Swimming at the Paris Olympics 2024 live updates (2024)

Katie Ledecky has won her ninth career Olympic gold medal on the penultimate night of swimming action here at Paris 2024.

• Men's 100 fly final: Hungary's Milak gold, Canada bronze and silver
• Women's 50 free semifinals: Sweden's Sjöström, USA's Walsh 1-2
• Women's 200 IM final: Summer McIntosh (Canada) wins gold, Kate Douglass (USA) silver, Alex Walsh (USA) disqualified from bronze
• Women's 800m free final: Katie Ledecky (USA) wins event for fourth straight Olympics, Titmus (Australia) silver, Madden (USA) bronze
• Mixed 4x100m medley relay final: USA-China-Australia go 1-2-3

Katie Ledecky on going for a fifth straight Olympic gold medal in the 800 free in LA in 2028: "I’d love to, but it’s not easy. I’ll take it year by year and give it everything I’ve got for as long as I have left in me.

“(Winning the 800 free four straight time) is the (record) that means the most to me. August 3 is the day I won in 2012, and I didn’t want August 3 to be a day I didn’t like, moving forwards. Kinda felt like I put a lot of pressure on myself. So I’m happy I got the job done.”

After taking silver in the 200 IM, America's Kate Douglass spoke about the disqualification of compatriot Alex Walsh from the bronze-medal spot.

“I was really heartbroken for her. I felt like she deserved to win that medal, and she deserved to be on the podium with me.

“I’m upset because I don’t know if it was the right call or not, but I can’t really speak on that, I’m not an official. But when it comes to back-to-breast turns like that, we all have our fair share of mistakes and stuff.

"I don’t know if it was worth the DQ. There’s nothing you can say to make it better.”

After winning the 200 IM, Summer McIntosh spoke to the media about being the first Canadian to win three gold medals in one Olympic Games.

“It's pretty surreal. I'm just so proud of myself and how I’ve been able to recover and manage events. The reason I'm able to do this is just because of all the hard work and dedication I've given to this moment, along with all my family and my teammates, and my coaches have also worked so hard for me to be here today.”

On her place in Canadian sports history: “There's been so many before me that have led the way and inspired me to be where I am today. I really owe a lot back to that. I'm just proud of what I've been able to accomplish.”

On her inspiration: “So many to name. Ever since Rio (2016), the swimming community has flipped on its head, and we've continued to carry that momentum since then. In 2016, I was watching on my TV. Kenny (Goss) and Kylie (Masse) and everyone back then were winning medals. Now somebody else, so it's pretty surreal to be able to swim alongside of them.”

With just one final night of swimming left at the Paris Games, the United States is in danger of losing two impressive streaks:

• If Bobby Finke doesn't win the 1500m free final tomorrow, this will be the first Olympics since 1900 (!) in which the U.S. fails to win a single individual gold medal in men's swimming (ignoring the boycotted 1980 Games, of course.) The only event that the American men have won so far is the 4x100m free relay.
• With four finals remaining, Australia currently leads the U.S. in total swimming gold medals by a count of seven to six. The last time the U.S. failed to finish an Olympics with the outright lead in swimming golds was at Seoul 1988, when East Germany took 11 to the Americans' eight. Given that the East Germans were later shown to be engaging in a systematic doping program, if you discount Seoul 1988 and the boycotted Moscow 1980 Games, the U.S. hasn't failed to take the most swimming gold medals since Melbourne 1956!

Australia lead the United States in swimming gold medals at the 2024 Olympic Games by a count of seven to six.

Australia's golds break down as six by women, one by men, while the U.S.'s break down as four by women, one by men, one mixed.

France have the third-most swimming gold medals with four, 100% of which have come from Leon Marchand.

In terms of total swimming medals, the U.S. are way out in front with 25, compared to 16 for Australia in second and nine for China in third.

Torri Huske holds off China down the stretch to take the gold medal for the United States! She won by just 12 hundredths of a second! The U.S. breaks Britain's world record from Tokyo 2020.

In the end, Australia didn't factor for the win but managed to take the bronze.

China, the United States and France are way out in front, having frontloaded their relays with both of their men.

China touch 0.42 ahead of U.S., with France in third after Marchand's leg a further second back. Watch out for Australia though!

Here's the lineup for the U.S. mixed medley relay: Ryan Murphy (backstroke), Nic Fink (breaststroke), Gretchen Walsh (butterfly) and Torri Huske (freestyle).

Golden boy Léon Marchand is swimming in the relay for Team France as well, taking the breaststroke leg.

This event has been contested at the World Championships since 2015. It has been conducted only once at the Olympic Games, at Tokyo 2020. Unlike the mixed relay we saw in track earlier tonight, swimming allows teams to arrange the two men and two women in any order they like, making this race completely chaotic.

Great Britain won gold at Tokyo 2020, setting the world record that still stands. China took silver and Australia claimed bronze.

The United States won gold at the 2024 World Championships though, followed by Australia and Great Britain.

Lane order

1. France
2. Britain
3. China
4. United States
5. Australia
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. Japan

Katie Ledecky has become just the sixth Olympian, in any sport, to win four consecutive golds in an individual event. She joins:

• Paul Elvstroem: Denmark, 1948-1960, Sailing one-person dinghy
• Al Oerter: United States, 1956-1968, Athletics discus throw
• Carl Lewis: United States, 1984-1996, Athletics long jump
• Michael Phelps: United States, 2004-2016, Swimming 200m individual medley
• Mijain Lopez: Cuba, 2008-2020, Greco-Roman Wrestling super-heavyweight

Katie Ledecky makes all kinds of history with her fourth straight Olympic gold medal in the 800 free!

Ariarne Titmus holds on for silver, while America also takes bronze with Paige Madden coming home in third.

With 100 meters to go, Katie Ledecky has increased her lead to 1.40 seconds!

Fellow American Paige Madden has caught up to Ariarne Titmus and has a chance at silver!

Halfway through the 800 free final and Ledecky still leads Titmus by a quarter of a second.

Pallister is in third, three seconds back of Ledecky.

At the 200m mark of the 800m free final, Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus are out in front, as expected, with the American leading the Aussie by a quarter of a second.

The next-closest swimmers are a further two seconds behind in the early going here.

Katie Ledecky is seeking her fourth straight Olympic gold medal in this event. Doing so would make her just the sixth Olympian, in any sport, to win four consecutive golds in an individual event.

With one more gold medal, Ledecky would also equal the female Olympic record of nine career golds, held by gymnast Larisa Latynina (Soviet Union, 1956-1964).

Ledecky has the 16 fastest times ever recorded in this event, including the current world record...

America's Alex Walsh has a half-second lead after the breaststroke at the 150m mark and appears to be heading for the gold, but Canada's Summer McIntosh runs her down in the final meters and wins by 0.36 seconds! What a final 50 by the 17-year-old, who takes her third gold medal, all individual, of these Games!

America's Kate Douglass catches Walsh as well, giving the U.S. the silver and the bronze. But Walsh has been disqualified! Her turn from backstroke to breaststroke was illegal, replays showing she turned too far towards her stomach before touching the wall. That upgrades Australia's Kaylee McKeown to the bronze medal.