Swimmer Chase Kalisz wins first Olympic gold for the US

United States swimmer Chase Kalisz won the first Olympic gold medal for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kalisz won gold in the men’s 400 meter individual medley final Sunday morning, coming back from second to win with a time of 4 minutes, 9.42 seconds, according to the Olympics Organizing Committee.

The competition took place Sunday morning in Tokyo, or Saturday evening on the U.S.’s East Coast.

25 July – #swimming – men’s 400m individual medley

Chase Kalisz
Jay Litherland
Brendon Smith

Congratulations #Tokyo2020 #UnitedByEmotion | #StrongerTogether | #Olympics | @fina1908

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 25, 2021

Jay Litherland of Team USA took silver at the event and the bronze went to Brendon Smith of Australia.

Kalisz, who from Maryland, topped his performance from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when he took second place in the 400-meter medley.

GOLD FOR TEAM USA @chasekalisz and @j_litherland go 1-2 in the men’s 400m IM! #TokyoOlympics

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— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 25, 2021

The medal comes after Team USA was dealt multiple upsets during the first official day of Olympic competition.

For the first time in a decade, U.S. athletes had not won any gold, silver, or bronze medals in events of archery, cycling, fencing, judo, air rifle and pistol shooting, taekwondo or weightlifting. 

China won the first gold medal of the Tokyo Games with a victory in the 10-meter air rifle competition.