Apple, Team USA Sets World Record

Saturday, July 31

Tokyo, Japan

Indiana University

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

7/31/2021 11:20:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

King Claims Third Medal of this Olympics

TOKYO – Despite being the seventh seed heading into the final, Zach Apple and Team USA won gold in the final swimming event of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the 400m Medley Relay, in a world record time of 3:26.78 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Saturday night.

With one diving event to go, the Hoosiers have collected 11 total medals (4G, 5S, 2B). As a University, IU athletes have produced 114 total medals – 59 gold, 22 silver, and 33 bronze.

MEN'S 400m MEDLEY RELAY
For the 15th-straight Olympics with representation from the United States, Team USA took home gold in the 400m Medley Relay. The Americans have won every gold handed out in the event in Olympics history (dating back to 1960).

The time hit by the Americans (3:26.78) eclipsed the previous world record (3:27.28) by half a second and the previous Olympic record (3:27.95) by over a full second.

Apple closed out the relay with a split of 46.95 on the freestyle leg, the fastest freestyle spilt in the field. He closed out the games with his first two career gold medals, both in relay events he anchored.

Blake Pieroni anchored the American team in the preliminary heats. The former IU All-American has won three Olympic medals in his career, all gold in relay events. Pieroni and Cody Miller (gold in 2016) are the first set of Hoosiers to win gold in back-to-back Olympic golds in the men's 400m Medley relay since Mark Spitz and Jim Montgomery achieved the feat in 1972 and '76, respectively.

WOMEN'S 400m MEDLEY RELAY
The US women's 400m Medley Relay team finished with the silver medal at 3:51.73, falling to the Australian team (3:51.60), who threw down an Olympic record time. The two teams have earned both the gold and silver medals in each of the last seven Olympics dating back to 1996.

Lilly King held down the breaststroke leg in the preliminary heats to secure the US spot in the final and will be honored with a silver medal for her efforts. She closes out the 2020 Olympics with two silvers and a bronze medal to go along with the two golds won in 2016.

FINAL RESULTS
WOMEN'S 400m MEDLEY RELAY
2. Team USA: Regan Smith, Lydia Jacoby (Lilly King), Torri Huske, Abbey Weitzel – 3:51.73 (SILVER)

MEN'S 400m MEDLEY RELAY
1. Team USA: Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, Caeleb Dressel, Zach Apple (Blake Pieroni) – 3:26.78 (GOLD, World Record, Olympic Record, American Record)

The IU swimming and diving Olympic run will conclude with two days of diving for rising senior Andrew Capobianco. The 3M Synchro Springboard silver medalist will compete in preliminary heats of the individual 3M Springboard competition starting at 2 a.m. ET on Aug. 2. The finals of the event are scheduled to begin at 2 a.m. ET on Aug. 3.

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