NANTERRE, France — It wasn’t the medal Katie Ledecky would’ve preferred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, it was good enough for the record books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a night when Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh romped to another victory and Kate Douglass claimed a gold for the Americans, Ledecky collected the 13th medal of her stellar career to become the most decorated woman in swimming history Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ledecky and three American teammates took silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, trailing an Australian squad led by individual gold medalists Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always pressure, but I think we were just going out there to do the best we could and win a medal and whatever records come with that medal will come and that\u2019s what happened,\u201d said Erin Gemmell, who took the anchor leg after Ledecky went third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her next-to-last event of these games, Ledecky broke the mark she shared with fellow Americans Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin and Jenny Thompson. The 27-year-old now has eight golds, four silvers and one bronze over four Olympics, with every intention of swimming on to Los Angeles in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McIntosh cruised to victory in the 200 butterfly, dealing American Regan Smith a familiar silver-medal finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Douglass put the U.S. on the top of the podium in the 200 breaststroke, a race that essentially served as a changing of the guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Longtime American star Lilly King, competing in her final Olympics, finished last in the final. She made her way over several lane ropes to give a hug to Douglass, one of the world’s most versatile swimmers and now a gold medalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the fourth swimming gold for the world’s most dominant swimming nation, to go along with 10 silver medals and six bronzes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No other American woman has more Olympic medals than Ledecky. Only four athletes rank higher on the overall list, which is led by Michael Phelps with 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O’Callaghan, gold medalist in the 200 freestyle, started things off for the Australians, giving them a lead they never relinquished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lani Pallister and Briana Throssell kept the team from Down Under out front, even as Ledecky tried in vain to chase down Throssell on the third leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Titmus dove in on the anchor leg with the lead, it was essentially over. The winner of the 400 freestyle and silver medalist in the 200 free finished in an Olympic record of 7:38.08.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gemmell held off China to give the U.S. the silver in 7:40.86. Claire Weinstein and Paige Madden rounded out the American squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yang Junxuan, Li Bingjie, Ge Chutong and Liu Yaxin earned the bronze in 7:42.34.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ledecky has one more event, the 800 freestyle. She’s the favorite for her fourth straight gold at that distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China’s Zhang Yufei<\/a>, the reigning Olympic champion and of nearly two dozen swimmers from her country who tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Games but were allowed to compete,<\/a> pushed the pace in the 200 fly over the first half of the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No way she was holding off McIntosh, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 17-year-old powered to the lead on the third 50 and left no doubt on the closing lap. She touched in an Olympic-record of 2:03.03.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smith passed Zhang as well, but had no chance of chasing down the youngster who has established herself as one of the biggest stars at La Defense Arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McIntosh opened the games with a silver medal<\/a> in the 400 freestyle, finishing ahead of Katie Ledecky, and blew away the field in the 400 individual medley<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was another rout. Smith touched in 2:03.84 for the fourth silver medal of her career, which has yet to produce a gold. Zhang held on for the bronze in 2:05.09.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Douglass, who won a bronze in the 200 individual medley at Tokyo, now has a complete collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She started the Paris Games by helping the Americans win silver in 4×100 freestyle relay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She grabbed the best color of all Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Douglass claimed the lead on the second of four laps and held off South Africa’s Tatjana Smith to win in 2:19.24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smith, who took gold in the 100 breaststroke, settled for a silver in 2:19.60, in what she said afterward was her last race. The bronze went to Tes Schouten (2:21.05) of the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n King, the winner of five medals including two golds at the last two Olympics, failed to claim an individual prize in her Olympic farewell. She tied for fourth in the 100 breaststroke and finished more than 6 1\/2 seconds behind Douglass in the 200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Douglass has a chance to pick up another medal in the 200 IM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hungary\u2019s Hubert K\u00f3s claimed gold in the 200 backstroke, another triumph for a swimmer coached by Bob Bowman.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n K\u00f3s rallied on the final lap to pass Greece\u2019s Apostolos Christou. The winner finished in 1:54.26, while Christou held on for the silver in 1:54.82. The bronze went to Roman Mityukov of Switzerland in 1:54.85.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bowman coached K\u00f3s at Arizona State University, where he competed alongside the biggest swimming star of these games, France\u2019s L\u00e9on Marchand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bowman now heads the program at the University of Texas, and K\u00f3s has transferred to join him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n K\u00f3s praised Bowman, best known as Michael Phelps\u2019 coach, for pushing him to new heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible journey with him, and I\u2019m just to happy be part of a team like that,\u201d K\u00f3s said. \u201cThe magic touch is the work. He doesn\u2019t let us be second best. He doesn\u2019t let us stoop down to a level he doesn\u2019t want from us. That brings out the best in us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marchand set himself up for another gold-medal run, posting the fastest time (1:56.31) in the semifinals of the men’s 200 individual medley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n