Two of USA Swimming's biggest stars were back in the pool Saturday in Tokyo.
Caeleb Dressel picked up his third gold of these Olympics, winning the men's 100-meter butterfly and setting a new record in the process.
Then it was Katie Ledecky's turn in the pool in her final swim of the Tokyo Games. Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle for the third consecutive Olympics to add to her medal haul.
While the swimming was taking place, we got more clarity on the status of gymnastics star Simone Biles, who will not compete in the vault and uneven bar event finals on Sunday. Her participation in the balance beam and floor exercise finals are still to be determined.
FRIDAY RECAP: USWNT beats Netherlands in penalty kicks, US swimmers medal
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TEAM USA MEDAL COUNT: Full list of every American who has earned hardware in Tokyo
TOKYO – U.S. swimmers Ryan Murphy, Lydia Jacoby, Torri Huske and Caeleb Dressel took fifth in the mixed 4x100-meter medley relay final, which made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics.
Murphy (backstroke), Jacoby (breaststroke), Huske (butterfly) and Dressel (freestyle) finished with a time of 3:40.58 behind Great Britain, China, Australia and Italy.
Great Britain, with a time of 3:37.59, broke the world record set by China on Sept. 26, 2020.
--Olivia Reiner
TOKYO – Connor Fields, the American BMX racer who was hospitalized Friday after crashing at the Olympics, suffered a broken rib and bruised lung and has undergone tests to determine if he suffered any brain damage, his father told USA TODAY Sports Saturday.
“There’s a bit of fluid on his brain, but it has not increased for the next 24 hours, so they’re feeling good about that,’’ Mike Fields said. “So far the results seem pretty positive.’’
Fields, a medal favorite who crashed in a semifinal heat at Ariake Urban Sports Park, underwent a CT scan on his brain Saturday morning, according to his father. He also had CT scans on his spine and abdomen.
“Cognitively, he’s doing well,’’ Mike Fields said. “He knows where he is. He knows his birthday. He recognizes people.’’
The hope is that Connor Fields will be released from the hospital in five days and then flown home, his father said.
-- Josh Peter
Simone Biles will not compete in vault, uneven bars event finals
TOKYO – Simone Biles will skip the event finals for vault and uneven bars, still not ready to compete again after losing her sense of where she is in the air. The announcement was made Saturday morning in Tokyo.
Biles also has qualified for Monday’s floor exercise final and Tuesday’s balance beam final. A decision on her availability for those two events has yet to be made.
Biles will be replaced in the vault final by fellow American MyKayla Skinner. Skinner was fourth on vault in qualifying, but Jade Carey and Biles were ahead of her and countries are limited to two gymnasts per final. Biles’ spot in the uneven bars final will be filled by the first reserve, which currently is France’s Melanie de Jesus dos Santos.
--Nancy Armour
TOKYO – Katie Ledecky, the most decorated female swimmer of all time, won the women’s 800-meter freestyle for the third consecutive Olympic Games.
Ledecky won in 8:12.57, beating silver medalist Australian Ariarne Titmus by 1.26 seconds.
With the victory, Ledecky, 24, closed out her 2020 Olympics with two golds and two silvers. She has said she is going to keep swimming to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
--Christine Brennan
In the women’s 200 backstroke final, Americans Rhyan White and Phoebe Bacon fell short of the podium. White finished in fourth with 2:06.39 and Bacon finished a place behind her with 2:06.40. Australian Kaylee McKeown, Canadian Kylie Masse and Australian Emily Seebohm took the top three spots.
TOKYO – U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel took gold in the men’s 100-meter butterfly, breaking his own world record and marking his third gold-medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Dressel finished in 49.45 seconds ahead of Hungary’s Kristof Milak and Switzerland’s Noe Ponti. He set an Olympic record with a time of 49.71 during Friday’s semifinals, which was two tenths of a second slower than the world record he set in 2019. He is the only man to have broken 50 seconds in the event.
He later competed in the semifinals of the 50-meter freestyle, where he easily advanced to the final, and anchorced the mixed medley relay.
Dressel took his first Tokyo gold in the 100-meter freestyle and picked up another gold in the men’s 4x100 freestyle relay.
--Olivia Reiner
TOKYO – Morgan Pearson gutted out a blistering run on the final leg of the triathlon mixed relay on Saturday to give the United States a silver medal in the event’s Olympic debut.
Katie Zaferes, the bronze medalist in the women’s race, gave the Americans a narrow lead on the first leg, but the U.S. team was in second when Pearson took over the final leg. France’s Vincent Luis came from third to first halfway through the bike on the final leg, but Pearson ran him down to finish second.
Britain won gold, while France took bronze in the first Olympic race for the event, in which teams of four each swim 300 meters, bike 7.4 kilometers and run 2 kilometers.
--Rachel Axon
Ever wonder how the horses used for equestrian competitions at the Olympics make it to the host cities? Just like their riders, they fly business class, and it took 19 planes to transport over 300 horses to Tokyo.
The U.S. team, which consists of 12 Olympic and Paralympic athletes along with coaches, groomers, doctors and more, flew first to Europe for their pre-export quarantine before heading to Tokyo. Each horse's groomer and vet has to bring a month's worth of supplies with them. Team USA is known for overpacking.
Horses don't have any more trouble flying than humans, though. Some like it more than others, and they're tended to during the entirety of the flight.
--Gabriela Miranda and Rachel Axon
Another new event, the triathlon mixed relay, makes its debuts at the Tokyo Olympics.
There are 17 countries listed as competing in the event. Each country has a four-person team — two men and two women — who will each compete in a super sprint triathlon that consists of a 300-meter swim, 6.8-kilometer bike ride and 2-kilometer run. The order of competitors will alternate between genders and start with a woman.
Kevin McDowell, Morgan Pearson, Taylor Knibb and Katie Zaferes will race for the U.S. Zaferes finished third in the women's individual event on Monday.
Team USA has won five World Championship medals since this triathlon discipline was formalized in 2009, including gold in 2016 and silver in 2020. France is the three-time defending world champion. Australia and Great Britain will be other teams to watch.
Team USA's Schauffele leading as third round of golf begins
Xander Schauffele overtook Mexico's Carlos Ortiz in Friday's second round for first place halfway through the tournament. He shot 8-under par on the day and is 11-under in the tournament heading into the third round. Schauffele is likely the best shot Team USA has for a medal in men's golf.
Schauffele's fellow Americans, Patrick Reed and Collin Moriwaka, are 8-shots back from the lead.
The first two days of the Olympic tournament have been marred by bad weather, with stoppages occurring due to storms in the area.
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