They’re smooth as silver.
Team USA swimmers Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, and Simone Manuel brought home the United States’ first swimming silver medal of the Paris Olympics in a heart-pounding relay on day one of competition.
With a time of 3:30.20, the Americans set a new national record. Their longtime, yet friendly rivals, Australia, took home gold and set an Olympic record time of 3:28.92. The Chinese national team came in third at 3:30.30.
Douglass, the University of Virginia alum, started the relay completing her leg in 52.98 seconds. Walsh, a current UVA swimmer, was next with a time of 52.55. Arlington’s Huske, who won silver in the same race at the Tokyo Games, swam third with a time of 52.06 seconds.
Anchoring the team was Manuel. By the time she left the blocks, China was in second place behind Australia. She made up ground and reached for the wall in the final moments to eek out a silver finish over the Chinese. Her time was 52.61.
The relay record wasn’t the only one broken on the first day in Paris. Earlier, Walsh set an Olympic record in the 100m butterfly semifinal. Huske came in second in that heat.
The quad’s silver medal wasn’t the only hardware Team USA brought home from the pool Saturday.
Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong and Caeleb Dressel won gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. It’s America’s first gold medal of the Paris games.
Bethesda’s Katie Ledecky furthered her quest to become the most decorated woman swimmer in Olympic history with a bronze medal win in the 400m freestyle behind Canada’s Summer McIntosh and Australia’s Ariarne Titmus.
Watch as Team USA swimmer Katie Ledecky wins bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle final.