RIO DE JANEIRO -- They teamed up for a carpool karaoke video. They planted their flag in Brazil. And when the Olympics are done, theyll be remembered as the latest in a long line of U.S. swimming powerhouses.So much for all those dire forecasts.Turns out, the less-than-glittering times at the U.S. trials were no indication of how fast they would swim once they got to the big stage. And all those who thought they were too inexperienced to shine on the international stage totally missed the mark.The Americans went into the final night at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium with a shot at their biggest medal haul in the last three decades.No matter what, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky & Co. made sure the U.S. stayed firmly atop the swimming world.We all know were part of a really special team, Ledecky said Saturday, five medals hanging from her neck after one of the greatest performances in Olympic history. We have such great depth in the U.S. in swimming, and its something we take great pride in. This is kind of our stage to show the world that.With four events still to come in the final late-night session, the Americans already had 14 golds -- their most since the Sydney Games -- and 29 medals overall. They were just one off their total from four years ago in London and eying the 33 medals put up by the team that dominated Down Under in 2000.Phelps, of course, was among those leading the way. In what he again insists will be his final Olympics, the 31-year-old piled up four golds before settling for silver in a stunning upset by Singapores Joseph Schooling in the 100-meter butterfly. The 4x100 medley relay was still to come.But no one was more dominant than the 19-year-old Ledecky, whose four golds included two world record-shattering performances. She joined Amy Van Dyken and Missy Franklin as the only American women to capture as many as four golds in a single games, matched Debbie Meyer as the only females to sweep the 200, 400 and 800 free, and also won silver anchoring the 4x100 free relay.What shes doing in the sport is ridiculous, Phelps said.Theres something to be said for the camaraderie displayed by the American team.During their final training session in Atlanta, a host of swimmers -- Phelps and Ryan Lochte among them -- took to the streets to record a James Cordin-style carpool karaoke video . Even Ledecky took a turn behind the wheel, even though she still has just a learners permit.I was only at a gas station, she quipped, so I didnt think I was going to hurt anyone.When the swimmers got to Brazil, they received a history lesson from one of the coaches, Greg Meehan. At a meeting with the female athletes on the eve of the games, he told them about the Homestead Act, the 1862 law that encouraged Americas westward migration by providing free land to settlers.Well let Ledecky take it from there.We each had American flags and they printed out each of the events, and the people that were competing in each of those events came forward, had a little moment together, took the flag and stuck it through the paper and into the grass in the Olympic village, she said. We were just kind of staking our claim in Rio, and I think we kind of did that in the pool as well.In addition to Phelps and Ledecky, the biggest U.S. stars were Maya DiRado, who turned in the ultimate one-and-done with two golds and four medals overall; Ryan Murphy, who extended U.S. mens dominance of the backstroke; Simone Manuel, the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in the 100 free; Lilly King, who backed up her brash diatribe against doping; and Anthony Ervin, the oldest member of the team at 35 and a gold medalist again in the 50 free -- 16 years after he first won the event in Sydney.Even with a hugely disappointing performance by Franklin, who didnt even make it to the final of her two individual events, the Americans still blew everyone away.There are several factors that go into the success of the U.S. program, starting with some simple numbers. The Americans have far more swimmers and resources to draw from than most nations, so its only natural they would dominate.Beyond that, Ledecky pointed to a U.S. trials format that sets up the team to perform well at the Olympics. Over eight nights in Omaha, just a month before the games and following the same schedule of events, swimmers earned their way onto the team before sellout crowds of more than 14,000 at every session.That was bigger than the crowds in Rio, where there were plenty of empty seats each night.Its an overly easy environment for us to swim fast in because weve been through our Olympic trials, which is way more pressure-filled than the Olympics, Ledecky said. Obviously the crowd here hasnt been that intimidating to us.Nothing was too intimidating to the Americans.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .Nike Shoes China . 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Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. MONTREAL -- Milos Raonic feels that things may finally be looking up. The big-serving Canadian, who is adjusting to a new coach and a more aggressive style, was never in trouble in second-round action Wednesday at the mens Rogers Cup as he downed Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-4 just before torrents of rain crashed down on Uniprix Stadium. It was the first time since May the lanky right-hander put two wins together, and the victory was much more decisive than his three-set win over Jeremy Chardy in the opening round of the US$3.49-million hardcourt event. "You sort of keep working away," said Raonic, who hired Ivan Ljubicic to replace Galo Blanco as his coach in May. "You keep hoping you get closer and closer to this. "The thing is, I felt like I was getting closer definitely on the practice court, I just wasnt really doing it in the matches." The Thornhill, Ont., product has maintained a career-high 13th spot in world