NANTERRE – The favorite colors for the red, white and blue at the Olympic swimming pool are silver and bronze.
Through four days at La Defense Arena, the mighty U.S. team has won a bunch of medals — 15 in all — but only two of them are gold.
Seven silvers and six bronzes round out the tally.
The Americans reached the medal podium in all three events Tuesday night, but each time it was in the runner-up spot (with a bronze medal thrown into the mix, as well).
Regan Smith fell to her Australian rival Kaylee McKeown, who captured her second straight Olympic gold in the women’s 100-meter backstroke.
Smith was the world-record holder after a dazzling performance at the U.S. trials last month, but it was McKeown coming out on top in the race that really mattered.
“I knew it was going to be such a fight,” Smith said. “Kaylee is an exceptional competitor,”
The Americans also claimed the bronze with Katharine Berkoff, the daughter of four-time Olympic medalist David Berkoff.
“Everyone wants to win,” the third-place finisher said. “That’s the goal. It’s such a tight field, so I knew it was going to be tough.”
It was more of the same in the men’s 800 freestyle, where defending Olympic champion Bobby Finke came up just short. Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen captured his country’s first swimming gold medal since 1996.
“I’d be lying If I said I wasn’t disappointed,” Finke said. “I was the first loser. It always stings to not be able to defend your title.”
In the final event of the night, the Americans claimed yet another silver in the men’s 4×200 freestyle relay, with Britain winning its second straight Olympic gold in that event.
“We are always rooting for gold,” said Drew Kibler, a member of the U.S. relay team. “That is the American standard.”
It was certainly an improvement on the same race in Tokyo, when the Americans missed a medal with a shocking fourth-place showing.
“It is a really special thing to be on that podium. It was really tough missing that podium a few years ago,” Kibler said. “But we are always shooting for gold.”
While the Americans have nearly twice as many medals as any other nation, they trail rival Australia in the race for shiniest color.
The swimmers from Down Under have four victories and eight medals overall.
“The thing that is most important is that we are pushing the sport in the right direction,” Smith said. “Our rivalry is great for attention in the sport. We have so much respect for each other.”
Italy has matched the Americans with two wins, and seven other nations have claimed golds in a sign of the sport’s growing depth around the globe.
The U.S. has plenty of chances to add to its medal haul over the final five days of swimming.
The Americans would prefer a few more trips to the top step on the podium.
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