RIO DE JANEIRO — The United States had never failed to take the gold in the men’s 4x100 medley relay at a non-boycotted Summer Games, and it was not about to end the streak on Saturday, not in the competitive swansong of the all-time greatest Olympian, Michael Phelps.
The backstroker Ryan Murphy and the breaststroker Cody Miller set the stage for Phelps, who handed the freestyle anchor Nathan Adrian a lead he refused to relinquish. The Americans won with an Olympic record time of 3 minutes 27.95 seconds, to give Phelps his 23rd gold medal and his 28th overall.