rankings despite a 7-7 record over the last three months. Raonic will play Juan Del Potro in the round of 16 on Thursday after the No. 6 seed defeated Ivan Dodig 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a match that went past midnight local time because of a rain delay. Raonic, whose match with Youzhny was also delayed by rain, will get the chance to test himself against an elite player and see where his makeover to a more attacking style stands. Youzhny, a winner two weeks ago in Gstaad, ended a six-match winning streak. "The pieces are sort of coming together," said Raonic. "I still made a few errors in some critical situations where I wouldnt want to, but mostly I played clean. "I think if I keep working away, those little pieces will come together better and those errors will disappear. I know I can still do much better. Obviously, when the opportunities arise against top guys, thats where Im really going to try to push myself to show the best of myself. But I still know theres a lot of steps I need to take." Wednesday night also saw the biggest upset of the tournament so far with Alex Bogomolov Jr. defeating third-seeded David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4. Bogomolov sits a full 80 spots below Ferrer in the ATP rankings at No. 83. Raonic and Canadas second-highest ranked player, No. 71 Vasek Pospisil, were the only Canadians to reach the round of 16 as Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., Filip Peliwo of Vancouver and Jesse Levine of Ottawa all lost. Pospisil, of Vernon, B.C., downed Radek Stepanek 6-2, 6-4 on a day that also saw Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal both return to action. Murray, in his first match since his stirring victory at Wimbledon in June, shook off some rust and battled a swirling wind to down Marcel Granollers 6-4, 7-6 (2) on centre court. The Scotsman won his 13th straight match, including his victories at Wimbledon, where be became the first mens champion from Britain in 77 years. On Thursday, Murray will face Ernests Gulbis, who beat Fabio Fognini 6-3, 1-6, 6-1. Murray is 5-0 against Gulbis in his career. "I was pretty nervous beforehand -- that was a good sign," said Murray. "Im pretty ready to move forward and not think too much about Wimbledon and concentrate on the U.S. Open. "I think in some ways, its nice. Ill probably never feel that same pressure again. Thats why I was nervous today. Thats why Im really happy. It wasnt my best tennis, but the nerves were there and thats a good sign.dddddddddddd" A two-time Rogers Cup champion, Nadal was also back on court for the first time since Wimbledon, where he lost in the first round. The Spaniard, who arrived a week early to work on his hardcourt game, made short work of Levine in a 6-2, 6-0 win. "Im pleased about the victory, first thing," said Nadal, who is seeded fourth. "After seven weeks without playing a match, starting in a very tough tournament on a fast court, to be through to the third round is good." Levine made nine double faults, which he put down to soreness in his elbow that he hopes will be cleared up before the U.S. Open at the end of August. "He really doesnt let you go," Levine said of Nadal, who has won both of their meetings. "Once he gets you under wrap, youre in trouble. Its tough." Peliwo fell 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Denis Istomin. The 2012 Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior champion had posted his first Rogers Cup win in the first round over Jarkko Nieminen. He was disappointed to lose, but was pleased he was able to compete with top ATP Tour players. "To be able to keep up with these guys, have chances to beat them, its a great feeling," said Peliwo. "Theres definitely a lot of confidence, a lot of positives to take from these matches. "Its something to build on for the weeks and the months to come." Istomin takes on two-time defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic in the round of 16. Nadal will next face 15th-seeded Jerzy Janowicz, who outlasted Dancevic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Pospisils next match will be a first meeting with fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych, who beat Alexander Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-4. Pospisils No. 71 ranking will rise from this weeks performance after reaching the third round of a Masters series tournament for the first time. "Everything is going very well for me, indeed," the 23-year-old said. "But this is thanks to the hard work Ive been doing. "It is paying off right now. Everything is falling into place. The goal I had set for myself for the end of this year was, at best, to be top 50. But later, because I had been sick (a bout of mono early in the year), I thought I could try for top-70." Pospisil looked to be cruising when he took a 5-2 second-set lead with his fifth service break of the match but then lost on his own serve. He made no mistakes on his next service game, taking all four points. Pospisil, still heavy in the legs from a victory in a Challenger series event in Vancouver on Sunday followed by an overnight flight to Montreal, scored his first win over a top-20 opponent Tuesday when he ousted John Isner. "My match against John maybe rates higher in terms of the moment itself, but this is the first time I ever reached the third round here, or at a Masters or anything like that," he said. "Just knowing that Im improving, going in the right direction with my game gives me confidence. Things are very clear for me at the moment, so Ill just keep working in that direction and see where that will take me." Pospisil was among a record five Canadians to reach the second round. Elsewhere, qualifier Marinko Matosevic caught a break when his 10th-seeded opponent Tommy Haas retired during the first set with a shoulder injury. Matosevic will play Benoit Paire, who ousted eighth-seeded Stanislas Wawinka 6-2, 7-6 (2). ' ' '