Team USA finishes third in 4x100m freestyle relay, Australia wins gold originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It was undecided whether Simone Manuel would swim for Team USA in the 4x100m freestyle on Friday night. As it turns out, Team USA would go with three new participants in the final, with Natalie Hinds as the only swimmer to compete in both heats and the final round.
With new participants Manuel, Erika Brown, and Abbey Weitzeil joining Hinds, the quartet earned a bronze medal for Team USA with a time of 3:32:81.
But the night belonged to the Australian women. Not only did they win gold, they also set a new world record with a time of 3:29:69, a full three seconds better than silver medalist Canada.
This is the 6th swimming medal for Team USA, an impressive amount considering the U.S. was absent from the medal stand on day 1.