Caeleb Dressel, Bobby Finke cap historic week, plus more from Tokyo
The final night in the pool was a success for Team USA. Later, the title of world’s fastest man will be…
It’s Day 9 in Tokyo and the final day of what has been a lucrative location for Team USA at these Olympic Games: the pool. There was also Xander Schauffele winning America’s first gold medal in golf in 121 years. Sunday starts with the gymnastics event finals.
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But, back to the pool. Team USA had a spectacular last day in the pool. Caeleb Dressel started it by swimming an Olympic-record 21.07 seconds to take gold in the 50-meter freestyle. As soon as he took off from the diving board, there was no looking back for the sprint star.
Right after, Bobby Finke, who sprinted the last 50 meters to win the 800-meter freestyle, came out and did exactly the same in the 1,500-meter freestyle. He hovered in fourth place before he bolted late for his second long-distance gold — becoming the first American swimmer in 37 years to win the 1,500-meter freestyle event.
The brilliant day for Team USA continued with the women’s 4×100 relay team throwing down a nearly perfect race. Regan Smith, Lydia Jacoby, Torri Huske and Abbey Weitzeil missed the gold by 0.013 seconds, finishing second to Australia.
The last race of the day was the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay — an event the U.S. has never lost. Swimming in Lane 1, Ryan Murphy started with the backstroke, followed by Michael Andrew in the breaststroke, Dressel in the butterfly and Zach Apple finishing the race strong in the freestyle.
Team USA’s quartet clocked a world-record time of 3:26:78 to win the gold.
Here’s all the best from the Olympic action:
Caeleb Dressel finished off his individual Olympics run in perfect fashion, winning the 50-meter freestyle in the last session of swimming with an Olympic-record 21.07 seconds. France’s Florent Manaudou finished second, and Brazil’s Bruno Fratus picked up bronze.
The Fastest Man in Swimming.β’οΈ
Caeleb Dressel sprints away with the gold medal in the 50m freestyle. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/7hc0kCV2NY
β Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 1, 2021
KING CAELEB π
Caeleb Dressel BREAKS the Olympic record to win GOLD in the men’s 50m free! #TokyoOlympics
πΊ NBC
π» https://t.co/FmEtvutDRA
π± NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/m4EVgfIDtEβ #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2021
Bobby Finke has another gear. After sprinting to the finish line in the 800-meter freestyle, Finke repeated the same in the 1,500 meters. He sprinted for his second individual Olympic gold medal, recording the second-fastest time in U.S. swimming history in 14:39:65. Ukraine’s Mykhailo Romanchuk finished second, and Germany’s Florian Wellbrock took third.
“It means the world to me. I was just trying to hold on and try to get the hand on the wall,” Finke said.
In the 800-meter freestyle, Finke shaved 5.71 seconds off his personal best in 2021 to break an American record and win the Olympic gold. In the 1,500-meter free, he took 9.05 seconds off his personal best in 2021 to win the gold. With Finke’s win, the United States won gold medals in both the men’s and women’s 1,500-meter freestyle events.
This was the first win for Team USA in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle in 37 years.
Distance KING, @Robert_Finke! ππ₯#TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/M2ivsjBVWi
β USA Swimming (@USASwimming) August 1, 2021
USA 800/1500 sweep!! ππΌ@USASwimming #BobbyFinke
β Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) August 1, 2021
BOBBY FINKE WINS 1500M GOLD π₯@TeamUSA x #TokyoOlympics
πΊ NBC
π» https://t.co/FmEtvutDRA
π± NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/d9ecHOL4eYβ #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2021
Carrying on a golden tradition
Team USA’s Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, Caeleb Dressel and Zach Apple swam a world-record pace to win the 4×100-meter medley relay in 3:26:78. This is a race the U.S. has never lost. Great Britain grabbed silver, followed by Italy.
You’re looking at the fastest men’s medley relay on the planet! ππ₯
π:ππ.ππ #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/iRsTSFp9Uh
β USA Swimming (@USASwimming) August 1, 2021
GOLDEN HOUR. π₯#TeamUSA ends the swimming competition with a gold medal in the men’s 4 x 100m medley relay. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/3CWjrzmyZb
β Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 1, 2021
Schauffele finds gold on the greens
American Xander Schauffele has never won a golf major. Now, he’s one of two men’s golfers alive who can put a gold medal around his neck. Schauffele has finished in the top 10 at all four majors in his young career, but finishing atop of the leaderboard at the end of a major weekend has eluded him. Now he has the most precious of Olympic medals, five years after Justin Rose of Great Britain won it in 2016 at the Rio Games, where the sport returned to the Olympics for the first time in in over 100 years.
