NANTERRE, France — It took until the very last race of the very last session, but a world-record swim by the U.S. women in the medley relay secured Team USA its spot atop the medal table in the pool at the Paris Games.
The Americans typically sit there, though usually in more dominant fashion. The U.S. finished its meet here with eight gold medals and 28 overall medals, eking past Australia’s seven golds and keeping a streak alive. The U.S. have won more swimming golds than their peers in every Games since 1988, which was also the last meet the Americans collected this few.
It was an up-and-down week for the U.S. in general. There were highs, like Katie Ledecky becoming the most decorated female Olympian in American history and Bobby Finke’s 1500-meter win in world-record time. But there were some brutal lows, from Caeleb Dressel failing to medal in either of his individual events to a disqualification that cost Alex Walsh a bronze medal in the women’s 200-meter individual medley.
There were sighs of relief, surely, that the Americans did not end up on the wrong side of the gold-medal count, especially after the Aussies nearly doubled the U.S. gold total a year ago at world championships. And Finke’s swim saved Team USA from making the wrong kind of history; had he not…
