Rio Olympics medal count 2016: Katie Ledecky, US win gold in 4x200m Freestyle

Updated 2016 Rio Olympics medal count standings after Katie Ledecky and the USA winning gold in the Womens 4x200m Freestyle Relay and Day 5

Day 5 from Rio 2016 is now in the books and to say that it was another exciting day at the Olympics would be vastly understating the situation. There were medals being handed out in numerous different sports and other great competitions throughout the Wednesday in Rio as well. In the end, there was some definite movement throughout the 2016 Rio Olympics medal count. However, the last move in the Summer Olympics medal count may have been the most exciting of the bunch.

The final medal event of the day featured the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay which included Katie Ledecky and the dominant United States team that have had a stronghold on this event for many years. With a late substitution to the team that added Madeline Dirado, the question was whether riding her hot hand would prove to be a beneficial move or a bad one. With Ledecky in the anchor position though, any mistakes could be made up for in a split second.

While the hope would’ve been to have Ledecky be the best human victory cigar on the planet, that wasn’t the case. Of course, it ultimately didn’t matter as Ledecky was lightning fast in the pool as the fourth leg for the USA. She absolutely blew away the Australian relay team after starting a full second behind them. Her efforts won the United States the gold medal and Katie Ledecky her third gold at Rio 2016.

After Katie Ledecky and her heroics to capture the gold, the United States again took the lead in the Rio Olympics medal counts. Here’s a look at the updated standings, sorted by gold medals won:

China still isn’t far behind the United States, but if the Americans keep swimming like this, they might just be able to maintain their lead.