Clan-Members » a tiebreaker, and came back from a break down

RIO DE JANEIRO -- They teamed up for a carpool karaoke video. They planted their flag in Brazil. And when the Olympics are done, theyll be remembered as the latest in a long line of U.S. swimming powerhouses.So much for all those dire forecasts.Turns out, the less-than-glittering times at the U.S. trials were no indication of how fast they would swim once they got to the big stage. And all those who thought they were too inexperienced to shine on the international stage totally missed the mark.The Americans went into the final night at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium with a shot at their biggest medal haul in the last three decades.No matter what, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky & Co. made sure the U.S. stayed firmly atop the swimming world.We all know were part of a really special team, Ledecky said Saturday, five medals hanging from her neck after one of the greatest performances in Olympic history. We have such great depth in the U.S. in swimming, and its something we take great pride in. This is kind of our stage to show the world that.With four events still to come in the final late-night session, the Americans already had 14 golds -- their most since the Sydney Games -- and 29 medals overall. They were just one off their total from four years ago in London and eying the 33 medals put up by the team that dominated Down Under in 2000.Phelps, of course, was among those leading the way. In what he again insists will be his final Olympics, the 31-year-old piled up four golds before settling for silver in a stunning upset by Singapores Joseph Schooling in the 100-meter butterfly. The 4x100 medley relay was still to come.But no one was more dominant than the 19-year-old Ledecky, whose four golds included two world record-shattering performances. She joined Amy Van Dyken and Missy Franklin as the only American women to capture as many as four golds in a single games, matched Debbie Meyer as the only females to sweep the 200, 400 and 800 free, and also won silver anchoring the 4x100 free relay.What shes doing in the sport is ridiculous, Phelps said.Theres something to be said for the camaraderie displayed by the American team.During their final training session in Atlanta, a host of swimmers -- Phelps and Ryan Lochte among them -- took to the streets to record a James Cordin-style carpool karaoke video . Even Ledecky took a turn behind the wheel, even though she still has just a learners permit.I was only at a gas station, she quipped, so I didnt think I was going to hurt anyone.When the swimmers got to Brazil, they received a history lesson from one of the coaches, Greg Meehan. At a meeting with the female athletes on the eve of the games, he told them about the Homestead Act, the 1862 law that encouraged Americas westward migration by providing free land to settlers.Well let Ledecky take it from there.We each had American flags and they printed out each of the events, and the people that were competing in each of those events came forward, had a little moment together, took the flag and stuck it through the paper and into the grass in the Olympic village, she said. We were just kind of staking our claim in Rio, and I think we kind of did that in the pool as well.In addition to Phelps and Ledecky, the biggest U.S. stars were Maya DiRado, who turned in the ultimate one-and-done with two golds and four medals overall; Ryan Murphy, who extended U.S. mens dominance of the backstroke; Simone Manuel, the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in the 100 free; Lilly King, who backed up her brash diatribe against doping; and Anthony Ervin, the oldest member of the team at 35 and a gold medalist again in the 50 free -- 16 years after he first won the event in Sydney.Even with a hugely disappointing performance by Franklin, who didnt even make it to the final of her two individual events, the Americans still blew everyone away.There are several factors that go into the success of the U.S. program, starting with some simple numbers. The Americans have far more swimmers and resources to draw from than most nations, so its only natural they would dominate.Beyond that, Ledecky pointed to a U.S. trials format that sets up the team to perform well at the Olympics. Over eight nights in Omaha, just a month before the games and following the same schedule of events, swimmers earned their way onto the team before sellout crowds of more than 14,000 at every session.That was bigger than the crowds in Rio, where there were plenty of empty seats each night.Its an overly easy environment for us to swim fast in because weve been through our Olympic trials, which is way more pressure-filled than the Olympics, Ledecky said. Obviously the crowd here hasnt been that intimidating to us.Nothing was too intimidating to the Americans.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .Chris Bassitt Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Gene Tenace Athletics Jersey .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/1395m-ryan-buchter-jersey-athletics.html . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Lou Trivino Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Jake Diekman Athletics Jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park.VIENNA -- Tomas Berdychs chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals were dealt a blow Monday as Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia defeated the 10th-ranked Czech 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in the first round of the Erste Bank Open.Berdych held the eighth and final qualifying spot for the season-ending tournament coming into this event but could now be overtaken by David Goffin and Marin Cilic, who are both playing in Basel this week.Berdych, who was seeded second, scored just five points on Basilashvilis serve in the opening set. He saved five break points before taking the second set in a tiebreaker, and came back from a break down twice against the 107th-ranked Georgian before losing his serve again at 6-5 in the final set.Basilashvili next plays Karen Khachanov of Russia, wwho beat Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-4, 6-4.ddddddddddddEarlier, Ivo Karlovic hit 16 aces to beat last years runner-up Steve Johnson 7-6 (5), 6-3.The eighth-seeded Croat saved six break points as he held serve throughout and converted the only chance he got on the Americans serve at 3-2 in the second set.Karlovic next plays qualifier Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina, who defeated the 43rd-ranked Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-3, 5-7, 6-0.Also, John Isner held off all seven break points against his serve as he rallied to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4.Andy Murray is the top-seeded player at the Austrian indoor event. ' ' '