The putt that sealed the deal. @XSchauffele for Olympic π₯!@USAGolf x #TokyoOlympicspic.twitter.com/DbAiCH80KR
β Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 1, 2021
“I kind of wanted this one more than any other one… a little speechless now in all honesty.”@XSchauffele on what it’s like to win Olympic gold for @TeamUSA and for his family. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/6RRekdjpvt
β #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2021
It’s #Golf gold for Xander Schauffele!#USA wins their first Olympic gold in an individual event in this sport since 1900!@igfgolf @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/5bXvAQDabP
β Olympics (@Olympics) August 1, 2021
Schauffele, 27, stood on top at the end with a 4-under 67 in Sunday’s final round to finish 18-under-par for the tournament.
Silver for Saunders
With a throw of 64 feet, 11.25 inches (19.79 meters), 25-year-old American Raven Saunders earned a silver medal in the shot put.
The DRAMA. The ANGLES. @GiveMe1Shot is giving us everything. #TeamUSATF pic.twitter.com/0d0HqgOPtL
β USATF (@usatf) August 1, 2021
Gave her a shot and she took it.@GiveMe1Shot claims silver in shot put. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/GMDiztUOSF
β Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 1, 2021
Australia’s McKeon sets Olympic record
Australia’s Emma McKeon continues to flourish in Tokyo, winning the women’s 50-meter freestyle with an Olympic-record swim of 23.81 seconds. This is her sixth Olympic medal in Tokyo, her third gold. Sweden’s Sarah SjΓΆstrΓΆm finished second, and Denmark’s Pernille Blume picked up bronze.
Olympic record and GOLD for Austrailia’s Emma McKeon!
This is her SIXTH medal of the #TokyoOlympics.
πΊ NBC
π» https://t.co/FmEtvutDRA
π± NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/sAdH8FrDLIβ #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2021
Australia took the gold in the women’s 4×100-meter relay on the final day of swimming in Tokyo. USA’s Regan Smith, Lydia Jacoby, Torri Huske and Abbey Weitzeil finished in second place — just 0.013 seconds behind the gold medalists.
USA and Australia were neck and neck for most of the race. Australia finished with an Olympic-record 3:51:60. Canada picked up bronze. Australia’s McKeon, who was a part of the relay race, won her second gold of the night — and seventh Olympic medal overall in Tokyo.
McKeon is only the second woman to win seven medals at a single Olympics, tying a record set in 1952, and now has the most Olympic medals of any Australian Olympian.\
The future is bright
Today’s aquatic events might have played a part in inspiring the next generation.
We personally think that this #FutureOlympian NAILED this dive! #TokyoOlympics (π₯ Tod Farr/TT) pic.twitter.com/kN5ybzZyx4
β NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 31, 2021
The sweep is complete
Team USA swept the top three positions to advance to the finals in two separate events — women’s hammer throw and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
On to the final! All three #TeamUSATF Women’s Hammer Throw athletes advance! #Tokyo2020 @brookeandersen8 (74.00m)@MzBerryThrows (73.19m)@DeannaPrice32 (72.55m) pic.twitter.com/5Q4VKQtVlL
β USATF (@usatf) August 1, 2021
That’s our Team πΊπΈ! All three advance to the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase final. @emmajcoburn (9:16.91)@courtfrerichs8 (9:19.34)@val_constien (9:24.31)#TeamUSATF #JourneyToGold #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/D4OLuVe8FW
β USATF (@usatf) August 1, 2021
Pedal to the medal
American cyclist Hannah Roberts won silver in the Olympic debut of the BMX freestyle.
Hannah Roberts wins silver in the inaugural Olympic #BMXFreestyle park competition!@UCI_BMX_FS @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/iNuf2jggOE
β Olympics (@Olympics) August 1, 2021
We can relate
“OMG THEY’RE PLAYING MY SONG.” – the horse at the club pic.twitter.com/xRNJ5N6acE
β #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2021
Kiwis celebrate in style
After defeating France in the GOLD medal match of the #TokyoOlympics 7s tournament, New Zealand women’s rugby players performed a traditional haka. pic.twitter.com/M0BcH0x6bn
β #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2021
New Zealand claimed its first-ever gold medal in Olympic rugby sevens with a 26-12 victory over France in the final of the women’s competition at Tokyo Stadium.
Farewell, Tokyo
Katie Ledecky bids farewell to the Olympic Village, but this isn’t the end of the road for the 24-year-old swimmer. She plans to try to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics “and maybe beyond as well.”
Thank you, Tokyo, and thank you all for the tremendous support this week and over the years! I could hear you all! π₯³
Bringing 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, and countless memories back to the USAβ€οΈπΊπΈ pic.twitter.com/XpXx7oDELQ
β Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) July 31, 2021
With a broken neck!
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle celebrated the 25th anniversary of winning a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
25 years ago, WWE legend Kurt Angle won Olympic gold with a BROKEN NECK π pic.twitter.com/QKPvQFGp8e
β SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 31, 2021
On this day 25 years ago, I won the Olympic Gold in freestyle wrestling. #withabrokenfreakinneck πNo better way to spend my 25 year anniversary than with my beautiful family……My wife and kids said I should buy a boat now. We shall see π#25yearsofgold #olympics #1996 pic.twitter.com/y89Ruk3ct8
β Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) July 31, 2021