Hosszu Sets World Record in Women's 400 IM

Adam Peaty of Britain lowered his world record in the 100-meter breaststroke preliminaries

Katinka Hosszu finally got it done — and how.

The Hungarian, who had missed the podium time after time in seven tries at three previous Olympics, won her first medal with an astonishing world record in the 400-meter individual medley on Saturday night. 

Her time of 4 minutes, 26.36 seconds beat American Maya DiRado by nearly five seconds. Mireia Belmonte of Spain took bronze.

Later, Australia’s 4x100 meter freestyle relay team set a world record and knocked off Katie Ledecky, too. 

"We're going to be proud of getting that silver medal tonight," Ledecky said after the race. 

Emma McKeon, Brittany Elmslie, Bronte Campbell and Cate Campbell brought home the race in and handed the American star an unfamiliar feeling in a big race — a loss.

Ledecky, the teenage distance star who is heavily favored in the 800 and 400, was added to the relay team earlier Saturday. She anchored the American team of Simone Manuel, Abbey Weitzeil, and Dana Vollmer to the country’s third silver medal of the night.

Ledecky had previously won 15 gold medals in Olympic, World and Pan-Pacific races.

Kosuke Hagino won the men’s 400 IM in 4 minutes, 6.05 seconds, ending the United States’ streak of five straight Olympic gold medals in the event, but Chase Kalisz won silver 0.70 seconds back for the United States. Daiya Seto of Japan got bronze.

The grueling event featuring all four strokes — butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle — was missing its two biggest stars.

Ryan Lochte, who was hurt at the Olympic Trials and failed to qualify, was the defending champion.

Michael Phelps won it at the previous two Games on the heels of two wins by Tom Dolan. But Phelps, the world record holder, dropped the race for his fifth Games.

In the 400 freestyle, Mack Horton of Australia out-touched defending champion Sun Yang of China by 0.13 seconds, winning in 3:41.55.

Gabriele Detti of Italy was third, ahead of Americans Conor Dwyer and Connor Jaeger who were fourth and fifth.

In men's 100-meter breaststroke preliminaries, Adam Peaty of Britain lowered his world record.

He qualified first in 57.55 seconds Saturday, lowering his old mark of 57.92 set in London on April 17, 2015.

Peaty and 15 other swimmers moved on to the evening semifinals.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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