Former Bulldogs win gold, silver medals in swimming at Tokyo Olympics

Kalisz, a protege and former training partner of Olympics great Michael Phelps, touched first in 4 minutes, 9.42 seconds.

Litherland was next in 4:10.28, just ahead of Smith (4:10.38).

Kieran Smith grabbed another medal for the Americans with bronze in the men’s 400 freestyle. Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui was the surprising winner from lane eight, while Australia’s Jack McLoughlin settled for silver after leading much of the race.

Kalisz flexed his muscles and then climbed atop the lane rope, splashing the water while a contingent of his teammates cheered him from the stands of the nearly empty Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

“U-S-A! U-S-A!” they chanted.

Kalisz was the silver medalist in the grueling event at the Rio Games five years ago. Now, at age 27, he’s the best in the world at using all four strokes.

“That one was the most special type of pain,” Kalisz said. “I had vowed that I was going to make that hurt as much as possible and give my absolute best to accomplish this.”

Litherland came over to give the winner a hug, having ensured the Americans got off to the best possible start at the pool.

“To come back and do this with Chase means a lot,” said Litherland, who finished fifth in the 400 IM at Rio.

After putting their own medals around their necks during a masked-up victory ceremony, Kalisz and Litherland walked around the deck arm-in-arm. No social distancing for the longtime teammates.

The finals were held in the morning Tokyo time rather than their usual evening slot, a nod to U.S. television network NBC, which wanted to show the finals live in prime time back in America.

That was the same format used at the 2008 Beijing Games, where Phelps won a record eight gold medals. He retired after Rio, having won 23 gold medals, but the Americans still have plenty of star power for the post-Phelps era.

The first two finals gave a tantalizing glimpse of what was to come in the longstanding rivalry between the U.S. and Australia, the world’s most dominant swimming countries.

They took five of the first six swimming medals awarded in Tokyo, though Hafnaoui joined Ous Mellouli as a gold medalist from the north African country of Tunisia.

Hafnaoui touched in 43:43.26, followed by McLoughlin (3:43.52) and Smith (3:43.94).

The only people in the stands of the 15,000-seat arena were media, VIPs, officials and swimmers who weren’t competing Sunday. It was an eerily quiet atmosphere at times, though many ignored requests by Japanese organizers to refrain for any sort of cheering to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

There was a drum in the stands, as well as a few horns to spice things up.

In a striking touch before the first race, the loudspeakers blared the song “Pompeii” by the British band Bastille, which includes the lyrics, “But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?”

In the pool, it was business at usual for the two Bulldogs.