Caeleb Dressel leads Team USA to first gold medal of Paris Olympics 2024, women's 4x100m relay team takes silver in American record time

The US team, featuring Caeleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong, Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano, won its first gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay finals on Saturday. They took a comfortable victory after the women's 4x100m freestyle relay team won silver in American record time.

Caeleb Dressel swept two gold medals in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He repeated the feat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, earning the golds in the aforementioned events, as well as individual golds in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly.

His effort at the Tokyo Olympics made him the fifth American to win five gold medals at a single Summer Games. Dressel was part of the 2024 US Olympic Trials, where he finished third with a time of 47.53s. Although he missed out on the individual spot, Dressel secured a spot in the 4x100m relay team.

On the first day of the 2024 Paris Olympics, USA won gold in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay finals after the women's team settled for silver. Hunter Armstrong, the world record holder in the long course 50m backstroke was also part of the gold-winning team, alongside Caeleb Dressel, Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano.

They finished in a time of 3:09.29s, a stellar 1.07s ahead of the silver-winning Australia. The US team earned its 11th 4x100m freestyle gold in its 14th Olympic appearance.

The US women's 4x100m freestyle relay team secured silver medal in 3:30.20, setting an American record. The relay team featured Gretchen Walsh, Simone Manuel, Torri Huske and Kate Douglass.

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Caeleb Dressel was part of the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Swimming - Olympics: Day 9 (Image via Getty)

Caeleb Dressel swam his 4x100m freestyle relay leg in 47.26s at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, giving the US team an early lead. Blake Pieroni and Bowe Becker followed and posted 47.58s and 47.44s, respectively, maintaining the speed and performance quality over the next 200m. Zach Apple, the fourth to take the pool, clocked the fastest anchor leg time of 46.69s to touch first with the US team clocking a total of 3:08.97.

The US team holds the men's long course 4x100m freestyle relay record, set by Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak at the 2008 Summer Olympics. They then broke their own world record at the same event, lowering the time from 3:12.23 to 3:08.24.