Closer but not nearly close enough, Australia's rivals felt flip of the Dolphins sprint relay force once again, a 3:28.92 Olympic record from Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris the second swiftest in history on a list of all-time best performances draped in nine of the top 11.

That's successive Olympic gold No 4 for the Australians: 2012, 2016, 2020ne and now 2024. If they retain the crown in Los Angeles, they will match the biggest run of successive gold by one nation in the sprint freestyle relay: the USA holds the record at five, 1960-1976 inclusive.

The fight for the minor spoils produced pioneering times: silver went to the United States an American record of 3:30.20. o.1sec ahead of China and its Asian record.

O’Callaghan, who last year became the first woman ever to win the 100-200m freestyle double at World titles, got Australia off to a cracking 52.24sec start. Jack* was next in: 52.35, with McKeon on 52.39. Meg Harris then popped a 51.94 to deliver gold.

We'd seen that same 51.94 earlier in the day: McKeon, who finished sixth in the 100m free at trials, did not want to forfeit her long run of success in the 4x10-0 relay: a 51.94 in heats did the trick - and McKeon now has a career tally of 12 Olympic medals: six gold, two silver and four bronze. The overall total is a biggest-haul match of three Americans, Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin.