Caeleb Dressel and the U.S. 4x100m freestyle relay broke a nine-year-old world record to open the world short-course swimming championships in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday.
Dressel, the seven-time 2017 World champion, led off a quartet that included fellow Rio 4x100m free gold medalists Ryan Held and Blake Pieroni, plus Michael Chadwick. Dressel opened a .56 lead that the Americans never relinquished, holding off Russia by .08.
The U.S. also won the women’s 4x100m free, anchored by Kelsi Dahlia, who earned four relay golds at the 2017 Worlds.