Swimming takes 3 more gold as USA maintains medal lead

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 - USA's Missy Franklin claimed her third gold medal of the Olympic Games after destroying the field in the 200-meter backstroke to set a new world record. Franklin took an early lead and never appeared troubled as she came home in 2:04:06. Russia's Anatasia Zueva was was 1.86 seconds back in second place, with fellow American Elizabeth Beisel in third.


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Michael Phelps’s last individual swim of his incomparable career was fittingly golden. Phelps rallied from seventh in the final 50 meters to win the 100 butterfly in a time of 51.21 seconds. It was his record 21st Olympic medal, his record 17th gold medal, and his third straight gold in the 100 fly. In the 200 individual medley, Phelps became the first swimmer ever to win the same individual event in three consecutive Olympic Games. Now he has a double three-peat.


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USA's Katie Ledecky, a 15-year-old from Bethesda, Maryland, was the wire-to-wire winner in the 800 freestyle at the Aquatics Centre, upsetting world-record holder and hometown favorite Becky Adlington. The rising high school sophomore was the youngest of the 529 athletes the United States sent to the Games. She becomes the second-youngest swimming medalist in Team USA history, 77 days older than Beth Botsford, who won gold in Atlanta in 1996.


OTHER USA MEDALS WON...

SILVER - Swimming (Cullen Jones - Men's 50m Freestyle)

BRONZE - Athletics (Reese Hoffa - Men's Shot Put)