Australia Dominates Again in the Women’s 4x100 Freestyle

TOKYO — Seizing the lead near the midway point and never looking back, the Australian women’s swim team won its third straight gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle on Sunday in world-record time.

Australia was the heavy favorite in the event and didn’t disappoint, winning by more than three seconds in a time of 3 minutes 29.69 seconds. Canada took the silver with a time of 3:32:78, edging the United States for silver by three-hundredths of a second.

The United States claimed the bronze after inserting Simone Manuel into the anchor leg, a last-minute swap after its team had finished a disappointing fifth in the qualifying heats. Manuel was the defending Olympic champion in the 100 free but failed…