At the Paris Olympics, swimming star Katie Ladecky cruised to gold in the 1,500 meter race today.

The 27-year-old American finished nearly half a pool length ahead of her competitors.

As Ladecky dominated the pool, others swam in the scent.

Triathletes took their first plunge into the river following days of concerns about water quality.

Meantime, Cocoa Golf's Olympics were cut short.

The team USA flag bearer lost two doubles matches today.

Overall, though, the US remains on top of the total metal count with 30 overall.

France and China are second and third.

It all comes as the US gymnastics team celebrate their historic

performances yesterday and get ready for their individual finals still to come.

For more I spoke earlier with USA Today's Christine Brennan.

Christine Brennan, welcome back to the news hour.

It's great to be with you, Jeff. Thank you. So let's start with the U.S. women. And

Brennan, welcome back to the news hour.

It's great to be with you, Jeff. Thank you.

So let's start with the U.S. women's gymnastics team,

because they've named themselves the Golden Girls.

This is the oldest U.S. women's team since 1952,

and they're still winning gold.

They finished nearly six points ahead of the silver medal winners, Italy, with Brazil

grabbing the bronze.

What does that say about the changing nature of the sport and its athletes.

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