Swimming at the 2024 Olympics live updates (2024)

• Women's 400m freestyle final – 1-2-3: Titmus, McIntosh, Ledecky
• Women's 4x100m free relay final – Australia gold, USA silver
• Men's 4x100m free relay final – USA gold, Australia silver
• Men's 400m free final – Germany's Maertens wins gold
• Women's 100m fly semis – Americans Walsh, Huske qualify 1-2
• Men's 100m breast semis – Peaty qualifies first, American Fink fourth

You can follow The Athletic's Olympics coverage here (click 'follow' in the top right hand corner). And for rolling news from around Paris on the first day of the Games, click here.

Simone Manuel spoke about setting a new American record after taking silver in the 4x100 free relay:

"Todd (DeSorbo, coach) put that in our minds at the beginning of training camp and actually really coming off 2021 for those of us who were there. So it was a goal of ours to break the American record and get as close to the Australians as we could, and so we're really happy with that performance."

On swimming the anchor leg:

"I didn't really know where the Chinese were, the only person I could see was (Australian) Meg (Harris), so it was really just about trying to put together the best possible race that I could. These three women set me up well, and it's been a while since I've been in the anchor position, so I was a bit more nervous for that race than I would have liked to be."

On being on the team:

"It feels good to be back here. I didn't know if I would ever be performing at this level again. So just to kind of have the full-circle moment of being on this relay again from 2021 to now, but just in a happier and healthier place, I think is really special."

After the session, Gretchen Walsh spoke about setting an Olympic record in the 100 fly semifinals: "It was great. This morning (in prelims)... not that I was disappointed in the swim, but I was really nervous and I needed to get that swim out of the way and just leave the nerves in the pool.

"I think I did that because I was able to come out tonight and use my front-end speed and just get to the wall and put up a good time for myself. It set me up really well for the relay and (the 100 fly final) tomorrow night."

Katie Ledecky got surprisingly emotional in the news conference after the 400 free when asked about training with Bobby Finke and the rest of the Florida training group.

"It's just a really special group, and it's why I love this sport so much," she said. "Knowing that I race these really fast boys every day, it gives me the confidence to go up next to really great racers. So, yeah, I love this sport so much I get emotional about it. And I love those people, and that's what carries me through and keeps me going."

Ledecky added that she has the next two days off, which is weird for her at a major meet like this.

After all of tonight's swimming medals had been handed out, one of the sport's fun quirks made an early appearance at these Games: the swim-off.

Earlier in the night, Germany's Melvin Imoudu and Italy's Ludovico Blu Art Viberti finished with identical times of 59.38 seconds in the men's 100-meter breaststroke semifinals, tying for eighth place. But there's only room for eight in tomorrow's final, so Imoudu and Viberti had to come back out after all the medal races and ceremonies were finished and race mano-a-mano for that last spot. It adds a little extra intrigue to it all, going head-to-head in the middle of the pool with no one else around you and the few thousand people still in the stadium watching.

As you might expect from two guys who had just tied, it was a tight race, and those who stayed for it got vocal cheering on their favorite. In the end, Imoudu beat Viberti to the wall by 0.21 seconds, winning in 59.69. He'll race for a medal tomorrow.

Finally, Titmus spoke about how it feels to be such a high-achieving athlete:

"I can’t believe that’s me, to be honest. I look at myself and I’m so normal. I love swimming, and I love getting out and representing my country and having fun. I hope nobody looks at me any differently. I’m just the same old goofy Tassie (Tasmanian) girl out here living out her dream.

"I hope it goes to show, anyone can do what they want to do if they work hard and believe in themselves. And here I am, from little old Launie (Launceston), a town of 90,000, and I’m out here living the dream, so I hope that inspired kids back home."

Ariarne Titmus also described how she felt repeating as Olympic champion in the event:

“Relief I think. It’s a little bit more emotional, this one, than the first one. I know what it feels like to be an Olympic champion. It’s a different feeling. I know how hard it is racing in these circ*mstances, at an Olympic Games. The noise, atmosphere, pressure.

"My legs are a bit tired, but I’m relieved more than anything. I probably felt the pressure for this race more than anything in my life to be honest. And I’m definitely good at handling the pressure, but I’ve definitely felt it. The Olympics is different. It’s not like anything else. It’s not about how fast you go. It’s about getting your hand on the wall first. So I'm really happy to have done that tonight."

On how she felt during the race:

"I felt pretty good the whole way. I’ve no idea what my splits were, I started to feel it in the last hundred (meters). But I left everything out there, I gave it everything I could. It’s probably not the time I was capable of, but living in the Village makes it hard for high performance. It’s not made for high performance. It’s about who can keep it together in the mind."

Ariarne Titmus echoed Katie Ledecky in saying that she doesn't think she and the American have a rivalry "in anything but racing" and that they have a good relationship out of the water.

"I really respect her as a person and I look up to her with what she's done and her longevity in the sport," the Australian said after winning the 400 free.

"It's fun racing the best in the world, and it gets the best out of me. Hopefully, it gets the best out of them. And I really hope that all the hype, (that we) lived up to expectations."

More from Ledecky after taking bronze in the 400 free.

On her competitors: "We knew it was going to be a great race going in, so many great competitors in the field. I knew it'd be tough and everyone in that field put up a great race. Ariarne (Titmus), Summer (McIntosh) swam really, really well. I haven't looked at how the whole race broke down, I can only see it from my lane, but kudos on some great races."

On racing against Titmus: "I wouldn't consider it a rivalry, I think it's a friendship if anything. We have a lot of respect for each other, and we love competing against each other. It brings the best out of each of us and pushes each of us in training, knowing that we have each other to race these kinds of meets."

Katie Ledecky spoke after taking bronze in the women's 400 free: "It's always good to get a medal for Team USA. I wanted to be a little faster but can't complain with the medal."

On her time: "It felt a little faster than that. Probably the top three would all say that we would have liked to have been a little faster, but again the Olympics is all about racing, all about getting your hand on the wall for a gold or silver or bronze. I'm happy I got my hand on the wall for a medal."

The first gold medal in swimming for the United States at Paris 2024!

Caeleb Dressel polished off a dominant win after a huge third leg from Hunter Armstrong gave him a lengthy lead.

Australia takes silver, Italy gets bronze. China fails to medal in fourth.

The men's 4x100 meter free relay final is underway!

Here's the United States' lineup: Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel

That's an Olympic record for the Aussie women in the 4x100 freestyle relay in 3:28.92, besting their own mark from Tokyo 2020.

And the U.S. set a new American record, going 3:30.20.

Australia win the women's 4x100 meter free relay for the fourth straight Olympics! Emma McKeon, who swam third for Australia, takes her 12th career Olympic medal.

The United States takes silver as Simone Manuel just touches out China at the wall, who takes bronze.

Here are the lineups for Australia and the United States in this relay.

• Australia: Mollie O'Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon, Meg Harris
• U.S.: Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, Simone Manuel

The latest chapter in the United States-Australia swimming rivalry is coming up next, as we get set for the women's 4x100m freestyle relay final.

Australia has won this event in each of the past three Olympic Games, while the U.S. hasn't taken gold in it since 2000.

Here's the lane order:

1. Great Britain
2. France
3. China
4. Australia
5. United States
6. Sweden
7. Canada
8. Italy