40 set by U.S. at 2019 world championships.

Regan Smith led off in backstroke leg, earning a relay gold for second night in a row after starting her Olympic career with five silvers and a bronze.

Australia, defending Olympic champion, took silver this time in 3:53.11. bronze went to China in 3:53.23.

Four world records were set during meet, three of m by U.S.

Historic loss for Americans

China stunningly won gold in men’s 4x100 medley relay, ending American run of dominance that stretched back to introduction of event at 1960 Rome Games.

only time U.S. didn’t win gold was in 1980, when it boycotted Moscow Games.

winning team included Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun, who were both among nearly two dozen swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance before Tokyo Games but were allowed to compete. result stirred more hard feelings from or nations that feel Chinese might have gotten away with cheating.

real star of Chinese team was Pan Zhanle, who h previously set a world record while winning 100 free and powered away from American Hunter Armstrong on anchor leg to touch in 3:27.46.

Americans were left with silver in 3:28.01, with France taking bronze in 3:28.38 to give Marchand his fifth medal of games — four of m individual golds.

British star am Peaty, whose team barely missed out on a medal by finishing fourth, blasted a system that allowed Chinese swimmers to compete at Olympics.

“If you touch and you kw you’re cheating, you’re t winning, right?” Peaty said. “As an horable person, I mean, you should be out of sport, but we kw sport isn’t that simple.”

Peaty ted that after initial revelations, ditional reports surfaced of more positive tests in Chinese program that went unpunished.

“I think we’ve got our faith in system, but we also don’t,” he said. “Whoever’s in race, I expect in my he that it has to be fair for m to be re. We did our best job as a team to do that, and it may have been (worthy of) a bronze. Who kws?”

Caeleb Dressel, who swam butterfly leg for Americans, said prior to Olympics that he didn’t have faith in World Anti-Doping ncy or his sport’s governing body, World Aquatics.

With a silver around his neck, he seemed resigned to belief that thing will change.

“I don’t work for WA,” Dressel said. “re’s thing I can do.”

Finke’s world record

Finke was under record pace entire race and really turned it on coming to finish. He touched in 14:30.67 to break record of 14.31.02 set by China’s Sun Yang at 2012 London Games.

silver went to Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri in 14.34.55, while race favorite Daniel Wiffen of Ireland couldn’t follow up his triumph in 800 freestyle. He was never a factor and settled for bronze in 14:39.63, barely holding off Hungary’s David Betlehem for final spot on podium.

Finke became only fourth swimmer to defend men’s title in longest event at pool, and first since Australia’s Grant Hackett in 2004.

“I really wanted to get on top of podium again and I hear anm all over again like I did for first time in Tokyo,” said Finke, who swept 800 and 1,500 three years ago.

This time, a gold in 1,500 to go with a silver in 800 felt pretty good, too.

“It was a dream,” he said.

Swedish gold in women’s 50 free

Sarah Sjöström of Sweden claimed her second gold medal of Paris Olympics, furiously dashing from one end of pool to or to easily claim 50 freestyle title.

30-year-old Sjöström, competing in her fifth Summer Games, h alrey won 100 free — an event in which she holds world record but only decided to swim at urging of her coach.

She was more surprised than anyone with that victory, which h her overflowing with confidence heing into 50 free.

Sjöström touched in 23.71, just shy of world record of 23.61 she set at 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. In a race that’s usually decided by mere hundredths of a second, Swedish star turned this into a relative blowout. She was fastest off block and clearly in control by midway point of single lap, where swimmers don’t even bor coming up for air.

Meg Harris of Australia took silver in 23.97, while bronze went to China’s Zhang Yufei in 24.20. For Zhang, ar of swimmers implicated in Chinese doping scandal, it was her fourth bronze of games to go with a silver.

Walsh, in her first swim of a busy night, just missed out on a medal in 24.21.