U.S. takes 4x100m medley gold; Hunter Armstrong qualifies for Olympic medal

By Mitch Spinell

TOKYO, Japan - The United States men's swim team won the 4x100-meter medley relay on Saturday night, winning the event's gold medal for the 15th consecutive Games.

The Americans broke their own world record time with a 3:26.78 finish, just ahead of Great Britain (silver) and Italy (bronze). Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, Caeleb Dressel, and Zach Apple each competed for Team USA in the Saturday final at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Not only will the Saturday foursome return to the States with medals, but also their fellow teammates who competed in the Friday preliminaries - including Dover High School grad Hunter Armstrong, who helped the U.S. finish seventh overall between the two pre-final heats.

Armstrong got another chance at a medal after falling short of the individual 100m backstroke finals earlier in the week. However, the 20-year-old Ohio State star swam the backstroke leg of the prelims and shares honors with teammates Andrew Wilson, Tom Shields, and Blake Pieroni.

The United States men's squad remains unbeaten in each of its fifteen appearances in the 4x100m medley since the inaugural race at the 1964 Tokyo Games (not including the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow, which the U.S. boycotted).