Americans Rule The Pool With Final Flourish

US boost overall gold tally to 10 after relay world record, but China reign with 15

- David Lee

Americans Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske provided a fitting finish to the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) on Aug 3, as they broke the women's 4x100m medley world record in 3min 49.34 at the WCH Arena, going below the previous mark of 3:49.63 set by the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Australia's Kaylee McKeown, Ella Ramsay, Alexandria Perkins and Mollie O'Callaghan finished second in 3:52.67 and China's Peng Xuwei, Tang Qianting, Zhang Yufei and Cheng Yujie were third in 3:54.77.

The Americans' record-breaking win brings the number of world records set during this meet at the specially built WCH Arena to three.

Douglass, who was also part of the team that lowered the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay world record on Aug 2, hailed the effort after the Americans had struggled with food poisoning at their training camp in Thailand.

The 23-year-old said: "I'd say Team USA always knows how to finish with a bang. And I think it just sends a really positive message out to the viewers at home who didn't really believe in us.

"We had a higher gold-medal tally than we had in Fukuoka (nine this year, seven in 2023) under insanely terrible circumstances, to put it bluntly, so I'm so excited for our future."

While Summer McIntosh and her Canadian teammates were fifth behind the neutral athletes from Russia, it remained a summer to remember for the teenage sensation.