We miss racing, so let's reminisce!

Over the next couple weeks, we're taking you back to last summer to celebrate the success of the 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 U.S. Team at the at 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.

Today, we look back on night five of pool competition in Gwangju, when Team USA recorded the most medals it had in a single day during the competition:

Team USA had its biggest day yet on July 25 with an American on the podium in every event earning its largest daily medal total of the championships with six medals – two gold, two silver, and two bronze.

In addition to the six medals, Team USA set three American records on Day five. Caeleb Dressel claimed the first gold and American record of the night in the men’s 100m freestyle touching in 46.96 just 0.05 off the world record. In winning, he became the first American to win back-to-back 100m free world championship titles in the event since Matt Biondi in 1991.

“It’s very exciting, I know I was just off of the world record, but really the goal was to swim the best race that I could and if that’s the time that I got then I’m happy with that,” Dressel said. “There’s probably some things that I could have cleaned up tonight. Now that I’m done with the race and kind of refocusing, I’m extremely happy with it. It took 100 percent effort. I’m excited about it. I thought it was something I was capable of, and to see it pop up on the scoreboard, it was pretty special.”

Olivia Smoliga followed Dressel’s lead by claiming her first individual LCM world title in the women’s 50m backstroke in an American record time of 27.33. Smoliga broke her own American record previous mark of 27.43.

The final American record was set by Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky, Melanie Margalis, and Katie McLaughlin as a part of the women’s 4x200m free relay in a time of 7:41.87. While the team took silver to Australia, both teams bested the previous world record time of 7:42.56 by over half a second.

“I think we always want to win, every time we dive in the water, we want to win,” Manuel said. “That’s what makes us so great, I believe. That’s the best swim that a set of four Americans have done, and it took them [Australia] and us breaking a world record for that result. I think we’re really happy because we all swam our best and had fun and got to represent Team USA.”

The three other medals won on day five started with the duo of Hali Flickinger and Katie Drabot, who shared the women’s 200m fly podium with silver and bronze finishes, respectively. This marked the first time that two Americans have shared the podium in the 200m fly at world championships since 1978.

“It makes the race different when you’re swimming next to someone who you love and truly care about and care about their results,” Flickinger said.  “I care just as much about how Katie does [as] how I do. It’s incredible to have her standing next to me.”

With that, both Flickinger and Drabot earned their first-career individual medal at world championships.

Olympian Chase Kalisz rounded out the night, taking the 200m I.M. bronze in 1:56.78. His bronze marks his fifth career world championship medal.