RIO DE JANEIRO—Olympic swimming always ends well for Team USA. The final events are bring-the-house-down all-star races, the men’s and women’s 400-meter medley relays, in which each country enters a lineup made up of its fastest 100-meter backstroker, breaststroker, butterflier and freestyler. On top teams, every relay member is a medalist. The U.S. always wins the men’s race and takes gold or silver in the women’s event.
On Saturday night the medley relays capped the Rio Olympic swimming competition in spectacular and historic fashion. The American quartet of Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Dana Vollmer and Simone Manuel demolished their rivals in the women’s race to earn the 1,000th gold medal won by the U.