Golden dash: Dressel claims 4th Olympic victory in 50 free

TOKYO (AP) — Caeleb Dressel won his fourth gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics with a victory in the 50-meter freestyle Saturday.

Dressel cruised to a McKeon completed her relatively easy win in the own freestyle sweep. frenetic dash from one She touched in end of the pool to the 23.81 seconds to take other, touching in an the women’s 50 free, Olympic record of 21.07 adding to her victory seconds. in the 100 and her

Dressel swept the 50 sixth medal overall at and 100 freestyle races, these games. to along with a worldrecord France’s Florent triumph in the Manaudou finished behind 100 butterfly and a leg Dressel to repeat as on the winning U.S. the Olympic silver medalist team in the 4x100 free in 21.55, while r el ay. Brazil’s Bruno Fratus

A few minutes after claimed the bronze in Dressel climbed from the 21.57 — edging American pool, Australia’s Emma Michael Andrew for the final spot on the podium.

In the ready room shortly before the race, Dressel paced back and forth anxiously while most of the other swimmers relaxed in their chai r s.

Then, he was cool as can be in swimming’s most furious lap. Popping up from the water with the lead, as is always the case with his impeccable underwater technique, Dressel was clearly in front all the way in a race that is often too close to call.

Dressel has one more shot at a gold in the 4x100 medley relay, an event the United States has never lost at the Olympics. He’ll swim the butterfly leg in a race that caps nine days of swimming competition at the Tokyo Aquatics Cent r e.

If Dressel claims a fifth victory, he would join Americans Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi, as well as East Germany’s Kristin Otto, as the only swimmers to win as many as five golds at a single Olympics. Phelps did it three times.

McKeon also has a shot at history after winning with an Olympicrecord time of 23.81.

The silver went to Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström in 24.07, while defending Olympic champion Pernille Blume of Denmark settled for bronze this time in 24.21.

American Abbey Weitzeil finished last in the eight-woman field.

McKeon has a chance to earn her seventh medal in the 4x100 medley relay. No female swimmer has ever captured that many at a single games.