World Aquatics Championships 2023: U.S. wins men's and women's 4x100m medley relay golds
The United States closed out the World Aquatics Championships 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan, on Sunday (30 July) in style winning both the men's and women's 4x100m medley relay titles.
Swimming
The United States bagged both the men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relay gold medals to close out the World Aquatics Championships 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan, on Sunday (30 July) on a high.
The men’s quartet of Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Dare Rose, and Jack Alexy ascended the top of the podium in style finishing well ahead of the chasing pack touching in a championship-record time of 3:27.20. The People’s Republic of China finished nearly a second behind them in second place in an Asian record of 3:29.00 with Australia touching third in 3:29.62.
In both finals, the backstroke swimmers secured an early advantage before the rest of their teams combined for dominant performances.
Leading off the American men, two-time Olympic champion Murphy gave his team a commanding lead over the backstroke leg. At the changeover, the United States was under a world-record pace with breaststroker Fink handing over to Rose with the team enjoying a body-length lead.
Alexy had clear water on the final and held on to the advantage sprinting home to give the United States their second gold of the evening.
“Going into the relays you are taking in four times the amount of confidence that you normally bring in. We have a lot of pride in representing our country and it is a great way to go out,” Murphy said.
The women’s foursome of Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh, and Kate Douglass stormed home in a time of 3:52.08 touching nearly a second-and-a-half ahead of the Australian team. Australia bagged silver in a time of 3:53.37 with Canada rounding out the podium in a time of 3:54.12.
Smith, who won silver in all three backstroke distances, surged to the front of the race giving breaststroke ace King a healthy advantage in the second leg. King further stretched the gap to more than two seconds.
By the time Walsh handed over, the United States already had an unassailable lead and she just needed to hold on for the victory.
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