Missy Franklin out of 200m freestyle final, 13th in semifinal

Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky, both already owners of Rio Olympics gold medals, safely advanced to the semifinals in the 200m butterfly and 200m freestyle, respectively, after racing in the preliminary heats Monday afternoon. Her voice shook as she tried to explain how she failed to make the final in the 200-meter freestyle, finishing last in her heat and 12th overall in a time of 1:57.56.

It was never a matter of if, just a matter of when: Katie Ledecky won her first individual gold of the 2016 Rio Olympics in world record time on Sunday night.

Upon seeing her time, she grinned broadly having achieved a goal she’d set herself back in 2013 of lowering the record in the event to “3:56 or better”.

Ledecky, meanwhile, leaves her competitors in her wake in the distance events, such as the 400 and 800 meters.

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.

Michael Phelps won the 20th and 21st gold medals of his extraordinary career, exacting revenge in the 200-meter butterfly against South Africa’s Chad le Clos, who forced Phelps to settle for a rare silver four years ago. With son Boomer in the crowd watching, Phelps swum the second of four legs as the U.S. beat France and Australia to win gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. “I’m pretty sure that’s the closest I’ve come to throwing up in the middle of a race”.

“I have tomorrow morning off and I can some good sleep in and be ready for tomorrow night”, Ledecky said. At the time, she was just 15 years old. She broke it twice in two weeks in August 2014 – the second time at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia – but she had not bettered it since, until Sunday night.

“I think the enormity of being here and the expectations of being here – they’re not really measurable, but you certainly can see them all around”, Marsh said.

And she’ll say a prayer before each event, according to the Catholic Standard.

This was her first Olympic medal.

Biles, a record-shattering gymnast with a sparkling smile and bubbly energy that shines through her routines, is the USA gymnastics team fan favorite and the gymnast to beat for any chance at the gold.

“I hope I still get a chance to be on that 4×200 freestyle relay, that would mean the world to me, and then I have the 200 backstroke”, she said. “The Hail Mary is a handsome prayer and I find that it calms me”, she told the Catholic Standard. And I swam with my brother throughout that and always followed him to the pool and wanted to be in the same group as him in everything.