‘The world is getting faster’: Doing business as unusual as US swimmers’ dominance crumbles

At first glance, the medal tally in swimming in Paris looks very similar to that of three years ago for the United States: again at the top, both in terms of gold and in terms of total medals.

But the meeting continued a narrative that was building in Tokyo of supremacy preserved but dominance lost. When Bobby Finke retained his title in the men’s 1500m freestyle on the final day of the Olympic meeting on Sunday, he saved the pride of the American men rather than leaving France with an exclamation point on behalf of his country.

Without Finke’s world-record triumph, the U.S. would have failed to win a gold medal in individual swimming for the first time since Paris hosted the Games in 1900 (apart from the boycotted 1980 Games). And that blunder 124 years ago was entirely forgivable given the circumstances, as only one American swimmer competed.

The women’s 4x100m medley team also broke the world record on Sunday and won, making the US the most gold medal winner in the event. It added luster to a day that marked the end of a dynasty.

That this was an unusual business was underscored when the US settled for silver in the men’s 4x100m medley, losing to a Chinese team that had been embroiled in controversy after two of its members were allowed to compete despite testing positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics.

The result ended a 64-year unbeaten streak for the Americans, which stretched back to the event’s inception in 1960. And U.S. men have reached the podium in just six of the 14 individual events. For the first time in 20 years, no American pool star has reigned in multiple events as Michael Phelps did between 2004 and 2016 and Caeleb Dressel did in Japan in 2021. The program is not accustomed to so many lows mixing with highs.

“Our goal is always to match or beat our times,” men’s coach Anthony Nesty said, according to USA Today. “But it could have been better. You have to go back and look at your preparation for the competition and be better.”

Still, the week was far from a disaster. The U.S. finished with eight golds, 13 silvers, and seven bronzes for a total of 28, with Australia in second place with seven golds, eight silvers, and three bronzes for a total of 18 medals, ahead of a host nation led by Arizona native Léon Marchand with four golds.

The Americans won 30 medals in Tokyo and were also followed in second place by the Australians: the US won 11 gold, 10 silver and 9 bronze medals, Australia won nine gold, three silver and nine bronze medals and Great Britain finished in third place.

But it’s a far cry from Rio eight years ago, when the Americans won a stunning haul of 33 medals, including 16 gold, while the next-best nations, Australia and Hungary, trailed with just three top-of-the-table finishes apiece. London 2012 also produced 16 American gold medals.

Still, the Australians led the Americans 7-6 going into the final night in Paris, raising the chances of an upset: the last time the U.S. wasn’t at the top of the medal table was 1988. And Australia and China won more gold medals than the U.S. at last year’s world swimming championships.

“The world is getting faster, and I think that’s a very good thing,” says Finke told reporters“It’s really healthy for the sport. If one country is always dominating, I can’t really sit there and say the sport is growing. So as bad as it is that we’re not dominating anymore, it’s good for the sport.”

It was a different, more satisfying story for the women, who won four individual gold medals: two for Katie Ledecky in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, one for Torri Huske in the 100m butterfly and another for Kate Douglass in the 200m breaststroke. And they collected 12 individual medals in nine events.

With her four medals, Ledecky is the most decorated American female Olympian, and with her nine gold medals, she ties with Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals won by a woman.

Dressel, who won five golds in Tokyo, including three individually, anchored the 4x100m freestyle team to a third straight Olympic gold medal, but a busy schedule appeared to sap some of his energy for the individual events. “I don’t think we’re getting worse, per se. It’s good for the sport that the whole world is involved,” Dressel told reporters. “The wealth is just spread out.”

Veterans like Ryan Murphy, Dressel, Simone Manuel and Ledecky will be in their 30s by the time Los Angeles 2028 rolls around. That, and some of the disappointing performances, might suggest that the U.S. program is entering a period of transition. Still, given the likely boost the Americans will receive as hosts, it would hardly be a surprise if the country once again holds off stronger challengers to top the table in 2028. Likewise, on this evidence, it would no longer be a seismic shock if they didn’t.