Olympic Swimming 2016: Women's 4x200M Freestyle Relay Medal Winners and Times

Katie Ledecky continued her run of gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday when she put her teammates on her back in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

Ledecky anchored a group that also included Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith and Maya DiRado and helped the United States win gold with a time of seven minutes, 43.03, outlasting silver medalists Australia and bronze medalists Canada. It was Ledecky's third gold and fourth overall medal of these Games, as she erased a deficit as the anchor in the final 200 meters.

Here is a look at all of the finishers and their times:

Place	Country	Time
1	United States	7:43.03
2	Australia	7:44.87
3	Canada	7:45.39
4	China	7:47.96
5	Sweden	7:50.26
6	Hungary	7:51.03
7	Russia	7:53.26
8	Japan	7:56.76

The Americans found themselves chasing for much of the race, but Ledecky was unstoppable once again and clinched the gold for her country and team. Adam Silverstein of CBS Sports reacted to the performance:

NBC Olympics shared her teammates embracing her after another championship-level outing:

Sweden was actually ahead after the first heat, and Schmitt had the Americans positioned in second. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports said Schmitt's time of one minute, 56.21 seconds was "not quite as fast as this morning" and noted she swam "tentatively."

Australia seized the lead after the second heat, but Smith kept the Americans in second place. Australia was still ahead after the third heat, but, like Smith, DiRado made sure the United States was still within striking distance for the incredible Ledecky. That is when the 19-year-old swimmer took control of the race and left Australia and everyone else behind.

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today reacted to Ledecky's swim: 

The fact the United States won Wednesday's race comes as little surprise given its historical precedent in the event. According to Rachel Lutz of NBCOlympics.com, the Americans won gold in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2012 and captured the silver in 2008. The event was introduced into the Olympics in 1996, and it has completely belonged to the United States ever since.

The Americans own the event's history, and Ledecky has owned the 2016 Games. 

In addition to Wednesday's medal, she won the women's 200-meter freestyle on Tuesday by out-touching Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom and the 400-meter freestyle when she set a world record with a time of 3:56.46. She was also part of the silver-medalist team in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

Chris Chase of Fox Sports said Ledecky isn't quite done proving her greatness in Rio:

Ledecky is the household name, but her teammates in Wednesday race also have impressive resumes. Lutz noted Schmitt won gold in the 2012 Olympics in the 200-meter freestyle, while Smith took home bronze in these Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle. What's more, DiRado won a silver and bronze in previous medleys in Rio.

Another notable swimmer, Missy Franklin, helped the Americans reach Wednesday's final by swimming in the preliminary heats for the 4x200-meter freestyle. 

The fact Franklin—who won four gold medals and a bronze in the 2012 Games in London—wasn't even a part of the final relay team is a testament to how loaded the Americans are in this event. They have historically dominated it and added another medal to their legacy on Wednesday.

With seemingly unbeatable swimmers like Ledecky leading the way, that dominance figures to continue in upcoming Olympics.

Post-Race Reaction

Although she didn't swim in the final, Franklin took to Twitter after the win to congratulate her teammates:

DiRado talked about her mindset finishing her leg just before Ledecky blew past the competition, per Auerbach: “I had no doubt in my mind as soon as I touched and saw that we were second and close. I knew that Katie would crush it. I just had to get out of the pool, get back and run around. Then I kind of started to tear up, and I was like, 'We are going to win a gold medal!'”

Ledecky reveled in the experience, per Auerbach: “That was so much fun. Being on the relay with those three girls—they’re three of my best friends in this sport. We just had so much fun with it.”

The gold medal surely made it all the more fun.