Olympic Swimming recap: Katie Ledecky earns bronze, U.S. and Australia split freestyle relays

The first day of Olympic swimming action delivered the drama Saturday.

Katie Ledecky surprisingly lost her first event of the Games, earning bronze in the 400 freestyle. Australia's Ariarne Titmus drew first blood in the Aussie-U.S. rivalry by winning her second straight gold medal in the event. Ledecky's bronze is the first of her storied career and her 11th medal total.

American Gretchen Walsh broke the Olympic record in her 100 butterfly semifinal, posting a time of 55.38, winning her heat by over a second. Teammate Torri Huske won the second semifinal and joins Walsh in the final on Sunday.

Australia added to it's swimming gold medal tally with a win over Team USA in the women's 4x100 freestyle relay.

The American women squeaked out the silver medal over China - breaking the American record in the process - but the Aussie women were nearly a body-length ahead from start to finish, breaking the Olympic record in the process.

The American men returned the favor, however, by dominating their relay event and earning gold over second-place Australia by over a second. Caeleb Dressel anchored the relay and earned his eighth career gold medal, the only color of medal he's ever known.

Aaron Shackell, competing in his first Games for Team USA, finished eighth in the 400 freestyle final, which was won by Germany's Lukas Martens. The gold medal is Germany's first in men's swimming since 1988 when the country was split between East and West.

Great Britain's Adam Peaty will look to be the first athlete since Michael Phelps to win three consecutive gold medals in the same event after he qualified for the 100 breaststroke final. American Nic Fink will join Peaty in Sunday's final looking for his first-ever Olympic medal.

China's Qin Haiyang also qualified for the 100 breaststroke final but is under intense public scrutiny being one of the athletes enshrouded in the on-going 2021 doping controversy .

The swimming events resume Sunday at 5:00 a.m. EST with prelim heats and again at 2:30 p.m. EST with more semifinals and finals.