Rio 2016: Mitch Larkin, Emily Seebohm fall short in backstroke finals
Updated
Australia's swimmers missed out on the medals on day three in Rio, with backstroke world champions Mitch Larkin and Emily Seebohm failing to add to the tally.
Competing in the 100-metre finals, Larkin was touched out for bronze, while Seebohm faded badly to finish seventh.
Both swimmers led at the turn but were unable to hold on as the fast-finishing field caught up.
American Ryan Murphy clocked an Olympic record to win the men's event in 51.97 seconds, followed by China's Xu Jiayu (52.31) and fellow US competitor David Plummer (52.40).
Larkin was only 0.03 behind Plummer, finishing fourth.
"It was a quick race and I knew it would come down to a close finish and Ryan swum really quick and he deserves it. A little bit disappointing," Larkin told Channel Seven.
Seebohm, the 2015 world champion and silver medallist in the 100m at the London Games, was out of sorts in qualifying and only scraped into the final.
"I couldn't really see anyone from lane one, so I was just trying to stick to my own race," she said.
"It's a little bit disappointing but there's nothing else I can do. I gave it 100 per cent and that's all I had tonight."
Her time of 59.19 seconds was nearly a second slower than the Olympic record she set in 2012.
Seebohm had her work cut out for her starting in lane one, in a race that was eventually won by Hungarian Katinka Hosszu in 58.45.
American Katherine Baker was second while Canadian Kylie Massie and China's Fu Yuanhui dead-heated for bronze.
Australia's other competitor in the race, Madi Wilson, finished eighth.
"I obviously didn't swim the best I could have but I'm just excited to have this experience and be in the final," Wilson said.
Both Seebohm and Larkin will be aiming for a recovery in the 200m backstroke finals.
Alicia Coutts qualified sixth-fastest for the 200m individual medley, while Emma McKeon and Bronte Barratt qualified sixth- and eighth-fastest respectively for the women's 200m freestyle final.
Both races will be contested on Wednesday (AEST).
Spotlight on controversial Chinese, Russian stars
Chinese superstar Sun Yang put aside his well-publicised spat with the Australian team to storm home in the final lap of the men's 200m freestyle ahead of South Africa's Chad le Clos.
Le Clos, the defending champion from London, held a 0.2-second lead after three laps but could not hold off the 24-year-old Sun.
Sun's gold added to the silver he picked up in the 400m freestyle, where he was touched out by rival Mack Horton.
There was also extra spice in the women's 100m breaststroke final, with American breaststroker Lilly King claiming victory over Russian Yulia Efimova, who was allowed to compete after a doping ban was overturned.
King, a 19-year-old first-time Olympian, made it clear she didn't think Efimova belonged in the pool, and plenty agreed as the 24-year-old world champion was showered with boos as she took the blocks.
"I think it just proved that you can compete clean and still come out on top," King said after winning gold.
"I'm actually glad I made a statement, and I ended up coming out on top in the race."
Meanwhile, five-time Olympian Michael Phelps will start from lane five in the 200m butterfly final on Wednesday (AEST) after qualifying second behind Hungarian Tamas Kendersai.
Fellow Hungarian veteran Laszlo Cseh qualified third, with Australia's Grant Irvine missing the final eight by just 0.04 seconds.
ABC/Reuters
Topics: swimming, sport, olympics-summer, brazil
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