The U.S. Swimming crew is leaving the Paris Olympics with a complete of 28 medals — eight gold, 13 silver and 7 bronze — a formidable haul for the People after a sluggish begin to the video games.
The final swim occasion noticed Crew USA‘s women’s 4×100 medley relay crew of Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske break a world file on the best way to claiming gold.
“It was incredible,” mentioned Smith. “It was just so, so special to end on such a high note and push us in the lead for the medal count.”
Over on the lads’s facet, Crew USA capped off their time on the La Protection Enviornment with a silver within the the lads’s 4×100 medley relay with the crew consisting of Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Caeleb Dressel and Hunter Armstrong.
“There’s not many people that leave in Olympics 100% satisfied and I’d say Team USA is is definitely in that category,” mentioned Murphy. “But I think it’s one of those scenarios where a couple of weeks from now, we’re going to be able to look back and feel really proud of the effort we put in to get these results and ultimately what ended up happening.”
One factor Crew USA is pleased with, after some pre-Olympic banter, is having overwhelmed Australia not solely in complete medals —18 for the Aussies — however in complete gold medals, incomes yet one more than their rivals.
“It’s hard to call this a rivalry because, you know, a lot of us are such good friends, and we respect how well they compete,” mentioned self-appointed crew cheerleader Kieran Smith. However he did add, “I think we solidified ourselves again this summer as the world’s strongest team.”
That strongest crew title was in query initially of the Video games, with Australia, Canada and France claiming nearly all of gold medals for the primary few days of swimming. However when requested about what the way forward for U.S. Swimming seems to be like, particularly because the crew seems to be forward to being the hosts on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Dressel says the sluggish begin doesn’t decelerate any competitors.
“Maybe it wasn’t our best Games, but it doesn’t mean I think we’re any less attractive to be the ones to beat,” mentioned Dressel. “The rest of the world is getting faster in the water. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Makes the sport more exciting.”
Along with being thrilling, Dressel admits swimming might be very emotional. He had a viral second at that Video games with cameras caught him crying after he didn’t qualify for the butterfly remaining. It was a second he says he hopes others study from.
“I hope maybe I humanized the Olympic experience a little bit,” mentioned Dressel. “It’s just something that comes with the sport. It’s not broadcasted as much and it shouldn’t be, it should be the excitement and the joy around it. So yeah, I’m okay if that got brought out there. I’m not very good at hiding my emotions. And I was upset. It’s as simple as that.”
