The United States' 64-year unbeaten streak in the men's 4x100 metres medley relay came to an end at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, as China secured a historic victory at La Defense Arena. Amidst roaring cheers at the converted rugby stadium, China's team, composed of Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Sun Jiajun, and Pan Zhanle, clinched the gold medal with a time of three minutes, 27.46 seconds.

Pan Zhanle, the 100 metres freestyle world record holder, delivered an exceptional performance on his 20th birthday, anchoring China to victory with a split of 45.92 seconds. The U.S. team, featuring star swimmer Caeleb Dressel, finished 0.55 seconds behind, taking silver, while France, led by Leon Marchand, secured bronze.

American swimmer Ryan Murphy acknowledged China's superior performance, stating, "Today China was just a little bit better. I think all of us going in, we're putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to be great out there... So hats off to China, they did a great race tonight."

The United States had not been beaten in the men's medley final since the event's inception at the 1960 Rome Games, excluding their non-participation in the 1980 Moscow Games due to a boycott. Pan's remarkable anchor leg was instrumental in China's triumph, which Hunter Armstrong described as "a pretty cool birthday present."

Qin Haiyang also played a crucial role, delivering a time of 57.98 seconds in the breaststroke leg, outpacing France's Marchand. Marchand, who had an exceptional Olympics with five medals, expressed his joy, saying, "This medal has the same flavour than the others, except that it's shared... It's the cherry on the cake and I will remember it because we had a super team."

China's swimmers have been under scrutiny since revelations in April that 23 of them tested positive for a banned heart medication before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but were allowed to compete. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the findings of a Chinese investigation attributing the results to contamination from a hotel kitchen, and an independent review supported WADA's handling of the case.

Despite the controversy, British swimmer Adam Peaty expressed his distrust in the system after his team finished fourth. Dressel, however, emphasized the need to trust WADA, stating, "I honestly haven't paid too much attention to it, because a lot of that is out of my control. I don't work for WADA, there's nothing I can do."

Reflecting on the race, Dressel acknowledged the competitive nature of the event, saying, "That was a close race, it came down to the wire. They had four great splits, we had four great splits, and they were faster - simple as that."

The historic win for China marks a significant milestone in Olympic swimming, ending the U.S.'s dominance in the event and showcasing the rising prowess of Chinese swimmers on the global stage.