Team USA Wins Gold and Sets World Record in 100-Meter Mixed Relay: ‘Everyone Swam to Their Potential’

Team USA just set a new world record in the mixed 4×100-meter medley relay at the Paris Olympics.

The relay team, comprised of swimmers Gretchen Walsh, Ryan Murphy, Torri Huske and Nic Fink took home the gold on Saturday, Aug. 3 in the mixed relay event and set a new world record in the process.

The American swim team finished their relay race in 3:37.43. That’s 0.15 seconds ahead of the former world record setters, Great Britain, who set the former record during the Tokyo Games.

China came in just behind the United States with a time of 3:37.55 with their group of swimmers: Xu Jiayu, Zhang Yufei, Qin Haiyang and Yang Junxuan.

The bronze medal went to the Australian team: Kaylee McKeown, Joshua Young, Matthew Temple and Mollie O’Callaghan with a time of 3:38.76.

“Tonight has been great,” Walsh, 21, told reporters, including PEOPLE, after the race. The gold medalist, who individually advanced to the women’s 50-meter freestyle semifinal after coming in fourth in Saturday’s heat, said the relay “was the biggest job I had tonight.”

Walsh said she’s “really proud” of herself and her whole relay group for winning the gold and setting a world record while speaking to reporters at La Defense Arena in Paris.

“Everything we did, we got the world record, we got number one, we were on the podium with our gold. It was a pretty special moment and I mean, shout out to these three teammates,” Walsh said of Murphy, Huske and Fink, adding, “I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Walsh called the relay “a pretty cool experience” before reporters turned their focus to Huske.

“This meeting has been great and this meant so much to me, the world record with these three is just like unbelievable,” said Huske, who won gold on July 28 in the 100-meter race.

Huske said her teammates “make it so easy to be confident because they’re the best in the world,” and added, “I’m just so lucky that I get to have them by my side.

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Murphy told reporters after the race that his team “didn’t talk about the world record,” but all four American swimmers “know the potential of everyone on this relay” and were confident they could be successful as a group.

“Luckily, tonight everyone swam to their potential and we got that world record and got the win,” Murphy said.

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