American swimmers succeed while Lochte struggles

Posted at: 07/30/2012 10:11 PM | Updated at: 07/31/2012 4:02 AM

LONDON (AP) - Americans showcased their medal power in the swimming pool at the Olympics.

Seventeen-year-old Missy Franklin earned her first Olympic gold medal by winning the women's 100-meter backstroke. Franklin covered the distance in 58.33 seconds just 10 minutes after earning the eighth and final spot in the 200-meter freestyle final.

American teammate Matt Grevers made it a backstroke sweep for the U.S. with an Olympic record time of 52.16 seconds in the men's 100-meters. That was 38-hundreths of a second faster than the old mark set by American Aaron Peirsol at the Beijing Olympics four years ago. The U.S. earned a 1-2 finish in the event with Nick Thoman winning the silver medal.

Rebecca Soni missed a gold medal in the women's 100-meter breaststroke by eight-hundredths of a second. The world champion had to settle for silver.

On the other hand, world champion Ryan Lochte was shut out of the medals in the 200-meter freestyle, finishing a disappointing fourth. The gold went to France's Yannick Agnel, who finished more than a second and a half in ahead of the competition.

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