USA's Allison Schmitt enters rare air with 10th Olympic medal

Allison Schmitt has entered rare territory with her swim in the women’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

Schmitt became only the fourth American female swimmer to win 10 Olympic medals in her career. She earned a silver for her leadoff leg at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

The 31-year-old Schmitt is a team captain as she takes part in her fourth Olympics. She’s earned a pair of relay medals in Tokyo, also picking up a bronze for swimming in the preliminaries of the 4x100 free relay.

Schmitt now has four golds, three silvers and three bronzes in her career. The only other American female swimmers to win more are Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin, each of whom had 12 career medals.

Asked about her milestone, Schmitt broke down in tears. She says “getting to the Olympics is hard. Winning an Olympic medal is even harder.”