Ryan Murphy and Caeleb Dressel, USA

Can someone create an initiative called HUGGED BY A SWIMMER where those of us who have had a hard year (everyone) can be tenderly embraced by a kind, muscular swimmer who will gently cradle the back of our neck while we cry into his bicep? THANKS.

Murphy and Dressel

The whole theme of this particular Olympics pool was I LOVE YOU MAN, and I'm here for it.

Dressel, Florent Manaudu of France, Bruno Fratus of Brazil

And the I LOVE YOU MANs were not confined to one's own team. Folks were loving other folks from across the globe; it was heart-warming!

Florent Manaudou of France

HELLO OLD FRIEND. I recognized Manaudou from the previous Olympics, which says something about the power of his dimples. THEY'RE VERY POWERFUL.

Bruno Fratus of Brazil

Bruno Fratus here didn't just enthusiastically high-five people, he also very enthusiastically smooched one of his trainers, Michelle Lenhardt...who, yes, is also his wife. (Although it would also be romantic if they had just been secretly in love this entire time.) This bronze was his first Olympic medal, and he set a record for Oldest Swimmer to Win Their First Medal at the very crone-like ancient age of 32. Yay for you, Brazil!

James Guy (Great Britain) and Caeleb Dressel

Here's James Guy of Great Britain -- which is having an excellent Olympics so far! Good for y'all! -- taking his shift in the Tenderly Cradle Caeleb Dressel Games. (Caeleb Dressel seems like a great swimmer and a good egg; tenderly cradle away!)

Zach Apple and Caeleb Dressel, USA

This was after the Men's 4x100m freestyle relay and this seems like as good a place as any to note that I LOVE RELAYS! They're so exciting! And stressful! I look forward to all of us having collective anxiety attacks during baton hand-offs during the track and field.

The many hugs of the 4x200 relay

The Brits -- Tom Dean, James Guy, Matthew Richards, and Duncan Scott -- did not leave the hugging solely in the hands of other countries. Here is some British hugging! (And some very low-key, subtle swimsuits. I demand Union Jack swimsuits. No one is going to be as obnoxiously flag-y as the US is, but we need SOME company.)

Caeleb Dressel and Kristof Milak (Hungary)

Swimming also brings many joys for those who are fans of the forearm.

United States men's 4x100m medley relay team

SO MANY FOREARMS! (I am thrilled whenever the US wins, wherever we end up, but it would have been a DRAMA if we'd missed the gold in this one, given that it's sort of the US's marquee event and we've never lost it. I'm sure swimmers and big time swim-fans in this readership can speak to this better than I can -- as ever, swimmers and swim-fans, we welcome your expertise and gossip -- but it feels like the Americans have lost perhaps half a step in relays in general. Not here -- the US set a world record here! I shrieked! -- but overall. PLEASE DISCUSS.)

Kristof Milak (Hungary) and Tomoru Honda (Japan0

"Your pecs look great, man." "So do yours, dude." (These two came in first and second in the 200-meter butterfly, a stroke that looks nearly physically impossible to me!)

This was ALSO heart-warming. Here, South African Tatjana Schoenmaker was roundly and enthusiastically congratulated by her teammate Kaylene Corbett, and also Annie Lazor and Lilly King, the Americans who came in third and second respectively. The entire section of photos from this moment were just women hugging each other joyously over and over again.

Tatjana Schoenmaker

And she set the world record!

Lilly King and Annie Lazor

It was after this event that Lilly King told the press that she thought it was "bullshit" that the American press doesn't sufficiently celebrate silver and bronze and Annie told the press that it was amazing to see someone they all like set a world record. I'M SO HAPPY FOR ALL OF YOU.

Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa

The South African swimsuit might be my favorite of the women's suits. It's honestly actually chic.

Emma McKeon of Australia

Australia's ladies' suits are also excellent; just classic and recognizable.

Australia's women's 4x100-meter medley relay team

Speaking of, the Aussies also had an excellent swimming Olympics and yay for our friends down under! This photo is so joyous.

Cate Campbell and the Australian 4x100 relay team

Australia also has a more Low Key option, which is very cool. (I am entertained by the Aussie swimmer who was like IMMEDIATELY over those straps and took them down.)

Emma Mckeon

Emma Mckeon -- who won the the gold medal in the women's 100-meter freestyle -- made me think about whether or not I should take up swimming as a form of exercise. (Yes, I did look up adult swimming classes at my local pool last night. I am a pretty good recreational swimmer -- or used to be, anyway -- but I don't technically know how to do the turns and I'm scared of kicking someone else in the head.)

Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky

I love how NBC was trying to make this into a big rivalry and after Titmus beat Ledecky, Katie was like, "WOW SHE'S AWESOME!" in her interviews. (Similarly, it was entertaining when NBC was like, "Katie, confirm for us that this is the last time you'll ever swim in the Olympics," very mournfully, and she was like "HAHAHAH NO SEE YOU NEXT TIME!" Someone got some bad intel on that one.)

