Apple helps Team USA to world record; King receives 2nd silver

There’s still one more event before their run in Tokyo is complete, but Indiana’s swimming and diving contingent has already lived up to the hype.

Hoosiers have now collected 11 medals (four gold, five silver and two bronze) at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the latest of which came courtesy of the relay contributions of Zach Apple, Blake Pieroni and Lilly King. Apple and Pieroni helped Team USA to a gold in the 400-meter medley relay, while King contributed to the women’s silver medal effort in the same event.

For Apple, who closed the men’s relay final with a split of 46.95 on the freestyle leg, it was his second gold of the Olympiad after he and Pieroni contributed to the Americans’ triumph in the 400-meter freestyle relay on July 25. Pieroni anchored the U.S. in the preliminary heats to secure his medal, as both IU products made sure that the American tradition of dominance in the event remained intact. Team USA, which has won every gold in the event since 1960, won the event in 3:26.78, beating the previous world record (3:27.28) by half a second and topping the previous Olympic record (3:27.95) by more than a second.

King, meanwhile, took care of the breaststroke leg in prelims to help the United States secure its spot in the final. Her run in Tokyo ends with two silvers and a bronze.

The last opportunity for the IU swimming and diving contingent to medal will come early in the new week when rising senior Andrew Capobianco competes in the 3-meter springboard competition. Prelims get underway at 2 a.m. Eastern on Monday, followed by the finals at the same time early Tuesday.