Australia won the event for the 4th straight Olympic Games
The United States women’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay team captured silver in the final at Paris La Defense Arena Saturday night.
The U.S. was unable to take down rival Australia, which finished with gold in 3:28.92 compared to the U.S. team's finish of 3:30.20.
However, the U.S. defeated another rival in China, edging them by one-tenth of a second (3:30.30).
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Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Simone Manuel of the United States celebrate after winning silver in the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay final on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena July 27, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
It was Simone Manuel, the anchor leg for Team USA, who stretched her arm out to touch the wall before China could in a thrilling finish.
Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske, who all swam their legs, were cheering Manuel the entire way as she covered ground to beat China and secure silver.
US SECURES FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN MEN'S 4X100-METER FREESTYLE RELAY
For Australia, though, this marks the fourth straight Olympics the gold medal heads down under after Emma McKeon, Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack were perfect in their swims.
McKeon, the 30-year-old Aussie star, walks away with the sixth Olympic gold medal and 12th medal overall during her illustrious career.
Silver medalists of the United States, gold medalists of Australia and bronze medalists of the People's Republic of China pose with their medals during the medal ceremony after the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay final on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena July 27, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
McKeon’s medal count ties Americans Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin for the most career Olympic medals by a women’s swimmer.
U.S. star Katie Ledecky finished the 400-meter freestyle earlier Saturday in third place to earn her first bronze and 11th career Olympic medal.
On the American side, Manuel was the only swimmer on this relay team who competed in a previous Olympics. She competed in the 2020 Olympics in the same event.
Silver medalists Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Simone Manuel of the United States pose with their medals after the medal ceremony for the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay final on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena July 27, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Manuel also collected gold in 2016 at the Rio Games, coming out victorious in the 100-meter freestyle and 4x100-meter medley relay.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
