Adam Peaty lived up to his billing as the overwhelming favourite for the men's 100 metre breaststroke at Rio 2016, again lowering his own world record to claim a dominant victory in Sunday's final.
Already the World, European and Commonwealth champion in the event, Peaty gave notice of his form on Saturday by taking almost four tenths off the world record he already held. And the Briton produced an even better display when it mattered most, his time of 57.13 seconds enough to earn gold by more than one and a half seconds from Cameron van der Burgh (South Africa) and Cody Miller (United States).
Peaty's new record time is a whopping 0.79secs quicker than the mark he set prior to the Games.
After becoming Great Britain's first medallist of the Games, Peaty told BBC Sport: "It's so surreal, to get Team GB's first gold. This is a product of seven years of work. I came out tonight, [the plan was to] take that first 50 easy then come back with everything I've got. It means so much to me."
Ledecky matches Peaty
Katie Ledecky smashed her own world record by almost two seconds to storm to gold in the women's 400 metre freestyle final at Rio 2016.
The 19-year-old American, who set her previous marker in 2014, led from the off as she left her opponents in her wake, touching the wall in three minutes and 56.46 seconds. Great Britain's Jazz Carlin was almost five seconds slower in taking the silver medal, with Leah Smith of the United States finishing third.
"The 3:58 this morning [in the heats] felt really easy and I knew if I could just push the back half really hard I could make it happen tonight," Ledecky told NBC after the race.
Ledecky has now won all 13 individual finals she has entered at the Olympics and World Championships and will look to continue her unbeaten streak on Tuesday in the finals of the 200m freestyle, an event in which she holds the second-fastest time in the world in this year (1:54.43) behind Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom.
If Ledecky can pull off golds in the 200m and 800m freestyle in Rio, she will become the second woman ever (Debbie Meyer, USA in 1968) to achieve that treble.
Phelps adds to incredible medal tally
Michael Phelps won a record 19th Olympic gold medal as the United States dominated the 4x100 metre relay at Rio 2016.
The USA - featuring Phelps, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian - took the lead early and never looked like relinquishing it, finishing with a time of three minutes and 9.92 seconds.
Phelps collected his fourth medal in the event with a 47.12 split after an incredible flip turn and underwater dolphin kick. Held duly lived up to his name and maintained the lead with a split of 47.73 before Adrian, who owns the second-fastest individual time in the 100 free this year, held off France's Jeremy Stravius for the win, with Australia taking bronze.
"We wanted to bring that relay back to American soil," Phelps told NBC after the race. "Had some sour taste in our mouths, for me anyway, in 2012, and I'm glad the gold is back on our soil."
Phelps now boasts a staggering 23 Olympic medals in all and will hope to add to that tally in his final Olympics.
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