Missy Franklin Finishes Third in 4x100 Freestyle Relay

Missy Franklin and the US relay team finished third in the 4x100 freestyle relay at the London Olympics. The 17-year-old Franklin gave Jessica Hardy a lead after her opening swim.

What happened?

The Americans finished 0.45 seconds out of a silver medal.

The Netherlands and Australia took the top two spots.

Why it matters for Missy Franklin

Franklin's stellar lead-off leg was not enough to secure a gold medal for the US team.

The healthy defeat will likely prevent questions about why US women's coach Teri McKeever left Natalie Coughlin off the four-woman finals team.

What comes next?

Natalie Coughlin gets a bronze medal for swimming in the prelims, tying her with Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres for the most ever won by an American woman at the Olympics.

Coughlin swam the fastest leg of the four swimmers in preliminaries.

The US team will look to bounce back in the next event.

Missy Franklin will have to wait for her first gold medal.

The London Olympics continue with more swimming events.

The US team is looking to make a strong showing in the remaining events.

Natalie Coughlin's 12th medal is a notable achievement.

The US relay team finished with a time that was close to the medal winners.

The competition is fierce in the swimming events at the London Olympics.