World Championships, Day 8 Finals: USA Take Men’s Medley Relay For 15th Time Ahead Of Netherlands & Italy

l-r: Netherlands, Italy &b USA (bottom): Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

World Championships, Day 8 Finals: USA Take Men’s Medley Relay For 15th Time Ahead Of Netherlands & Italy

The USA won the men’s 4×100 medley relay for the 15th time in the penultimate event of the 2024 World Championships in Doha.

The quartet of Hunter Armstrong, Nic Fink, Zach Harting and Matt King came home in 3:29.80 to defend their title and secure the USA’s eighth medal of the meet.

Netherlands were second in 3:31.23 and Italy third in 3:31.59.

Of the 21 times the event has been contested since being introduced at Belgrade 1973, the USA has won all but six with Australia triumphant three times and Great Britain, France and Italy winning one apiece.

Neither China nor Australia – the 2023 silver and bronze medallists respectively – were in the final having failed to negotiate the prelims while Olympic silver medallists Great Britain didn’t enter.

Spain led after the backstroke thanks to Hugo Gonzalez, the 100 back silver medallist going 53.11 to Armstrong’s 53.15 with Poland third after Ksawery Masiuk went 53.55.

However, Poland’s race was soon run, the quartet DQd because of an infraction on Jan Kalusowksi’s breaststroke leg.

The race changed complexion on the breaststroke leg: Fink, the individual champion steering the USA into a 0.72 lead following a 58.20 split.

Arno Kamminga, the Olympic silver medallist, steered the Netherlands from fifth to second in 58.23 with Nicolo Martinenghi – second behind Fink in the individual race – splitting 57.97 to haul Italy from sixth to third.

Nyls Korstanje made a move on Harting on the first 50 of the fly but the American had a superb turn to hand over to King with a 0.71 lead.

King came home in 47.32 with Stan Pijnenburg anchoring the Netherlands (48.04) with Alessandro Miressi eating into the deficit down the final 50 with a 47.20 split.

USA splits:

53.15: Hunter Armstrong

58.20: Nic Fink

51.13 Zach Harting

47.32: Matt King

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