She missed the chance to defend her gold medal in the 100 backstroke, and in doing so, missed a spot on the medley relay.
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With her 1-minute, 53.73-second victory, Ledecky is one victory from being the first woman in almost a half-century to sweep the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles in a single Olympic Games.
Ledecky set a world record as she won the 400m freestyle and the 19-year-old American is gunning for the first 200m, 400m and 800m treble in 48 years.
Currently, Team USA holds eight total medals in Olympic swimming, followed by Australia with three. Then Franklin finished last in her 200-meter freestyle semifinal heat on Monday.
Revisit the chlorine-soaked highlights with this gallery of images.
“It was a tough race, I knew she was going to go fast”.
For teenagers Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles, their star turns in the Summer Olympics might be just beginning.
Swimming the second leg in the men’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay, Phelps – in a flash – turned the American team from slight underdog to sure winners.
Ledecky, 19, also holds the world record in the freestyle for 400 and 800 meters.
“I wanted the first 200 to hurt as little as possible and I really felt like I could build into it and really explode that last 50”, she added after leading the race from start to finish. She could pick up another gold in the 4×200 free relay. “That’s been the secret that I have had through this year that keeps me healthy”, he says.
“It’s been awesome coming back here and just kind of accepting the expectations I have now, and knowing that’s just to do my best”, Franklin said.
But she tore that time to pieces to finish ahead of Britain’s Jazz Carlin and USA teammate Leah Smith.
“We just have to stay confident and do our routines like we normally do”, said a matter-of-fact Biles.
The normally stern Karolyi broke down in tears when she was told of the nickname the team adopted.
MEDAL STRIPPED: A Ukrainian javelin thrower was stripped of his silver medal from the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the latest athlete disqualified after the retesting of stored doping samples.
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Ledecky, of course, is aiming so much higher. New Zealand is a 12-time world series champion and one of the top contenders for the first rugby medals awarded at an Olympics in 92 years.
