The United States ended its swim world championships on a high note, breaking the women’s 4×100 medley relay world record in the final event of the eight-day meet. The Americans finished with nine gold medals and 29 overall, topping the medal tables ahead of Australia with eight golds and France with four.
American star Summer McIntosh won all four golds for Canada, while American Bobby Finke defended his team’s honor despite a bronze finish in the men’s 1,500 meters. The US team had struggled earlier in the meet due to illness but finished strong with key victories on Sunday.
The championships featured eight finals and wins for seven different teams, with Leon Marchand of France and McIntosh emerging as clear stars throughout the week. Marchand won two individual golds, while McIntosh claimed four individual golds, just one shy of her goal of five.
Other notable performances included Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi’s fourth-place finishes in all three of her individual races, which also earned her a bronze medal in a relay. Kliment Kolesnikov of the Neutral Athletes won the men’s 50 backstroke, while Ahmed Jaouadi of Tunisia claimed both the 800 free and 1,500 titles.
The US team’s improvement was attributed to its health, with several swimmers recovering from illness that had affected their performances earlier in the meet. The victory marked a strong finish for the Americans before the 2028 LA Olympics.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/worlds-marchand-mcintosh-american-relays-155d536777e4b0bdad902e55f0e3f996