Katie Ledecky and Erica Sullivan

I think these women -- who won gold and silver, respectively, in the 1500m Freestyle -- are amazing and have great stamina and I do not know how they manage not to be distracted by these VERY INTENSE SWIMSUITS. The American kits make us look like we're wearing limited-edition Budweiser cans -- and I know I'm not the only person who's made that joke, which means it's REALLY TRUE.

Bobby Finke (USA)

They're better when you only have to see half of them.

Lydia Jacoby

I have no idea why anyone wears what suit when, but this one that Lydia Jacoby wore for the 100m breaststroke -- which she won in THRILLING fashion -- is much more low key.

Zach Apple, USA

Here's the dude version of that one; it's MUCH less aggressive and actually pretty cool. (Props to Zack Apple's upper back, also, while we're here!)

Simone Manuel, USA

And the one Simone Manuel wore for the semis of the 50 is also very chill and cool. (Simone suffered from overtraining syndrome this year and I feel so much for her; she got a bronze in the freestyle medley, and was named team captain which is great and extremely well-deserved.)

Tang Muhanof of China

The Chinese team's suits are also classic and very recognizably Chinese.

The Chinese and Australian Women's 4 x 200 freestyle teams

So much hugging!

Canada and Australia's women's 4x100 freestyle teams

MORE HUGS! With a side of happy tears. Canada -- which also did well this swimming Olympics! -- looks very appropriately Canadian in their red suits.

Sarah Sjoestroem, Sweden

Sweden's suits are so classic, and the red stripes on the back are neat.

Sarah Sjoestroem, Sweden

The front is was I like to call Subtly Spiderman.

Sarah Sjoestroem, Sweden

SURPRISE! Pink hair.

Yui Ohashi of Japan

For me, though, I think these might be my favorite suits -- the little black dress of bathing suits, truly.

Yui Ohashi of Japan

She took two golds at these games, which would be sweet under any circumstances, but which has to be extra great at home. (Although, as ever, it's a big bummer that none of these events have many spectators.)

Maxime Grousset of France

Meanwhile, the French men are like, "no, we're not going to wear some kind of thematic swimsuit, please don't be absurd."

Men's 4x100 medley relay

FLEXIBLE BACKS!

Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia

Ahmed Hafnaoui and his gold medal are going to usher us into the pointing portion of this slideshow. His winning this gold medal -- in the 400 freestyle -- was a very exciting surprise. I did NOT think I would be yelling "GO TUNISIA" so early on in the week, but I was. He was so shocked and thrilled; how can you not be excited by that?! (Tunisia hadn't won a medal in swimming since 2012.)

Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands

"WE LOVE POINTING IN VICTORY!"

Zack Apple (USA)

"We also love victory fists!"

Zhang Yufei (China)

"Fists of JOY!"

Shun Wang (China)

He won the gold medal in the men's 200-meter individual medley and can we also discuss that his hair looks great even though it was JUST IN A SWIMCAP? Thank you.

Ryan Murphy (USA) and Evgeny Rylov (ROC)

I downloaded this snap because I love a thumbs-up, but given that a variety of Americans seem to think the ROC are still juicing, maybe it was a sarcastic thumbs up?

Kaylee McKeown of Australia

Informative Caption called this a "wave" when it is CLEARLY a thumbs up. Learn your gestures, Informative Caption! (She had just won the women's 100-meter backstroke.)

Bobby Finke (USA)

This is also not a wave. It is "leisurely slinking over lane markers to victoriously exit the pool, with dimples."

Gregorio Paltrinieri (Italy)

This is "I'm so excited that I won a silver medal that I'm worried my hair might fly off!"

Tamas Kenderesi (Hungary)

This is "Covid dies in chlorine, don't worry." (That is actually true.)

Federico Burdisso (Italy)

This is "the bronze medal salute to Bea Arthur." (Thank you for recognizing one of our national treasures, Italy. Congrats on your medals!)

Matti Mattsson (Finland)

This is the "IMAGINE how much money I save on swim caps!" (He won the bronze in breaststroke and he's DEFINITELY heard that joke before.)

Kyle Chalmers (Australia)

And this is the "And yes, I've already heard that Super Nintendo Chalmers joke!" Apologies to Kyle Chalmers for the fact that I downloaded a photo that I could use for a joke instead of one that truly illustrates how hot he actually is. I'm sure he'll get over it.

Tom Dean (Great Britain)

This is the "Shhh, he hates that joke and wishes you'd done something about hotness."

Noe Ponti (Switzerland)

This is the "Whoa, wait, what?" (This was actually snapped after a heat and he ended up winning a bronze in the butterfly, after which he did not look this confuzzled. The Swiss have never had a swimmer in that race! Good for you, Switzerland!)

Adam Peaty (Great Britain)

This is the "BEHOLD MY ARMS!" And I shall.

Chase Kalisz (USA)

This is the "I just won a gold medal and my legs don't work right now!"

Dr Jill Biden

And this is the "Dr. Jill waves hello from all of us stuck at home." Let's do this in person next time!

Olympics Swimming Brought a Lot of Hugs (and Abs)

(And biceps, and bathing suits.)