NANTERRE, France — It wasn’t the medal Katie Ledecky would’ve preferred. Still, it was good enough for the record books.
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.
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.
“I’ve tried not to really think about it, just taking it one event at a time and know I have challenges in each of my events,” Ledecky said after returning to the pool Friday for the prelimnaries of the 800 freestyle, her final event. “When all of a sudden it’s done, I’ll enjoy it.”
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.
McIntosh cruised to victory in the 200 butterfly, dealing American Regan Smith a familiar silver-medal finish.
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.
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.
It was the fourth swimming gold for the world’s most dominant swimming nation, to go along with 10 silver medals and six bronzes.
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.
Relay gold for the Aussies
O’Callaghan, gold medalist in the 200 freestyle, started things off for the Australians, giving them a lead they never relinquished.
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.
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.
Erin 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.
Yang Junxuan, Li Bingjie, Ge Chutong and Liu Yaxin earned the bronze in 7:42.34.
Ledecky is the favorite in the 800, an event she has won at the last three Olympics. Phelps is the only swimmer to win the same event at four straight Summer Games.
McIntosh chases down China’s Zhang Yufei
China’s Zhang Yufei, 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, pushed the pace in the 200 fly over the first half of the race.
No way she was holding off McIntosh, though.
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.
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.
McIntosh opened the games with a silver medal in the 400 freestyle, finishing ahead of Katie Ledecky, and blew away the field in the 400 individual medley.
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.
Red white and blue for gold
Douglass, who won a bronze in the 200 individual medley at Tokyo, now has a complete collection.
She started the Paris Games by helping the Americans win silver in 4×100 freestyle relay.
She grabbed the best color of all Thursday.
Douglass claimed the lead on the second of four laps and held off South Africa’s Tatjana Smith to win in 2:19.24.
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.
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.
Douglass has a chance to pick up another medal in the 200 IM.
Another Bowman swimmer wins gold
Hungary’s Hubert Kós claimed gold in the 200 backstroke, another triumph for a swimmer coached by Bob Bowman.
Kós rallied on the final lap to pass Greece’s 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.
Bowman coached Kós at Arizona State University, where he competed alongside the biggest swimming star of these games, France’s Léon Marchand.
Bowman now heads the program at the University of Texas, and Kós has transferred to join him.
Kós praised Bowman, best known as Michael Phelps’ coach, for pushing him to new heights.
“It’s been an incredible journey with him, and I’m just to happy be part of a team like that,” Kós said. “The magic touch is the work. He doesn’t let us be second best. He doesn’t let us stoop down to a level he doesn’t want from us. That brings out the best in us.”
More Marchand magic
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.
Already the winner of three gold medals, the French star is a big favorite to make it four in a row in the final Friday of his last individual event.
American Carson Foster posted the second-fastest time (1:56.37).
Caeleb Dressel advances to the final of the 50 free
After a close call in the morning preliminaries, American Caeleb Dressel will get a chance to defend his Olympic title in the 50 freestyle Friday night.
Dressel posted the fifth-fastest time in the evening semifinals (21.58) Thursday on the heels of tying for 13th in the heats. Benjamin Proud of Britain and Cameron McEvoy of Australia shared the top spot in swimming’s most chaotic race — an all-out dash from one end of the pool to the other — at 21.38.
