OHIO — While viewers may not have seen him during the 4x100m relay finals, Ohio State and Dover native Hunter Armstrong was a key part in getting Team USA to the last round.
His efforts won him a gold medal, too.
Armstrong swam backstroke Friday night in the preliminary rounds, aiding in the team’s advance to the finals Saturday night. The team, represented by Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, Caeleb Dressel and Zach Apple — another Ohio native — also set a new world record for the relay, beating Great Britain with a time of 3:26.78.
He’s the first male Ohio State swimmer to make the Olympic team since 1965, according to the university.
During the trials, Armstrong finished in second place with a personal best of 52.48 seconds in the 100m backstroke.
“The United States has an amazing history of 1000-meter backstrokers and I want to be a part of that,” Armstrong told Spectrum News last month.
For Apple, who’s from Butler County, it’s his second gold medal this summer.
The former Edgewood High School standout swam for Auburn and eventually Indiana University. According to Auburn University, Apple is the second-fastest swimmer in the 100m freestyle at the school.
Last week, Apple along with Dressel, Blake Pieroni and Bowe Becker finished with a time of 3:08.97 in the 4x100m freestyle relay — the third-fastest time in history. Apple served as the anchor for the team, who had a split of 46.69.
